Built on an ancient lava field formed by the Santa Clara volcano and set against the backdrop of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve on the border with Arizona, this house seeks to belong to the location. It is from this close listening to the territory that the interior design project by Design Studio JAC took shape. “It is a landscape where black volcanic rock and red sandstone exist side by side under constantly shifting light”, explains Jourdan Hammond, the studio’s lead designer. “Our objective was to create a house that looked as if it had always been there.” This intention runs through the entire project, from the architecture that takes its inspiration from the American Southwest to the careful choice of materials, colours and textures that resonate with the desert.

When the owners – who are passionate about design and architecture and are long-standing clients of the studio – bought the house, the interior had been completely stripped bare in the aftermath of a fire. What could have been an obstacle proved to be an opportunity, like “a true blank canvas”, recalls Hammond. “We were able to rethink every surface, every proportion, every detail” and from there the project developed with almost immediate clarity. The house is distributed over two levels, balancing large social areas with spaces for retreat and introspection. On the main floor, the living, dining, kitchen and bar areas flow into one another, seamlessly, all facing the landscape through the vast glass windows. The experience is that of an interior which is permanently connected to the exterior, where the desert enters through the light, the shadows and the silence. The bedrooms reflect the same language, with each space establishing its unique relationship with its surroundings.