My Houzz: Clean Lines and Personal Style in a Tucson Townhouse
Vintage pieces, refreshing color choices and a patio for lounging make this Arizona architect’s modern home inviting
After years of spending his winters in Arizona, Burcher, pictured here on his patio, finally decided to make a permanent move to Tucson in 2016. “It was important to me to be in the urban fabric of Tucson and I was impressed with Paulus’ work,” he says. “He is a forward-thinking architect that is interested in integrating his designs into the urban environment and making them sustainable.”
The main floor contains the living room, dining area, kitchen, guest room and a bathroom.
The teardrop table lamp is a Chianti glass jug design from the 1920s. It sits on top of an 1820s Kentucky walnut side table from Sheridan Loyd Antiques.
Didem cocktail table: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; sisal rug in gray: Pottery Barn; MR lounge chair: Knoll; View sofa: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio
The teardrop table lamp is a Chianti glass jug design from the 1920s. It sits on top of an 1820s Kentucky walnut side table from Sheridan Loyd Antiques.
Didem cocktail table: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; sisal rug in gray: Pottery Barn; MR lounge chair: Knoll; View sofa: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio
“I didn’t retain much from my former life in Chicago, but I did keep a family Virginia Shenandoah Valley 1880s antique drop-leaf table and fancy chairs,” Burcher says. The chairs and table are from the 1920s and are hand-painted.
1820s sugar chest of drawers: Swan Tavern Antiques
1820s sugar chest of drawers: Swan Tavern Antiques
The kitchen tucked behind the center island in the main room features custom cabinets designed by Baker + Hesseldenz Studio. A collection of pottery by Ellen Braaten is displayed above the upper cabinets.
“See No Evil” lithograph by Roger Brown: Landfall Press
“See No Evil” lithograph by Roger Brown: Landfall Press
A small steel-encased window in the kitchen looks west toward a central walkway.
Blue mosaic backsplash tiles: Daltile; browse more mosaic backsplash tile
Blue mosaic backsplash tiles: Daltile; browse more mosaic backsplash tile
A steel staircase keeps the lines on the main floor clean and uncluttered, while windows are positioned to see the private patio and blue desert sky.
Burcher enjoys taking black-and-white photographs, and four of his prints are framed on the wall. He bought the flat-weave rug in Morocco.
Burcher enjoys taking black-and-white photographs, and four of his prints are framed on the wall. He bought the flat-weave rug in Morocco.
Two black leather Eames Executive chairs are tucked under the staircase. The chairs have casters, making them easy to roll into the living room if more seating is needed.
David Hockney “A Bigger Splash” 1967 poster: Tate Shop; 1970s Joan Miró poster: vintage
David Hockney “A Bigger Splash” 1967 poster: Tate Shop; 1970s Joan Miró poster: vintage
The upstairs guest bedroom can be completely hidden behind a set of translucent pocket doors.
Burcher’s unit is at the end of the complex, directly across from a shared pool. The west-facing slot windows go from floor to ceiling.
Carpet and ripple-fold drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; Robert Lostutter lithographs: Landfall Press; bedside lamps: CB2; bedside cube table: Crate & Barrel
Carpet and ripple-fold drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; Robert Lostutter lithographs: Landfall Press; bedside lamps: CB2; bedside cube table: Crate & Barrel
Instead of having his bed against a wall, Burcher placed it in the center of the room, making it easy to walk around it to access the dresser and closet. He wanted to position the bed forward in the space so he could see the mountain views to the north. The custom headboard also functions as his dresser.
Burcher created a gallery wall featuring his framed black-and-white photos against a black backdrop.
Z-Bar Solo table lamps: Koncept; Richard Hull “Play” 1989 lithograph: Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Burcher created a gallery wall featuring his framed black-and-white photos against a black backdrop.
Z-Bar Solo table lamps: Koncept; Richard Hull “Play” 1989 lithograph: Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
The master bedroom closet is tucked behind a half wall, with racks and shelves on both sides.
Ripple-fold drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio
Ripple-fold drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio
A private balcony off the master bedroom features an uninterrupted view of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Eames Soft Pad Management chair: Herman Miller
Eames Soft Pad Management chair: Herman Miller
Seen here is a view of the north patio from the master balcony. The patio includes indigenous drought-tolerant plants. A tall mesquite tree and a palo verde tree provide shade from eastern and western exposures.
Kahana cross-strap chaise lounges and chairs: Tropitone; outdoor pillows: CB2
Kahana cross-strap chaise lounges and chairs: Tropitone; outdoor pillows: CB2
The master bathroom is between the two upstairs bedrooms.
Etching: Gilbert Gorski; Egypt etching: Hassan Soliman
Etching: Gilbert Gorski; Egypt etching: Hassan Soliman
The first-floor guest bedroom features orange as an accent color. The framed piece of fabric is a Pacific tapa cloth made of bark fibers, from Marrakesh.
Paramount table lamp: CB2; drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; Weekend linen bedding: Ralph Lauren
Paramount table lamp: CB2; drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; Weekend linen bedding: Ralph Lauren
The guest bathroom is hidden behind a set of sliding closet doors. “I didn’t want an obvious bathroom door to ruin the lines of the room,” Burcher says. The first-floor bath is designed to be accessible for a friend who visits his home.
A Barrier-Free Master Bathroom With a Luxurious Feel
A Barrier-Free Master Bathroom With a Luxurious Feel
The front door of the unit has a metal sliding grill that can be rolled across the entrance and locked when needed.
Landscape architect Chris Winters designed the washed-pebble concrete patio terrace. A long, linear concrete bench spans the north terrace.
At the end of the concrete bench is an outdoor fireplace Winters designed and made with concrete block and a perforated stainless bent-plate screen front.
Southwest Gardening Guides
Southwest Gardening Guides
A tall corrugated metal cistern that catches the winter and summer monsoon rains is used to supplement drip irrigation during Tucson’s hot summer months. Winters designed a Cor-Ten screen wall to add storage and to conceal the irrigation system and other utilities. The exterior terrace is at the same level as the interior to create a seamless indoor-outdoor living experience.
“No water leaves the site,” Burcher says. “All the rainwater in the parking lot is retained on the site along a landscaped entry path and is used to irrigate the landscaping on the pool terrace and in all of the common green areas.”
Landscape lighting: Winona Lighting; Kahana cross-strap dining chairs: Tropitone
Is a Rainwater Cistern Right for You?
“No water leaves the site,” Burcher says. “All the rainwater in the parking lot is retained on the site along a landscaped entry path and is used to irrigate the landscaping on the pool terrace and in all of the common green areas.”
Landscape lighting: Winona Lighting; Kahana cross-strap dining chairs: Tropitone
Is a Rainwater Cistern Right for You?
At the back of the unit, a rolling grill screen blocks early-morning sun and provides security. Cobalt blue metal accents are found throughout the complex.
See more of this home
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More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
See more of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: John Burcher
Location: Miramonte neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona
Size: 1,820 square feet (169 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 2007
After architect John Burcher read a story in a magazine about a modern community built on the site of a former trailer park in the Miramonte neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, he was intrigued.
“The Urban Land Institute published an article on an urban infill project in Tucson called Indigo Modern that was being designed by Rob Paulus Architects,” says Burcher, who was living in Chicago at the time. “I had been following Rob’s work after he designed the 007 House on Country Club in Tucson, which is not far from his proposed development. I contacted Rob to talk about the project and a year later I purchased one of the units.”
The flooring is polished concrete, which makes for easy open living in Arizona.
Custom daybed and ripple-fold drapes: Baker + Hesseldenz Studio; Toothpick table: Lawrence Laske for Knoll; soldier lithographs by Ed Paschke: Landfall Press; Hank Williams lithograph by Roger Brown: Landfall Press