Recent Nature-based Color Projects:

Community of Civano, Tucson, AZ – exterior palettes for the Town Center and for RGC Builders.

 

Canyon Ranch Health Resort, Tucson, AZ – exterior palettes for the 90 acre resort.

 

The Canyon Ranch palette is a mid-value range of chromatic desert colors that come from the soil, the rocks, the bark of trees, the greens of cactus and the reds of the desert flowers. Harmony is maintained by using shades that are equal in tonal strength. These earthy colors absorb the light without bleaching out, standing up to the clear strong sunlight of the desert.  Read more about Canyon Ranch's color design...

                 

The SPA COMPLEX, at the physical and conceptual ‘heart’ of the Ranch, is a bold red sienna, the color of the bark of the palm trees outside. 

Canyon Ranch Spa Exterior (Before)

Canyon Ranch Spa Exterior (After)

Bolinas Art Museum, Bolinas, CA – palette for permanent collection gallery

The new gallery for the museum’s permanent collection is a room with no windows, yet the paintings all speak of the beauty of the light of the region. The three shades of golden yellow, differentiating walls, alcoves and columns, bring the sun in. Visitors comment that the art has never looked better!  

 

Kenwood California Residence – Interior & Exterior palettes for a 2400 square foot home...

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Working with Mark and Karen was a ‘green’ designer’s dream come true! We met when I was speaking at a green event and they shared their vision of a home where they could live in harmony with Nature. Three years later, their home is a reality.

The organic shape of the building, architecturally designed by Todd Jersey, flows from the soft shape of the hills of the Sonoma valley, with a purity and simplicity of both line and form. The structural material, PISE, an earth wall construction, made by utilizing one-sided formwork and high pressure air delivery, gives the interior an interesting juxtaposition of smooth and textured walls in the color of the soil of the place. Selection of interior plaster wall colors was based on the restful, warm monochromatic scheme that we carried throughout the home. In the living room, niches were placed in the PISE wall to create interest and balance and to hold the treasures that have special meaning in Mark and Karen’s life together. Floors are acid-etched concrete with rugs used sparingly to define functional areas. Deeper tones and multiple textures give the natural fabrics the richness and interest needed in a monochromatic color scheme. Pattern was intentionally kept to a minimum so as not to compete with the stunning views of hills and gardens.

The respect shown by Mark and Karen, both to the environment and to each other, made this project pure pleasure!

 

Applebury Project, Bitterroot Valley, Southwestern Montana: Second Home of an executive couple - – exterior & Interior palettes for a 4,800 sq. foot residence.

I walked the bend in the river with my Montana clients when the house was just a dream. The location was selected for the soothing sights and sounds that a river provides. We all agreed that the structure should be ‘naturally inspired’, that all the colors and materials should support the beauty of the place. This view from the river shows our success in gently connecting the house with the site.

 

The house builds on the region’s architectural legacy of log cabins. During the design process, the materials selected shifted from a traditional log package to a stone, wood and stucco combination façade.

 

We started our interior design conversation by talking about how the house should feel.  Out of that discussion came decisions about how the house should look. The ambiance desired was one of warm welcoming, both to business weary executives in search of a retreat and to the many friends that would come to visit, hike and fish the world-class river. We started with the mellow warm browns of wood floors and the soft natural colors of stone. Then we added oriental rugs, rich colors, comfortable textured fabrics and furniture, and one-of-a-kind lamps and accessories. The couples’ collection of western art added the final touch. The result? Casual elegance, my favorite design style.

 

(To maintain the privacy of the owners, interior photos are available only upon request).

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Estancia Yerba Buena, Nogales, AZ – exterior palettes for the 5000 acre town and residential development  (not yet built).

The proximity of ESTANCIA YERBA BUENA to Mexico creates its color palette in the context of the culture and of the locale. Each color selected has its counterpoint in the landscape.

Yellow lies in the middle of the spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive, so it is the central color of the palette. Yellows are everywhere in this landscape.

 

The golds of the grasses are the colors of summer.

 

The bright yellows of flowers that cover the hills come after the monsoons.

 

The many shades of blue are the desert skies.

 

The greens come from the mesquite, paloverde and the grasses of the hills.

 

Reds and oranges come from the sunsets that light the sky,  the soil that shows through the grasses and that lines the riverbeds and roadsides.

 

Purple comes from the rocks, the bark of the trees, and the shadows of the distant mountains.

 

The feeling of comfort evoked by being surrounded by the colors of the earth and of the light makes Estancia “a community to come home to”.

          Estancia Yerba Buena Color Palettes