For architect Jessica Hutchison, renovating a home perched on Camelback Mountain was a very personal project. Her father, retired architect Lee Hutchison, originally designed the home over 30 years ago.
“I always love to be the first one called to work on one of his homes. It has some design continuity to it that way, and I can protect the Urban Design legacy,” says Hutchison, who is the principal architect at Scottsdale-based Urban Design Associates. “The house had great bones that had the potential to be opened up to make modern living more convenient. That was really the challenge.”
She and her father both remembered the four-bedroom, five-bathroom house, largely due to its one-of-a-kind location.
“It was one of the first homes that had a bridge over a natural wash in the Valley. The triangular shapes of the site planning were unique,” she recalls. “This house was very contemporary for its time.”
But after three decades, it was ready for a refresh. One of the biggest changes? The kitchen, dining room and living room were all isolated spaces, and the owners wanted them to be one large, cohesive area.
“A primary goal was to create some visual connection between the great room, living room, kitchen and dining space,” Hutchinson says.
To achieve this, internal structural walls were demolished, and an outdoor balcony was enclosed to create an interior breakfast room.
“The biggest challenge was to expand living spaces within this tight building envelope,” Hutchinson recalls. The result of creating an open floor plan was remarkable.
“It created more of that open concept plan that facilitates family, living and entertaining, that flows better. So every room has a gorgeous view out down towards the East Valley. The view is really the superstar of this property,” Hutchinson explains.
To capitalize on the views, small windows were replaced with bigger, taller versions that capture more of the picturesque desert scenery.
The massive space is now a mix of old and new. The wood beams in the ceiling were left intact, while the decking between them was removed. The dining room ceiling was outfitted with wood from another room, and flagstone flooring was replaced with hardwood.
Other changes included adding a powder room, a pantry with a food bowl trough for the owners’ dog, and a coffee bar in the laundry room. The great room fireplace is constructed of original stone from Ash Fork, Ariz., and its heavy wood mantle was quite literally dismantled and replaced.
“They were looking for a much more modern Southwest approach,” says KT Tamm, owner, president and lead designer of KT Tamm Inc. “We put a limestone hearth opening with a very fresh, modern approach to its design, very simple, and yet, it can handle itself.”
The kitchen now features dual islands. The islands’ bases are light-colored rift oak, and the counters are made of a composite material that looks like concrete. A striking backsplash is made out of tile from Craftsman Court Ceramics. The colors are intended to reference the home’s unique location on Camelback Mountain. From the home, you can see hikers. “That was a little nod to what was going on in the mountain,” Tamm notes. The color of the natural stone of the fireplace also recalls the home’s setting.
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The dining room features a live-edge walnut table by Phoenix-based Peter Thomas Designs. The hanging lighting fixtures above the table are hand-blown glass. “They’re very stunning. That was a splurge for them. It was something that they really wanted,” she says.
The lighting in the kitchen is another impressive feature. The hanging circular fixtures seemingly have no electrical wires running through them.
The home’s high-end features don’t stop there. A bathroom attached to a flex room features vibrant emerald green tiles.
“This bathroom gave new meaning to 99 bottles of beer on the wall. It took the tile setter almost a month, because each one of those tiles is handset,” Tamm remembers. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Another big change? Adding the pool deck. Hutchinson tells us it took the City of Phoenix a full two years to approve that. The owners wanted to add a pool to boost the home’s appeal as a true luxury vacation rental property. According to Hutchinson, the pool deck was built to accommodate a bench, a few lounge chairs and a planter.
“It’s just beautiful,” Tamm says. “Greey Pickett did that. The siding of it, and all the finishes were just so on target.”
Tamm, Hutchinson and builder Chris Manship have collaborated on several projects in the past. “I’ve worked with them several times as a team, and it always creates great, beautiful outcomes,” Hutchinson notes.
For Tamm, the renovation of the great room was the best part of the project.
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“The transformation of the great room, the dining room, the kitchen area, the breakfast area, closing that in. Tamm says. “We’re just tickled to death with how that all came out, and how it makes the entire house much more user-friendly and adaptable to just about any kind of way of life and living.”
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