Mission Statement
The historic buildings of California and Mexico inspire the design of a desert hacienda.
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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.
Jack Knox Interior Designs
760.564.2486
Juan Carlos Ochoa
760.773.6605
www.ochoadesign.com
