Mission Statement
The historic buildings of California and Mexico inspire the design of a desert hacienda.
July 1, 2005
The mesmerizing views from the rooms of Casa California are one of the main reasons guests of the 8,500-square-foot estate always begin and end each evening on its spacious verandas. On a clear night, you can see to the eastern end of the Coachella Valley. The home’s central courtyard is accented with pillars, a splashing carved Canterra fountain and clusters of bougainvillea. Who could blame visitors for venturing through the French doors of the round dining room into the open air?; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The courtyard of Casa California was designed to resemble those found in
Franciscan missions constructed in the late 1700s. (Click image to enlarge)Situated on the largest and most elevated lot of the Quarry, a private golf club in La Quinta, Calif., the property has the timeworn feel of a traditional California mission. It was, in fact, the serene courtyards of the missions of California and Mexico that led the owners (a couple whose primary residence is in Palos Verdes) to Palm Desert architect Juan Carlos Ochoa. “When we told him what we wanted, you could see the fire in his eyes,” recalls the wife.
“The courtyard has always been the most important part of the house,” says Jack Knox, interior designer for the residence. In creating the hacienda that surrounds it, he and Ochoa sought to capture the romance inherent in the historic originals. An Old California aesthetic can be discerned in the home’s arched doors and windows, wall frescoes and murals, handpainted tiles, Douglas fir ceiling beams and heavy distressed wood furniture trimmed with nail heads. Despite the vintage touches, this is a California that Helen Hunt Jackson would never have dreamed of. Modern features such as a pizza oven, Sub-Zero refrigerator and a home theater bring the residence into the 21st century. Still, the courtyard, a room fixed in time, is the center of it all. “We even eat out here when it rains,” says the wife.The other frequently used areas in the hacienda—the master bedroom, office, kitchen and a guest wing—connect with its wide, shady loggias, which are further lengthened by attached verandas. Beyond the open side of the courtyard is a pool pavilion with a barbecue area, fire pit and bar, as well as a gym, spa, sauna and full bath. The lot had to be leveled to make the design possible, says the husband. “Where the master bedroom suite is, the land fell off, so we had to put up retaining walls to flatten it out.”
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A tumbled marble-topped bar from Fremont borders the living room. (Click image to enlarge)
The backdrop for the house—blue skies and rocky terrain—complement its indoor/outdoor design. A wishing well was erected in front of the entryway; an antique-looking bucket hangs at an angle from its wrought iron canopy top. The rope that runs from the bucket to the water camouflages a plastic tube that shoots water into the bucket, which then sends water cascading into the well.
The home took two years to complete. The process began with Ochoa and his clients poring over photographs of old haciendas and missions. “It’s not just about what you see in a beautiful picture, but what you smell, hear and feel. All the senses should be involved in such a space,” the architect told them, paraphrasing his idol, architect Luis Barragan. The owner felt an instant connection to the sentiment and says that of all the things the architect said that day, he remembers this the most.“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.
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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.