Entire Site Articles & Publicity Fractional & Destination Clubs Residential Developments Villas & Vacation Rentals Online Ads in Of Interest... Property "On The Market" Home Furnishings & Design Destinations & Travel

Desert Song

A couple’s lyrical arroyo home in Scottsdale.

• Print
• Email
• Bookmark
• Share
  • Del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Google
  • Yahoo!
  • StumbleUpon

text by: David M. Brown

February 1, 2007

For years, Bill Murphy constructed pipelines worldwide: in the mountains of Bolivia, on the island of Trinidad, in the forests of Brazil and Malaysia. Now retired with his wife, Jan, in Scottsdale, Murphy took on the construction of their 11,200-square-foot home in Desert Mountain with the same tenacity, attention to detail and hands-on participation he had for three decades as a business owner in Illinois.

---

Richard Sinagoga of design firm RS Homes built a rambling residence for retirees Bill and Jan Murphy in Scottsdale’s 7,800-acre Desert Mountain community. Anchored into a deep arroyo, the home is surrounded by nature and wildlife. The area’s views and temperate weather allow for the house to be open to the outdoors, where the couple likes to entertain. Striking Sedona brown stone was used for the columns and accent walls; the floors are travertine. (Click image to enlarge)

---

"Bill was at the jobsite on a daily basis," says Richard Sinagoga, managing member of Scottsdale design firm RS Homes, which has been building residences in the Phoenix area for 12 years. "When you spend this kind of money on a home, I don’t find it surprising that he would spend that kind of time also." Enduring significant changes along the way, RS delivered the Southwest contemporary home to the Murphys in 2005, after 34 months of construction, subject to frequent conformance reviews by the strict design committee at the 7,800-acre community.

---

Top photo: The entrance has a custom glass door flanked by glass-and-copper accent panels by Lyle London of Art in Metal USA. Bottom photo: Contemporary furnishings complement the architectural lines. "There are so many sweeping curves in the architecture, we wanted to play off of that in the interiors," says Anjelica Henry of Janet Brooks Design, who worked with the owners on shaping the interior spaces. (Click images to enlarge)

---

 
The Murphys’ six-bedroom estate in the development’s Saguaro Forest village measures 15,570 square feet, with additional extensive outside entertaining spaces—including a gourmet kitchen/barbecue area—and six full baths, two powder rooms, a wine room, two spas and a four-car garage with workshop and storage areas. Completing the compound is a 2,022-square-foot, two-bedroom guesthouse, where Kevin Douds’ Props created etched-glass panels with applied copper for the doors.

Members since 1991 at Desert Mountain, with its six Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses and distinctively styled clubhouses, the Murphys are thrilled with the extraordinary views that the luxury golf community offers, including the landmark Pinnacle Peak, the Continental Mountains, the 17th and 18th holes of the Chiricahua course and pristine desert foothills.

---

"We were thrilled to be involved with the material selections—from the fabrics to the flooring—and many of the unique designs," notes Bill Murphy. Top photo: The dining room is adjacent to the entrance and enjoys views through its floor-to-ceiling glass pocket doors. Center photo: Dana Brown Design, out of Atlanta, helped design the wine cellar, which has a grottolike stepped entrance clad in Sedona brown stone and a fanciful iron door. Bottom photo: The open-plan kitchen incorporates more casual seating, mahogany and brown-granite accents and a ceiling recess, which adds height to the room. The refrigerator is Sub-Zero. (Click images to enlarge)

---

"We both fell in love with this site because of its views and privacy," says Jan, a native of the area who met her husband in late 1998, while he was living at Gainey Ranch in central Scottsdale. "Not only are the city lights and golf course views beautiful, but the mountain and arroyo views are fantastic as well," adds Bill. "It’s quiet and very beautiful up here."

Adding to the home’s sense of isolated beauty is its siting—within a deep arroyo that runs on one side of the property. For almost 20 months, the Murphys worked with the architect to integrate their three-level home into this arroyo. As a result, the home enjoys a variety of perspectives: city-lights, golf-course and long-distance views from the patio and swim area as well as sheltered wash views, where the flora and fauna of the high Sonoran desert are showcased.