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07/01/2005
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| [Vacation Life] |
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| The historic buildings of California and Mexico inspire the design of a desert
hacienda. |
| text by: |
Jean Penn |
| photos by: |
David Glomb |
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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?
 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.
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