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Courtyard
splendor
by
RaeAnne Marsh
In
a small, gated neighborhood in the southern area of Scottsdale’s
DC Ranch community, this five‑bedroom home presents
a Spanish Colonial face to the street. Eye appeal is captured
by the wide balcony on the second floor, and the effect
is not diminished by any broad expanse of garage door
as the two‑car garage is turned sideways to the
street and allows instead a more homey view of large windows
framed by wooden shutters. Stone accents dominate, covering
the central tower, framing the single‑car garage,
and continuing through the recessed entryway to the front
door.
Callers
may be greeted by a quick appraisal through the front‑door’s
shuttered window (no squint through a tiny peephole) before
being welcomed inside. Straight ahead is the living room,
open to the entrance foyer through a wide, arched window;
the doorway is a couple of steps to the left, opposite
the stairway to the second floor.
The
floor is covered in 16‑inch travertine tiles, with
interior doorways set off by an inlaid mosaic pattern
across the threshold. This is one of many details carefully
selected by the owners before they learned a job transfer
would deprive them of the opportunity to live in their
new home. The same travertine finishes the living room
gas fireplace’s surround and bench hearth.
Built
as a “U” around a courtyard, the home maximizes opportunities
to enjoy views of the central courtyard and its water
feature as almost all inner windows and doors look out
or open onto it. Downstairs encompasses the living room,
the in‑kitchen dining area, and one secondary bedroom.
Upstairs
includes four bedrooms, their amenities, and a large,
common balcony.
From
the living room, a wide doorway opens to the formal, carpeted
dining room. One of the few rooms not bordering the courtyard,
the dining room features a side and back wall filled with
windows that frame views of surrounding landscape. A short
butler’s pantry connects the dining room to the kitchen,
which may also be reached through an arched doorway from
the living room.
The
kitchen boasts numerous luxury amenities. A five‑burner
cooktop is built into the long center island/breakfast bar,
and double ovens are built into one bank of cupboards while
the microwave is built into another. The built‑in
refrigerator features a stainless steel finish, matching
the ovens.
An
additional decorator touch is the pewter accents on the
mosaic‑tiled backsplash across the length of the kitchen’s
back wall. Granite countertops are color coordinated with
the maple cupboards–and the cupboard space is extensive,
as it is not only island and wall‑mounted in the working
area of the kitchen but fills one wall in the adjacent eating
area. The in‑kitchen eating area boasts views east
and west, sandwiched as it is between the double doors to
the central courtyard and a single door to the backyard.
A
salt‑water swimming pool fills most of the backyard,
its design enhanced by three water features spaced at wide
intervals across the farther side of the pool. A built‑in
barbecue stands at one end of the patio.
Access
to the two garages lies at the front of the house. The door
to the one‑car garage is located in a short hallway
to the right of the foyer that ends at the powder room,
mere steps outside the great room. To the left of the foyer,
another hallway leads to the laundry room–which houses a
sink and ample cabinets–leading, in turn, to the two‑car
garage and a guest bedroom suite with full bath and a walk‑in
closet.
Four
bedrooms occupy the upper floor, along with a large, two‑sink
bathroom shared by the three secondary bedrooms. Walk‑in
closets are common to all bedrooms, including two (his and
hers) in the master. Both bedrooms at the front of the house
feature balconies–one a shallow, Juliet balcony
overlooking the courtyard, and the other the broad balcony
overlooking the street.
The master
bedroom lies at the rear of the second floor. The long hallway
accessing it extends from the stairs past two bedrooms on
one side and, on the other, a wall with windows and doors
that gives onto a wide deck looking down upon the central
courtyard.
Views from
the master bedroom are outward, as it overlooks a natural‑landscaped
arroyo that runs through the community. While the bath exhibits
the Arizona motif of open, arched doorway in lieu of a door
that can be closed, the off‑center doorway location
mutes any bathroom noise and light intruding into the bedroom
area. His‑and‑hers sinks stand at opposite ends
of the bathroom, each in its own nook. The bathroom is actually
made up of a series of nooks, with the oversize soaking tub
occupying the rear corner where windows on both walls look
out on the open space immediately behind the house. |
