Mission Statement
The historic buildings of California and Mexico inspire the design of a desert hacienda.
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“I love the simplicity of monasteries and how they play with natural light,” says Ochoa. “The purity of these spaces is what inspired the design.” A native of Mexicali, he has made his mark in the desert with interpretations of traditional Spanish and Mediterranean haciendas, including the $11.25 million Old World spec home at the Big Horn Golf Club, which was purchased by Orin Smith, CEO and president of Starbucks. “While we try to honor the elements of the style, we are never copying. We like to simplify. The idea is not to make architecture that is too difficult to digest,” Ochoa says.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The estate, perched on
one of the Quarry’s largest lots, is bordered by the San Jacinto Mountains. (Click image to enlarge)Knox, who has a vacation home in Barcelona, shares Ochoa’s affinity for uncomplicated Old World design. “If you visit the bathrooms in any great home in Spain and Italy, you won’t find wallpaper, faux painting or marble walls and granite countertops,” he says. “Instead, it’s about this incredible handpainted exquisite tile that says ‘whoa.’ ”
When the project began, Knox urged the owners not to buy new art, suggesting instead that they have the art painted on the walls by a mural artist. The notion of art that became a part of the hacienda was instantly appealing to both owners, says the husband. “We have a lot of artwork in the other house that we had to go out and buy. I didn't want a place that’s like an art museum. We wanted something where the art is the architecture.
Jack Knox Interior Designs
760.564.2486
Juan Carlos Ochoa
760.773.6605
www.ochoadesign.com
