Casa Encantada

A private client wanted a single-story house on a sloped site in the foothills of Santa Fe, open to panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and downtown.

The house uses a cut-and-fill strategy to seat a single-story building into the slope, surrounded by desert landscaping. Glulam beams run continuously from the East to West facades, connecting to posts hidden within interior walls, reducing the number of columns and creating unobstructed views.

I designed the full house: The design splits public and private space into two main geometries: a rectangular bar, on the north side, holding the owner's suite, two bedrooms, and the garage, and a southern living square containing the shared entryway, living room, dining room, and kitchen all organized around a central fireplace. Spaces flow continuously without interior doors, defined instead by wall alignment, ceiling heights, and windows.