At the base of Echo Mountain in Phoenix, a geometric home by Wendell Burnette opens up to the surrounding desert landscape. Photo by Dean Kaufman.

The Desert House located in Desert Hot Springs is a steel structure designed with large expansive windows, and concrete flooring.

Composed of primarily steel, this prefab home has sufficient outdoor space. Photo by: Daniel Hennessy

Various groupings of succulents were planted to accent and obscure the home's relationship to its surrounding environment. Photo by: Daniel Hennessy

- Taos, New Mexico Dwell Magazine : July / August 2017

The courtyard-facing side of the garage provides an overhang for a multifunctional playroom or entertainment space.

A lone saguaro marks the southwest corner of Thomas and Laura Hyland’s property, which is situated adjacent to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The structure’s main living volume is elevated and faced in glass, overlooking a descending pathway that leads to a pool tucked into the site.

Fleetwood Windows were installed throughout the home, including as a partition between the living room and deck.

In the master bedroom, a Droog Milk Bottle lamp hangs next to a Fluttua Bed designed by Daniele Lago. An artwork by Brooke Westlund hangs over a custom pet door for the client’s dog, Kona.

In Palm Springs, Sander Architects created an energy-efficient hybrid prefab home that’s designed to stay naturally cool in the desert heat, which often climbs to triple digits in the summer.

There are generously proportioned nine-foot-high ceilings throughout the Desert House. Marmol Radziner designed and built the outdoor table and benches from reclaimed Douglas fir.

All fixtures and faucets are from CEA.

Evenings around the firepit are particularly magical.

The Desert House is about 40 miles outside of Palm Springs, sited on a pile of boulders at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, and it was finished in the early 2000s, long after the heyday of post-and-beam modernism. Yet there may not be another residence more attuned to the hardened landscape of the Coachella Valley than Kendrick Bangs Kellogg’s most outré experiment in organic architecture.

Mila designed the home’s concrete pool, which is finished with a custom plaster. The pool area includes sleek chairs from Cast + Crew.

Exterior

Lockyer added native desert plans to a courtyard near the garage.

Architect Hank Louis worked with Navajo tribe elders to secure a 66-year lease on a half-acre lot in the middle of Bluf, Utah, for Rosie Joe and her children.

Hammocks

In the kitchen, which faces west to capture views of the San Jacinto Mountains, a large red work by James Jensen punctuates one wall. The induction cooktop is from Gaggenau; the sinks were sourced from Blanco.

A 41-foot-long heated saltwater pool includes a submerged tanning ledge. The hot tub was created using concrete and stucco. The outdoor area includes lounge chairs from Jøna’s curatory, Cast + Crew.

The reading nook corridor has a sizeable sliding glass door that pockets into more glass, with thresholds flush between the cork floors on the interior and the large format porcelain tile on the exterior. The center of the atrium is filled with raked 1/8” Desert Gold crushed granite.

Alqadi topped the second cabin, which houses a water tank and the site’s mechanicals, with a north-facing deck for sunbathing and sleeping under the stars. In addition to a heated bed, it includes a bio-ethanol fireplace and a projector for watching movies on the back wall. A custom cover fits over the opening when rain is expected.

6. "Am I the 'fixer-upper' type?" "The truth is that an additional $100,000 on your purchase price is only about $300 more in payments,” she says. “If you work long hours and don't have a handy bone in your body, you might be better off buying a more fixed-up home.” 7. "Who are all of the decision makers, and can they actually see the home?" "There are times when parents may be helping out children with their down payment," she says. “It's always better to have the parents in on the process as early as possible."

Built in 1937, Taliesin West was an experiment in desert living that evolved at the hands of Wright and his apprentices until he passed in 1959. Meant to be a refuge from the harsh winters of the Midwest, the complex—which grew to include a drafting studio, dining facilities, three theaters, a workshop, Wright’s office and private living quarters, and apprentice and staff residences—takes direct inspiration from the arid landscape. Over the years, Wright continually rethought previous design solutions and rebuilt sections of Taliesin West with the assistance of his apprentices. Today, the complex continues to be the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and School of Architecture.

Qn the opposite end of the covered patio the Smirkes built two long benches that overlook the open desert. The canvas is a flag they had made by Lindsay Smith of Makers Workshop that says, “Joshua Tree Est. 1957” the year the original cabin was constructed.

Ocotillo was placed in key areas as a great structural focal point.

A view of the main residence is framed by the casitas and on-site windmill.

A new structure near the dome holds an array of solar panels and three lithium-ion batteries. “The power is completely sustainable,” says Sam. “I can even run the air-conditioning on it.”

Crushed stone paths and native plantings, including cacti, wildflowers, and grasses, encompass the surrounding landscape. “We’re nothing but natural,” says Austin. “The cacti, to me, are like pieces of sculpture, each with their own personality. I even named some.”

A concrete patio, accessible by large sliders, flows into the landscape.