Modern, Courtyard Home in Phoenix Takes Cues from the Saguaro Cactus

One of the defining plants of the American Southwest, the saguaro cactus, grows in the Sonoran Desert with a distinctive columnar form with branches or arms that generally bend upward. The beauty of the natural wonder—that’s covered with a thick waxy coating, hard spines, and flexible bristles—was the inspiration behind the design of the Pleats project by Phoenix-based architecture firm The Ranch Mine and builder Boxwell Homes.

The home’s owners stumbled upon the lot in 2007. They identified it as the perfect piece of property, due to its location north of uptown Phoenix and south of the desert and the Dreamy Draw Mountain Preserve. After years of saving, the clients approached The Ranch Mine—a national award-winning, husband-and-wife-led architecture firm known for its modern courtyard houses that exemplify urban, desert living—to remodel the existing house on the property.

“We love this neighborhood. We love our lot. We don’t love the house,” the clients stated in the firm’s initial questionnaire. “We want to create smart space—space to be together, to be alone, to entertain, to meditate, to scream.”

In addition to creating miniature havens around the home, the clients also stressed that indoor-outdoor living was “critical to the success of the project.” They are drawn to the outdoors and love to explore the surrounding area with their two rescue dogs.

Utilizing the original home’s foundation to save a bit on cost, the team settled on a floor plan with two volumes, including the new 1,850-square-foot house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, and a detached two-car garage in the rear, which created a three-sided courtyard surrounding a pool.

Exterior materials for the home were selected to echo the surrounding desert landscape by adopting specific elements from the saguaro cactus. The house’s name, Pleats, was derived from the corrugated metal that wraps the volume, reminiscent of the pleated pattern on the exterior of the cactus. The material also was chosen for its durability and ability to deal with radiant heat.

“The climate and geography are the first stages of inspiration in every home we design,” says Cavin Costello, principal architect at The Ranch Mine. “This, combined with our client’s mutual love for the desert, inspired the exterior of the home.”

The new, gabled volume on the west side of the front elevation was also designed with the unique cactus in mind. It features a custom hemlock wood slat pattern that evokes the forked ribs, while the recessed entry is similar to a saguaro boot, or the holes in the giant plant that many desert animals use as homes. White stucco was used to clad the original structure that was saved, as well as the south-facing gable where the outdoor shower is located.

In addition to adding warmth, pattern, and texture to the front of the home, the gabled roof was added to allow the homeowners to take in the mountain views and to provide an open, indoor-outdoor great room that seamlessly connects the kitchen, living, and dining areas with the exterior patio. A perforated metal patio cover eases the transition from the bright, sunlit exterior to the interior, while the addition of the tall roofline also provides additional shade in the courtyard from the intense Arizona sun.

“The reality of Phoenix is that most lots are simple, flat rectangles surrounded by neighbors on all sides, not blessed with the beautiful desert terrain, flora, and fauna you think of when you think of the Sonoran Desert,” says Costello. “We shaped the house to create a courtyard, a traditional way of creating a shaded, protected space in the desert.”

The clients also wanted guests to have direct access their new guest suite. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an opportunity to put the suite in the rear based on other program requests. As a solution, the design team decided to include a secondary door within the recessed entry that provides direct access to the guest room and camouflages into the siding, avoiding confusion as to which door leads to the home’s foyer.

For the home’s interior details, the clients sought “mid-century modern combined with industrial influences with a touch of modern European hardware and design,” says Costello.

The designers responded to this request by incorporating European-style hardware, fixtures, and appliances in the kitchen, while finishes like walnut cabinetry, accent lighting, and furniture add some mid-century flair. Concrete floors in the combined living space and stainless steel countertops embrace the industrial aesthetic.

Two expansive sliders with transom windows above give the great room its indoor-outdoor feel, with living and dining spaces on both sides of the glass. The perforated steel cover carries the industrial style out to the patio and offers a mix of both shade and natural light.

The contemporary interior design style with warm wood accents continues in the master suite, which also has direct access to the adjacent outdoor courtyard. A slider door opposite the bed looks onto the private oasis outfitted with a small rectangular pool and fire pit area.

With its own square window, the master bathroom also receives ample natural light. Designers chose sleek wood cabinetry similar to the kitchen for the floating double vanity, hexagonal cement tile for the floor, sphere accent lights, and individual rounded-corner mirrors to complete the clean, contemporary design.

On the opposite wing of the L-shaped main house, the design team added a standard mudroom with laundry facilities. From there, an exterior door in the space leads to the fenced-in outdoor shower, used for washing the dogs after a long hike in the mountains or for rinsing off before getting into the pool.

Pavers from the outdoor shower create a path to the side entrance to the detached garage, which is also clad in the dark corrugated metal used on the main volume. Inside, the homeowners have space for cars and outdoor gear, as well as a shop for their business, a local, all-natural skin care line.

Much like how the saguaro cactus provides shelter through its boots, the Pleats project now embraces the site, its owners, and their guests. The homeowners report Pleats is “the first home we’ve opened up to all friends and family” and “we’re so proud to call it home.”