After two decades and three sets of owners, the house in the tony Skyline Country Club Estates had seen a few décor changes.
But the yard?
"It was dirt," says owner Liz Ryan. "I don't know why."
So when she and husband Dave bought the property five years ago, their major efforts went into landscaping out back. A saltwater lap pool and spa were put in, patio and seating areas developed, and additions were made to open up the two-story house to the outside.
Their master bedroom now leads out onto a wraparound balcony, with a daybed they often sleep on, drapes for privacy and views down to that saltwater pool.
The dining room spills onto another balcony patio and down a staircase to the backyard.
"It just became this monster," says Liz of the two-year landscaping and remodeling project. Once they'd taken on one project, that seemed to lend itself to another, she says.
Being a Florida native, Liz loves to make use of the outside. And she and Dave, who grew up on the East and West coasts, are both keen swimmers. Not only that, hot properties are their business: Dave is a residential real estate agent, and Liz is an interior designer.
Together with architect Alexandra Hayes, landscaper Sven Gunn, and contractors Benco Construction and MWA Designs, they've put their own rustic, eco-friendly stamp on a home that, in a way, is already familiar to them; Dave's parents had a vacation home right around the corner, and the couple used it frequently before moving to Tucson themselves.
Designing other people's homes all the time means her work inevitably spills over into her own place. "There are probably bits and pieces of every home I've done represented in my own home because I like so many styles," she says.
Her aim is that hers - a gentle blend of roses, reds and warm beiges, rugs and rich upholstery, and rustic wood - is "warm and inviting".
Two things drive Liz in her own personal choices. One is texture (hence the predominance of pillows, rugs and finely upholstered furniture); the other is the environment. There are so many innovations out there with planet-friendly finishes and products, she says, that using them is fun.
In the entertainment center in her family room - refaced with alder doors -she's added a countertop made out of used sunflower seed husks. In the slightly reconfigured kitchen the island countertop is made out of end cuts of bamboo, highly sustainable because of its fast regrowth.
The former owners left the Ryans with some home décor nuggets. There's reclaimed Burmese teak flooring in much of the living and dining space. The Ryans managed to source the same flooring and replace some tile with it, too. And in the master bathroom there's a huge travel trunk from Mongolia that's been converted into a dual vanity unit in the master bathroom, one that stands extra-high at 41 inches and with a travertine tile counter.
The Ryans have brought their own collectibles as well: a mesquite sideboard that belonged to Dave's parents; a 50-year-old rug owned by Liz's parents; and abstract art by Liz's sister, Kent Smith.
"In the South a lot of things are passed down from generation to generation, and that's something I really like," says Liz, 53, who's well on the way to also creating some family heirlooms of her own.
Ideas to steal
Mix and match tile. Liz and daughter Sidney, 15, picked out different tile designs for the edges of each of the 15 or so steps leading from the main house down to the pool.
Not your usual glass. Liz chose slumped glass for two of the cabinets on her entertainment center for a look that's different from regular glass.
High sinks. Executive height sinks are 36 inches. The Ryans' master bathroom vanity stands at 41 inches - perfect for Dave, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Lounger with a difference. An expanded step, or lagoon entry, at one side of the swimming pool is 8-foot-by-8 -foot-wide and just 1 foot deep. It's great for lounging on, and it happens to be in the afternoon shade.
design honors
This house was featured on the Where Designers Dwell home tour put on by the American Society of Interior Designers Arizona South chapter. At Home is running an occasional series on the ASID designers who took part in the tour. Visit www.asidtucson.org
Liz Ryan took first place for Outdoor Living in ASID's Design Excellence Awards 2009, announced Jan. 30.
Resources
• Liz Ryan Interior Design , 299-2123 or www.lizryandesign.com
• Benco Construction, 631-3231
• MWA Designs, 326-1205
• Alexandra Hayes Architect, 324-0070 or www.ahayes architect.com
• Sven Gunn Landscape Design, 577-1515 www.sven gunndesigns.com
• The sunflower seed husk countertop, called Dakota Burl, is by Environ Biocomposites, 507-388-3434 or www.environbio composites.com (It's not recommended for use in the kitchen or bathroom.)
• Pool is by Bonnema Pools, 682-8129
Contact freelance reporter Gillian Drummond at gcdrummond@aol.com. You can read her blog at www.azstarnet.com/news/blogs/home
