By Scott Bohall

What if every woman wore the same dress?

That, of course, would never happen. While there are some women who like to copy what a friend has or what they see in an ad on TV, they like to view themselves as individuals. Each person has a different taste in design, color, quality, jewelry size, and where they like to shop. There are also many different budgets for each occasion—certainly in a tough economy like this one.

If you watch TV or look at jewelry ads, there is a new thing each year that is pushed on consumers as if everyone wanted it. A few years ago, it was the three-stone jewelry, sold as if it were a new idea. Putting a larger stone in the center with a smaller stone on each side is a design that has existed for a thousand years—now it bears the name of Past, Present, Future. Then came the Circles, the Journey, and the “new” knot design, which has been a jewelry design for at least forty years but is sold as something contemporary.

There is nothing wrong with appreciating the jewelry item of the year. Each design is available from a good number of independent jewelers and chain stores and comes in a variety of qualities. However, if you are a man considering a purchase, it would be wise to ask your companion if she likes that design when you see an ad. If she says yes, proceed to your jeweler. If she says no, a follow-up question as to why will help you find something more suitable to her taste.

A random survey showed that less than 20 percent of women liked this year’s item. That will be tough for the stores that bought heavily in that area. Look for good deals as stores get rid of them closer to Valentine’s Day. If your lady told you that she did not like it because it was too small, too large, too simple, or too loopy, or she really just wants a sapphire ring, you have enough information to make her very happy.

Chocolate pearls are a hot item, but not if she doesn’t like the color brown. Pink sapphires are very popular—unless she prefers blue, purple, or yellow. Green quartz is selling well, but she may not like that—the color is not natural.

With any jewelry purchase, make sure that you can return the item if she is not happy with it. Most stores allow seven to thirty days to return an item. If you are spending more than $1,000 for jewelry, it is a good idea to also have the item evaluated by an independent credentialed appraiser. Contact the Arizona Jewelers Association (arizonajewelers.org) for any questions regarding buying, selling, repairing, custom designing, or appraising jewelry. If you know your lady, you’ll know her taste in jewelry. If you don’t know jewelry, know your jeweler!

This top-grain leather armchair with table rock copper chenille fabric goes for $1,999 at Valerie’s Furniture and Accents. The suede pillow with silver-button conchos and leather detailing is a nice touch at $189. (480) 483-3327 or valeriesfurniture.com

You spend one-third of your life sleeping, so it makes sense to sleep on a mattress that is not only supportive but also organic! Organic Mattresses, Inc. (OMI) mattresses are made with cruelty-free Eco-Wool, certified organic cotton, and 100-percent-natural rubber latex—all renewable, biodegradable sources that are grown, processed, and manufactured without toxic chemicals. Both natural rubber and innerspring options are available in a variety of firmness options. organicpedicbyomi.com

We’re transitioning out of winter, but we use hot water year-round, and Eternal Hybrid is an effective water-heating system that delivers hot water faster for multiple applications at once than do tankless units. It’s small, self-cleaning, and maintenance-free. eternalwaterheater.com

It’s about time you found a way that expresses you and reflects the style of your home when display your growing wine collection. EuroDream Kitchens and Design Gallery in Scottsdale will help you build your vision—take what’s in your mind’s eye and fit it in the space you have available in your home. (480) 998-0244 or eurodreamkitchens.com

If you like to cook, you may want to consider a Gaggenau appliance. Gaggenau innovators have secured three hundred patents and produce restaurant-grade appliances designed for your home. Some of their innovations have included the first-ever built-in oven, the first glass ceramic cooktop, and the first pyrolytic self-cleaning system. gaggenau.com/US_en/home.do

Hardwood floors can be your home’s best feature, and Old World Floors installs high-quality hardwood, bamboo, cork, engineered wood, and laminate flooring products as well as accent stone veneers. Wood floors add value to your home, are easy to maintain, and provide a rich ambience that makes living in your home pleasant day in and day out. (480) 233-HARD or oldworldfloors.net

Summer is not too far off, and even with this cooler winter weather, the 100-plus-degree weather is not so distant a memory. One of the best ways to enjoy the Arizona is in the water—it’s about time you got your own custom-built swimming pool! Tribal Waters Custom Pools & Spas can build your pool to fit the size, shape, and style of your yard, and include decorative stonework, waterfalls, and streams to your taste and whim. (623) 587-8500 or tribalwaters.us

A 2010 trend in kitchen style is traditional (with contemporary a close second), and inset-door–style cabinets reflect that trend well. 101 Cabinets & Interiors supply and install these versatile, timeless cabinets, making your kitchen a sleek and inviting room you’ll enjoy spending time in. (602) 971-1715 or 101cabinets.com

By Scott Bohall

Should I sell my gold and diamonds?

That question is on the minds of many people now that the economy is slower and metal prices are up. Many companies are popping up, glad to make money on your gold and diamonds.

It used to be that only about 10 percent of jewelers bought gold and diamonds, because that is about the percentage that actually make their own jewelry. Mass production-type stores don’t buy from customers, as a rule. Private buyers have generally included mostly pawnshops that usually offered very little for jewelry. But recently, many jewelers have jumped on the bandwagon just to make some profit in down times. In the last year or so, direct mail, radio, TV, and hotels are loaded with buyers for your gold. Even home parties have become a hot trend.

The biggest problem with buying trends and participants is that the consumer is not getting nearly the value of the gold and diamonds. The buyer is taking some risk, as prices could drop before he or she can sell them. Furthermore, most of them are just melting it for profit and not using the gold as jewelers would. There is also the chance of fraud or stolen merchandise. Consider that change machine in the grocery store that takes about 5 percent for counting your loose quarters. Some people are okay with giving up 5 percent, and some would rather roll it themselves.

But with the change machine, at least, you know how much the store is keeping. How much of your jewelry profit is okay for the house to keep? 5 percent? 20 percent? 60 percent?

Prepare to be shocked. If you mail in your gold to the TV companies, they pay 17 percent of value and are authorized to double that if you are upset. Take $1,000 of gold and pay 17 percent, not 17 percent of what it sold for as a chain, 17 percent of melt value. No wonder they can buy Super Bowl commercials.

Melt value is calculated on the current gold price of the day. Refiners take a percentage to handle and process the metal. The home parties pay around 40 percent, with a little kickback to the host—and how nice that you can get a small profit for your friends losing 60 percent of their jewelry’s value. Pawnshops pay more than TV sales, hotels shows, or home shows, and I am not a huge fan of pawnshops. Your best value is to find a manufacturing jeweler who will use the metal and will buy it 5–10 percent below the melt value or sometimes at full price if it is a pure gold ingot or coin.

So, how do you know how much your gold is worth? Shop around. Many places will play games. Some will offer $12 per gram based on $1,200 per ounce gold. Gold has never been $1,200 per ounce, and the fine print does not say $12 per gram on any particular type of gold. Many places say they pay top prices, but often what they pay isn’t even close to the top. Some will quote you on pennyweight prices instead of grams. There are about 1.5 pennyweights to each gram. Paying $15 per pennyweight is like paying $10 per gram. Some offer incentives and gifts. A recent hotel show offered a $10 gas card but paid the buyer $170 less than two local jewelers pay for the same amount of gold. And remember—it is important to keep in mind that 10K gold is 41 percent pure, 14K gold is 58.5 percent pure, and 18K gold is 75 percent pure. What you get paid on is the gold content, so the purer the gold content, the more you get paid. How about silver, platinum, and diamonds? If the same people are offering 17 percent to 40 percent of value for gold, how much do you think you will get on the other items? If you are still confused, find a good jeweler to explain it.

The Arizona Jewelers Association is trying to educate consumers about all aspects of the jewelry industry. The bottom line is that whether you are buying or selling jewelry, it is good to have a personal relationship with a real jeweler. Just because a dive restaurant serves food does not mean that there is a chef on staff.

Contact the Arizona Jewelers Association at arizonajewelers.org.

By Scott Bohall

Okay, maybe you won’t actually find precious stones in your backyard, but Arizona does have some fantastic gems that most residents have never seen. On a recent trip to a shopping mall, a woman standing in front of a jewelry store asked if I would like to come in to see some great jewelry. The store was not busy, so I decided to see what she had that was so wonderful. She showed me a typical diamond ring that could be found anywhere and pushed hard to convince me that today was the day to treat my wife. I asked if she carried any Arizona gems, and she was very quick to tell me that only turquoise came from Arizona and my wife would not be happy with that.

Sadly, many people inside and outside the jewelry industry have no idea that some fantastic red garnets are mined by ants and left outside anthills here in Arizona. The anthill garnets are bright red but are rarely as large as one carat. Peridot is found in a couple of locations in Arizona, and the bright-green gem is selling well worldwide. An office I visit in Thailand specializes in Arizona peridot. Most of the peridot found in Arizona jewelry stores is, sadly, not from Arizona.

Amethyst from the famous Four Peaks mine not far from Fountain Hills is the only active amethyst mine in North America, yet most Arizona residents do not know about it. Fewer than one in twenty jewelers in Arizona carry the fine Arizona amethyst. Fire agate is one of my favorite gems and is prized in Asia and Germany, yet very few Arizona residents know that much of it is from our great state. Cave Creek produces a great reddish-orange jasper, and Prescott boasts zebra stone, malachite, and azurite from the copper areas of the state. Fossilized dinosaur bone is far more beautiful than it sounds. Gem silica has a blue color that makes you think vacation. There are many more, but indeed, the most talked-about Arizona gem is turquoise, and it is popular again. As with any gem, there are many varieties, qualities, and lookalikes. Reputable jewelers will either carry some Arizona gems or know how to get them.

Arizona has a great many beauties, and gems are among them.

By Dale Gardon

With many of us hesitant to sell our homes because of the depressed real estate market, we should turn our focus to adding value to our residences through minor or major improvements. These undoubtedly can add great long-term value to your home and help distinguish it in the marketplace when the market for real estate returns. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that this is the time to take advantage of the current beneficial cost of construction, which can afford greater livability to your home, indoors or out.

Many of us live in homes that are now ten to twenty years old, some perhaps older, and frankly, we become comfortable just sitting around and not paying attention to what we really don’t see about our homes’ quality and character. They may be dated or worn and generally need sprucing up. This is often painfully obvious to our guests, but not to us. What you need to evaluate your home’s aesthetic needs is an objective critique from professional resources like architects, interior designers, or qualified homebuilders and remodelers. I’m sure that, if you are like most people, you have recently considered a few ideas on how to refresh the appearance of your home’s interior or exterior.

Whoever you are and wherever you live, it may not seem obvious at first, but now is the perfect opportunity for those ideas. There has been no better time in the past ten years to consider a makeover, regardless of how minor or major. Homeowners who are reasonably financially secure enough to invest in their homes are the real winners and can now reap the benefits of market conditions that have caused a lot of stress in the residential contracting industry. Factors such as rising unemployment, falling home values, and diminished financial portfolios have certainly put the pinch on the demand for new home construction, and therefore the squeeze is on residential contractors who find their crews now idle, waiting for the calls. That spells savings for those who can afford to remodel now, since most contractors are able to bid projects significantly lower than they did just a year or two ago. The costs of building products are coming down, labor costs are falling, along with profit margins, and the savings are coming to you—and, in most cases, to the tune of 20 percent or more compared with a year ago. In what other area is your money earning you 20 percent?

Out of everything that you could possibly do inside your home, where are the real value returns for your efforts and expense? Historically, the kitchen has been considered the heart of the home and still marks one of the best locations to get the most bang for the buck. It may be just a cabinet makeover; or it can be a complete surgery to enhance the appliance package, an opening of the room up to other adjacent spaces, and a complete cabinet upgrade.

We do spend a lot of time in the living and family room areas of the home. Unique ways to enhance those areas can involve major changes to the interior finish, material, and colors, as well as a reconsideration of the flow and furniture arrangements and potential incorporation of adjacent under-utilized spaces.

Bathrooms are often right behind kitchens as the focus for remodeling dollars. Opening up the visual connectivity or flow of a home can have a dramatic impact and does not have to drain the already stressed bank account. Don’t look past the exterior living spaces, either. Adding or enhancing the outdoor living areas to visually expand the perception of your home’s indoor livable square feet can be another great strategy. Consider upgrading the overgrown or sparse landscape and updating the adjacent exterior terrace materials that may have cracked or faded over time.

And does size really matter? In the case of additions it may not, since a 100-square-foot pool-bath addition that is exquisitely detailed may be the perfect element to complete your existing lifestyle and provide the added convenience that your home needs.

It is not inconceivable to consider a makeover that can entail more than 50 percent and maybe up to 100 percent of the area of a home. This may require moving out temporarily, but it is worth all the interim disruption of living in the home just to return, upon its completion, to the refreshed home and site. The reality is that many people find that they have enjoyed their home and community for many years and find it too hard to give up, even to the point of considering it irreplaceable. Therefore, a complete renovation and financial reinvestment may make the most sense for them. Many homes can be significantly dated in the exterior appearance, yet the interiors may be in great condition. Consider for a moment the idea of completely transforming the exterior façade without requiring extensive structural retrofitting. A home can be transformed from a nondescript mid-1980s monolithic styling to a timeless contemporary character with the added richness of new color and texture.

This example of significant or expansive renovation may in fact be the wave of the near future as opposed to newly constructed homes. This is an opportune moment for making a home purchase and remodeling the residence, as existing homes available in a distressed sale condition will easily represent the greater value on a cost-per-square-foot basis. This is as compared with new homes for several years to come until the bulk of that inventory is absorbed back to reasonable levels. Again, what this means to you is that if you are interested in transitioning from your current residential property, you should seek out these opportunities now. Again, to protect yourself from a bad investment, you should seek the advice of the professional resources previously cited. This type of guidance could be the smartest money spent if you choose to engage professionals for design concepts prior to your purchase. You will get the most creative ideas of how to differently utilize space indoors or out. These ideas will more than pay you back in the long run. Additionally, they can identify the real pitfalls that may lie ahead in what could be the proverbial money pit. There is usually much more than meets the eye to a remodel—many things can lurk below the surface, to the untrained observer. Major issues such as structural defects, electrical hazards, and plumbing disasters all need to be evaluated thoroughly before you embark down the remodel trail.

You might also be pleasantly surprised at how much good advice you can get for a minimal investment of a professional’s time. Most are willing to have an initial consultation without cost to you. Additionally, you can expect that they will freely share not only experiences similar to yours but also initial ideas about how to maximize the value of the home or potential purchase. If you’re thinking, I can’t afford an architect, interior designer, etc., you also must consider the cost of not hiring one.

If you believe, as I do, that there’s no place quite like home, this is a good time, economically speaking, to put that belief into practice. This type of spiritual and financial reward of accomplishing a remodel, renovation, or addition benefits the home’s long-term value as well as the enhanced quality and livability. What more could you ask for in a time that has placed so much unwanted stress on us all?

PHOTO CAPTIONS

This before-and-after example from Sesshu Design Associates demonstrates the benefits of a complete cabinet and countertop redo, creating a warmth and openness to the kitchen that has a dramatic effect on the perception of the space.

Brooks-Henry Interior Design Studio accomplished a stunning transformation of the living area of this home by adding a textural richness to the interior material palette.

This small 100-square-foot pool-bath addition by Salcito Custom Homes is the perfect complement to the outdoor entertaining area and demonstrates the power of good design and material selection in small spaces.

This mid-1980s nondescript triplex townhome building was redesigned by Dale Gardon Design with a proposed exterior makeover consisting of exterior material modifications and some minor architectural feature enhancements to achieve a dramatic visual transformation.

Idea Checklist

Makeover ideas can start with simple elements that can provide dramatic results. Consider the impact of modifying just one of the following:

• interior wall colors

• cabinets

• countertops

• floor materials

• showers and bathtubs

• appliances

• closets

• lighting

• exterior materials or color

• landscaping

• outdoor kitchen/barbecue areas

• terraces

By Scott Bohall

Whether rubies conjure images of Dorothy’s red slippers in The Wizard of Oz or the luscious lips of a model, you probably envision something positive when you think about the deeply hued gem. In the ancient language of Sanskrit, ruby is ratnaraj, which translates to “king of precious stones.” Writings from as far back as biblical times speak of wisdom as “more valuable than rubies” and a woman of virtue as “more precious than rubies.” In the eleventh century in what is now Iran, the ruby was considered the most prized gem. In 1894, the most popular and complete gem book to date indicated that a top-quality ruby was considered the most valuable precious gem known to human beings.

Not everyone who wants a fine ruby can afford one. Around a hundred years ago, a few types of simulated and synthetic rubies appeared on the market. Many of our relatives still own men’s rings with a rectangular flame-fusion (synthetic) ruby. In the ’70s and ’80s, the malls were flooded with stores that carried rubies created in labs—they still do. The availability of and profit from these fabricated gems are better for jewelers than rubies that come from the earth.

Here, though, is where it gets a little more complicated, and here’s why you should find a good, responsible jeweler. Most rubies mined in the last hundred years were heated to improve the clarity and, often, the color of the ruby. Finding certified, unheated rubies of good quality is rare. The market became used to all the look-alike rubies as well as the various qualities that came from the ground. New technology in the last decade produced a few new ways to take very low-grade rubies and fill the cracks with leaded glass—like with a ding in your windshield. Color was also added to make a $2 stone look like a $200 gem. The FTC requires disclosure of any treatments that greatly affect value. The problem is that most places selling these new rubies—e.g., the Internet, auctions, department stores, cruise ships, and a number of retail jewelers—are not disclosing that information. There is a huge difference between heat-treating a natural ruby and taking junk and making it look good.

The Arizona Jewelers Association has alerted the media to this practice and challenged major jewelry outlets to comply with federal laws, but the overwhelming attitude is that consumers don’t seem to care, so why should the sellers? I could not disagree more—consumers simply don’t know how badly they are being cheated. Be sure, then, that when you click your heels together and say, “Take me to the rubies,” that the jeweler is a reputable one. If you want a real ruby, your jeweler will provide you with the information you need to know about your gem’s pedigree—whether it came from the Ruby City or some guy in a lab behind a curtain.

By Diane Maier
I know—you love your house and you’re never going to move, but just in case you change your mind, there are a few things you can do to make the most of your largest asset and add appeal for future owners.

When budgeting for upgrades to your home, keep in mind that some things add value to the sales price of your home and other things will cost you when you sell. Take note of the following suggestions:

Curb appeal Keeping your exterior paint in good condition protects your investment and is something that potential buyers can check off their list of things to do. In addition, landscaping gives you a dollar-for-dollar return on your investment. After all, who doesn’t want to walk up to the front door of a well-kept yard?

Energy-efficient appliances Appliances don’t have to be top of the line or state of the art, but you can only save yourself and your future buyer money by purchasing the most energy-efficient models.

Crown molding and decorative trim Crown molding makes a statement and puts the emphasis on detail. It doesn’t have to be grand, but it does need to be well done. The beauty is in the craftsmanship and the invisibility of gaps, joints, and nails.

Window treatments Window treatments usually stay with the house when it sells, so let your buyer pay for your custom window treatments and include them in your asking price. In addition to privacy, add style coupled with energy efficiency and make it a wise investment.

Interior paint Appealing wall color in your home makes the space more livable. White walls show dirt and fingerprints, especially around light switches. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, paint gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

Cabinets and built-ins Sufficient, usable storage is essential to any home. When done well, it makes it easier to access things that you use on a daily basis, as well as items that you use once or twice a year. Anything can be customized nowadays, but don’t make it so custom that it only works for you. Case in point: Just because you need to store a foldaway crib for the two times a year your grandchildren visit doesn’t mean that you really need a cabinet 60 inches wide, 48 inches high, and 18 inches deep that is designed especially to store that crib.

Television/media You want the buyer of your home to want to purchase your electronic audio and video equipment. You don’t want to pack it and move it, especially when you can get the latest and greatest for your new place.

Making smart decisions when personalizing your home can add value to your most valuable asset. Working with a design professional in each of these areas can save you time and money, and it keeps you from making costly mistakes. Professionals can show you where to focus attention and how to look at the bigger picture in terms of spending your dollars wisely. After all, it’s not just a house—it’s a home.

By Diane Maier

You can attract positive energy to every part of your home by incorporating feng shui design principles into your décor.

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese method of object placement that encourages the flow of energy, or chi, throughout a space. Chi influences everything from health and happiness to fame and fortune. You can use color, material, furniture arrangement, lighting, and number to influence the flow of energy in your home and to create an environment that is conducive to prosperity, love, and career success.

In the last issue of NVM, I explained how to clear the clutter from your home to make way for fresh new energy (“Eco-Friendly Design: What It Means to Be Green”). The next step is to identify and address the areas in your home that are related to the three baguas that people tend to focus on most often: prosperity, relationships, and career. A bagua is like a map of the energetic qualities of your home and the spaces within in. In feng shui, any space can be divided into nine areas, or baguas, each of which corresponds to a different aspect of your life.

The level and quality of the energy in a bagua influence the relevant area of your life. If the energy in your prosperity bagua is positive, wealth will come your way. Positive energy in your relationship bagua will reflect well on your love life. Similarly, a space that is filled with blocked or negative energy will have a negative impact on the corresponding area of your life. Are you having trouble at work? Your career bagua may need to be cleared and replenished with positive energy.

Invite prosperity into your home by incorporating rich colors such as purple, green, gold, and red into this essential bagua. Shine a light on your financial situation with a dramatic accent light and add green plants to emphasize monetary gain and growth. Water is a powerful symbol of wealth. A water feature or artwork that fits this theme can enhance your earning power.

Encouraging lasting love in marriage or dating comes from emphasizing the duality of relationships. Decorate this bagua with pairs of lamps, nightstands, chairs, and other items. Round mirrors, candles, and fresh flowers add life and reflect love. Red, white, pink, or rose and all earth shades are especially good for creating positive, magnetic energy in the relationship bagua.

When the career bagua in your home is balanced and in harmony, you will achieve your goals for success at work. This is especially important if you are looking for work or feel blocked in your current position. The career bagua also affects the path of your life in general, and energy must flow freely here. Moving water, or an object representing it, is essential here. Dark tones, including black, blue, and gray, will also be effective.

In decorating and in life, it really is all about you and the energy that you create. Live your best life by letting positive energy flow throughout your home.

By Dale Gardon
Photos by Dino Tonn

The most distinguishing homes have some basis and recognition to an architectural style, whether they are traditional or contemporary. In addition, even if a home has an identifiable style, the design must also exhibit good design judgment based on some basic design principles that apply to all styles. Therefore, if a home has been designed in a recognizable style and has executed the design principals well, it leads to instant recognition and appreciation by others and immediate and long-term enhanced value.

So, what else is there if this is the obvious truth of design? There is no real requirement to follow the “rules of style”—and that’s why we see both beautiful expressions of architectural art created by talented architects, builders, and craftsman and inexcusable examples of architectural aesthetic disasters. The real difference between these two distinct outcomes lies in the hands of the creator of the architectural vision and his or her artistic and technical ability to decide what makes truly great and memorable architecture. This is not only about understanding architectural styles but also what the fundamental principles to creating great residential architecture are and how accurately those principles were understood and ultimately executed.

What is style?
The term style may invoke thoughts of fashion or trends, but that’s certainly not timeless relevance because fads come and go. Architectural styles have been identified and documented and should last through any change in fashion. Each of the defined styles have evolved for centuries, and all styles have an overlying set of design principles to interpret and follow for any home to be considered visually pleasing. Traditional styles have historic relevance, which gives the building an instant sense of reverence. This often can translate into an instant perception of increased value. Homes designed without any perceived style discipline often have much less appeal since they are really just architectural mish-mash. This is often what we see while driving from one end of the Valley to the other: structures that have no architectural style relevance or seem as if two or more styles were merged. The solution to avoid this lies in understanding architectural styles, paying careful attention to detail, and appropriately executing those details in an authentic manner.

Only the most talented architects and artisans can deviate from documented design styles and bring about a successful design in a non-defined style. It’s true that they may create a home or building that is devoid of any past historical architectural definition. The success of this approach, like admiration of most art, is highly subjective—there are those who love it and those who hate it. My feeling is that the best design compositions are those that honor some architectural style heritage in either a contemporary or traditional style and are composed according to the basic design principles outlined in this article. This would allow them to be instantly admirable and valued as worthy architectural compositions.

Style Selection
The selection of the architectural style is the first and most important step in creating a beautiful residence. Knowing what style you like will help your conception of how to compose your surroundings, both inside and out. The process of deciding what style you prefer starts with photographic examples from books, magazines, or places you have visited that appeal to you. It’s also about how you live and entertain, whether you feel comfortable in a formal or informal setting, and whether the site terrain and floor plan configuration can be compatible. Then, you hone in on the preferred exterior and interior character of the home and hand it all over to the architect. Clarity and simplicity of the design style from the start is the key. This makes it possible to spend your money on architectural detail or the finishes and furnishings instead of on the parts you don’t see, such as complicated structural beams required to resolve an ill-defined design idea. Without a “determine the style first” approach, the quantity, purpose, and adjacency of the rooms are typically agreed upon and become locked in. Then, the overall shape and style of the home has to be form-fitted to the defined room arrangements, and such a design solution may not yield a beautiful composition. When you see oddly configured or proportioned homes, it is usually the result of someone not determining the style first but instead trying to shoehorn a stylistic form onto a floor-plan layout. Homes will never be as elegant in their appearance when composed like this, since the design isn’t guided by the overall style-based idea and the parts are more or less put together haphazardly. Creating great home architecture is not about copying the past but learning from it and bringing it into the present by combining the owner’s stylistic desires with a specific location.

The context of the home—what the region looks like, what the rest of the neighborhood looks like—must also be taken into consideration. The more complicated the site or surroundings, the more limiting the list of appropriate styles. In Arizona, we already work with a limited list of acceptable traditional and contemporary styles that can be considered appropriate for our climate and architectural heritage. The traditional styles have evolved regionally and certainly have national and international predecessors. The Spanish styles that have relevancy in Arizona include Spanish Hacienda, Spanish Colonial, Spanish Mission, and Spanish Monterey. The Western-influenced styles include Pueblo Territorial, Ranch Hacienda, Ranch Territorial, and Craftsman/Bungalow styles that are evident in historic neighborhoods of Tempe and Phoenix. The Mediterranean-influenced styles include both Formal and Rural Mediterranean styles, which are often referred to as Tuscan, Provence, and Italianate. These are all derived from European countries with climatic zones similar to those of Arizona. Contemporary styles include minimalist and midcentury modernist homes as well as desert and western regional examples that use stone, wood, glass, metal, concrete masonry, and rammed earth.

Design Style, Composition and Value
Ultimately, the goal of the design of a home is to have clarity and distinction in a design style. The design exploration hopefully will result in a composition that will both please the occupants and represent a contribution to the neighborhood or natural setting, no matter what style is preferred. All homes in any style should consider the environmental impact of building, occupying, and maintaining the home. They should also strive for incorporation of environmental appropriateness and energy efficiency and utilize the best practices for building in a sustainable manner.

Hopefully, by selecting an architectural style before starting the design process, authentically executing it, thinking holistically and sustainably, and implementing the principles contained in this article, you’ll have a home that is composed in a visually pleasing manner. This translates to increased value for you and everyone around your home.

SIDEBAR

The 10 Principles of Design
The following list of basic design principles are the elements that can make a home look very appealing, but if done poorly, can make it very unattractive. The most successful homes are those that artfully incorporate authentic details and successfully accomplish each of these design principles.

1. Site Integration: Each structure must be properly integrated into the natural setting. This includes proper location and orientation of the building on the site and acknowledgement of the site contours, natural landscape, and drainage patterns.

2. Scale: All homes must be appropriately scaled relative to the site and neighborhood context. In general, the appropriate scale for each home shall be determined by a desire to create prominence, charm, formality, casualness, or elegance based on the selected architectural style.

3. Proportion: The goal is for every home to be well composed, with all design elements appearing in proportion to one another and to the whole composition. This includes but is not limited to windows, doors, fascia details, columns or posts, exterior walls, and site walls.

4. Rhythm: Rhythm refers to the regular recurrence of elements that include window or door openings, arches, columns, colors, and materials. Architecture should exhibit a nice rhythmic feel when viewing the organization of these elements.

5. Balance: Architectural design is measured by whether the overall composition of forms appears to be balanced as opposed to what is often referred to as “lopsided.” This doesn’t mean that everything must be symmetrical; in fact, a long horizontal element can balance a tall vertical element.

6. Color Value: The use of color as a complement to the design and the overall site is extremely important. The creative use of color can be rewarding if it is beyond simplified applications and can add immensely to the character and distinction of individual homes.

7. Texture: The harsh desert sun reflects a greater amount of light off smooth surfaces, so a rich and varied palette of complementary textures is desired to minimize the reflectivity of walls and roofs. A note of caution: Avoid multiple competing textures, such as a visually busy roof tile competing with heavily textured stucco and a multicolored exterior stone.

8. Shade/Shadow: A vital component of design in the Arizona climate is to create visual depth by recessing each window or door opening and integrating arched arcades, trellises, or covered terraces to provide adequate shade and shadow to allow the home to be more compatible with the desert context.

9. Exterior Material Integration: The selection and placement of exterior materials and textures shall be complementary rather than in competition with one another or the site surroundings.

10. Environmental Sustainability: Incorporate strategic design decisions in the site planning, response to climatic conditions, material and fixture selections, and energy systems to create a home rated high in energy efficiency and low in ecosystem impact.

CAPTIONS FOR PHOTOS:

1 This Rural Mediterranean-style home demonstrates the benefit of proper site integration and good color value to blend seamlessly into the desert hillside setting.

2 The exterior front facade of this Spanish Colonial-style home creates a feeling of understated elegance and demonstrates that visual balance can be achieved even in an asymmetrical facade.

3 The beauty and simplicity of the landscape and architecture create the aura of a true Spanish Colonial estate, where the provision of shade and shadow create a comfortable indoor-outdoor experience.

4 The elegant garden of this Formal Mediterranean-styled home brings the sculpture, fountain, landscape, and architectural elements together in one coordinated design expression.

5 This courtyard of a Spanish Colonial home exhibits extraordinary charm and intimacy created by the inclusion of design elements such as the fountain, exterior stairs, Juliet balcony, awning, and ornamental features of the railings and decorative lights.

6 This Rural Mediterranean-style home exhibits the welcoming charm associated with proper scale and proportion with an artful use of exterior materials and texture.

By Dale R. Gardon
Photography by Dino Tonn
Who said that going to the office every day means being sentenced to architectural or aesthetic hell? I’m astonished when I consider how many people drag themselves into a vanilla-colored-wall environment, complete with standard-issue lay-in ceiling tiles and inoperable windows, and become acclimated to this environment for eight to ten hours a day—every day. Someone once decided that this is the way an office should be: sealed from the natural environment with work spaces neatly lined up like rabbit warrens housing prairie dogs bobbing up and down to see what’s happening across the sea of cubicles.

Imagine a place where you don’t have your nose prints smudging the glass. Imagine an office with operable windows and doors that allow you to hear the birds, smell the flowers, and feel the breeze. Imagine a space with interesting interior volume, natural daylight, and interior materials composed thoughtfully in an array of soothing hues and warmth, giving you a feeling of the comforts of home.

What if there were a place where informal meetings were held in a room or space with comfortable chairs instead of at a conference table over which you crouch and hover? A more relaxed setting may allow for flow and freedom of thought. Is all this really possible in an office environment?

I’m less concerned with office trends than sharing a personal crusade to change the places in which the majority of the workforce toils away. Anyone working in a home office knows the great appeal that lies beyond the ability to sit around in your underwear while engaging in a Web meeting. The mere thought of a more relaxed and pleasant environment gives awareness to how workers can focus better: being in the office seems more comfortable and enjoyable because the place in which we are conducting our business was designed creatively.

Of course, not all offices are as unpleasant as I’ve described, but after visiting and taking note of the majority of office environments, I suggest that if some of us have to spend most of our daylight hours in a place called “the office,” then maybe we deserve to have at least some of the comforts of home. The office’s kitchen should be the social heart of the office and a place to gather and socialize with coworkers, not just a wet bar counter with a water cooler and a coffeemaker that all serve as a good behavior escape from your sentence.

Beyond the exterior walls of my office building lie multiple courtyards to explore and a fountain for audio and microenvironment comfort. We are also fortunate in having chosen to build our office building in a community where the Path and Trail system lie right outside our door so that health and wellness can be enhanced by taking walks or riding bikes during a lunch hour or immediately before or after work. The bathroom has a shower available for freshening up after a long walk. It is also uncommon to find office sites where you can actually walk—yes, I said walk—to a restaurant or shopping environment without firing up all those cylinders in the car just to get a bite to eat.

Consider, too, utilizing more green and sustainable materials. We have a natural integrally colored concrete floor in most of the office, a cork floor in the conference room, and recyclable rubber flooring made from recycled tire scraps for the mail/print room, as well as TimberStrand steps, Paralam steps and posts, and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) for ceilings and flooring, all made from excess wood chips. All of this contributes to the dematerializing of the material composition of our building—basically, the core structural and mechanical products left exposed and dressed up with stain or a clear sealer in the case of the remanufactured wood products. This means less carpet, drywall, or other ceiling products.

If we can be aware of the visual, inspirational, and emotional benefits that this type of office design can provide for workers, the building owners and developers, and the environment, and if the public at large is more demanding of them, then maybe we can make a significant change for the next generation of worker bees, who would then continue to pollinate these ideas to nourish future generations.

CAPTIONS:

Photo 1
This office lobby exhibits the warmth and charm of a residence, demonstrating sustainable design principals that utilize a broad shaded overhang, recycled materials like the glass chips in the terrazzo floor, the use of Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) for the roof, and the exposure of the Oriented strand Board (OSB), stained in a warm, light cherry tone.

Photo 2
The outdoor environment welcomes the user or visitor to the office complex in an inviting way that celebrates the landscaped environment—so contradictory from offices that experience garage parking, waiting for elevators, and wandering down endless non-day-lit hallways to find the office entry door you are hunting for.

Photo 3
The main office studio space exhibits the natural integrally colored concrete floor, the OSB ceilings, and the structural trusses exposed for the artful composition seen in the volume space. The daylight adds benefits from clerestory windows, operable windows, and sliding glass doors.