The seller of this home is either a big fan of Duane Hanson Sculpture or perhaps his grandma just wouldn’t get out of the shot.
Also, they’re really quite fond of their pool. It seems like half the shots are the pool. I mean, that is a pretty majestic seahorse.
It seems like they couldn’t choose a theme for the pool though. We’ve got the seahorse, some topless mermaids, a dragon, an elephant, and a panther all surrounding the pool. Quite an odd collection.
I hope you like purple, because there is a lot of it in this house.
Wait, does anyone actually live in this house? Nobody actually has a closet that organized, do they?
A) Is grandma real or is she related to the butlers we’ve seen in some of these listings?
B) This looks more like a resort than a house. Who would ever want to leave to go on vacation?
C) However, aside from a few splashes of color here and there, the color palette is remarkably similar to the beige house.
@Frodo: RE: “C”… That’s the thing about color palettes – two can share a similar base color yet turn out completely differently depending on how they’re accented. In a desert setting a light-toned ubiquitous background is supposed to add a mental cooling effect. It’s sort of like eating lighter foods when it’s hot. Keeps your system from being overwhelmed by The Heat + Anything Else The Slightest Bit Intense.
Note: The exception to this rule is the spicy food of India, which is said to promote bodily cooling by inducing intense sweating. But that’s in a humid environment. Do that in the desert and you’ll pass out. I’d wager the same thing might be true of too intense a color palette.
RE: “B”… It’s my understanding many homes in this neck of the (cactus) woods are just that – a vacation destination second home (or third, or fourth…) One does not leave to go on vacation. One leaves to go back to work.
Architecturally the home is well suited to the desert – large open interiors, high ceilings, expansive shaded exterior buffer zones. All of these mean living there is a much more pleasant experience than it might otherwise be.
In general I like the decor. Certain aspects almost push it over the edge, but not quite. In most areas purple is used effectively as an accent; it has both warm and cool hues in it – warm to visually spice up the background palette and cool to psychologically relieve the intense environment. A few spots are pretty close to the “almost” border – Pics 38 and 46 and, to a slightly lesser degree, Pic 33. Still, the desert setting and cooling nature of color and material elsewhere (especially the stone flooring) makes it work.
A few specific points of interest (both good and bad):
– Not sure I’d use the giant winged statue on the kitchen counter in Pic 35. An odd place for it and possibly hazardous during a cooking mishap. (Well, one of MY mishaps…)
– I’ve never seen the sort of lucite rolling chairs shown in Pic 39. Strange looking.
– There’s a preponderance of slightly oversized framed art… everywhere. It seems meant more to take up space than actually accent, let alone be there for its own merits.
– The entryway glass is stunning! The added Chinese lion dogs and terracotta warrior just add to the allure.
– Full-wall mirrors really open up the smaller spaces, especially the bathrooms.
– The pool has not one but two extra features, the delightful fountain at one end and the raised spa tub at the other. In Pic 42 I really like how the water cascades over the rock wall surrounding the spa.
One final thought… ixnay on the patio’s flaming coffee table. One bit of breeze and who knows what table clutter – napkins, magazines, whatever – would be set alight. Way to kill the relaxation. :|
@Emerald63: Crap! I’m sorry – that last entry didn’t look anywhere near that long before posting!! :O
@Emerald63: I was suspicious of that fiery coffee table although I was originally imagining the kids (or me) sitting around it eating way too many smores.
Feather boas in the closet? That kinda says it all….
There is NO WAY that I am walking under that thing on the ceiling in the first picture, above.
Even if you are a young person without the “Look up before you enter” reflex honed by Dungeons & Dragons, the avid gaze of the Baba Yaga figure should be sufficient tip-off that you’ve been invited to dinner… and that this may be an estate sale.
@anodean: The “Chihuly-like” chandelier does sort of look like a Beholder, eh? As if 100 eyes watching and who knows how many tentacles lunging at you weren’t bad enough, then you have Baba Yaga just waiting to pounce on whatever is left… Yes, perhaps entering via the poolside doorway would work better for you. :\