Shea Homes' Azure Plan Sprawls to Let The Sunshine In

The Residence 1 floor plan and model home have been named Best Single-Family, 3,500 to 4,500 square feet at the 2019 Gold Nuggets Awards.

By Mary Salmonsen

The integration of indoor and outdoor living rooms within the luxe Residence 1 floor plan at Shea Homes’ Azure community in Paradise Valley, Ariz., extends throughout the entire home, with almost every room designed as a transitional space.

Three full glass walls and patio doors separate the back of the home from the patio and pool deck. The staggered, geometric pool spans the entire width of the lot, with a unique below-grade fire pit set in the center. A pair of semi-enclosed outdoor living areas span the middle of the house, separated by an enclosed hallway with sliding patio doors on either end. The covered outdoor dining area adjoins the living room and pool deck, and the open-air lounge, shaded by cloth hangings on a grid cover, connects to the kitchen.

Two window wells bring natural light into to the entertainment room and junior master suite on the lower level, where homeowners can access the spaces through sliding glass doors. The master bath incorporates a window wall that opens to an enclosed courtyard, which features a freestanding tub and waterfall fixture. A glass-enclosed shower also adjoins the window wall from the inside.

The home’s exterior elevation and unique layout mix modern-style architectural features with transitional dark wood finishes and natural stone accent walls. This mix extends to the interior palette, with light, clear wood cladding and accents against white walls, cream stone accents and light gray floors. Optional plan features in the model include a guest house/casita overlooking the pool and a detached garage.

The Azure community, which covers 66 homesites on 23.8 acres, is also the Gold Nugget Awards’ Residential Detached Collection of the Year. According to the project’s submission entry, each home—designed in collaboration with PHX Architecture and the Shea Signature by Shea Homes brand—aims to offer the look and feel of a sprawling estate home without excess or wasted space, and maximize the dwelling’s exposure to the natural beauty of the surrounding valley.