Casa Luce

Casa Luce is an extensive renovation of a mid-century modern home in the Catalina foothills. originally designed and built by Tucson modernist Tom Gist, and characterized by Gist’s trademark earthen walls of burnt adobe supporting a low-slung roof, the 1960’s home was nevertheless in need of a significant update. the goal of the redesign was to redefine the essence of the home. In spite of a floor-to-ceiling picture window that frames the distant Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the original home had an introverted focus that ignored the view and was instead centered around a closed-off and dimly lit kitchen. the confined character of the interior was further dominated by a low mechanical bulkhead just above head height, as well as a sunken indoor terrarium bound by four large masonry piers. the ceiling was a grid of painted wood beams infilled with textured white plaster. The design solution was to illuminate the heart of the home with daylight, clear away the obstructions of its introverted middle, strip away dated finishes, redefine the ceiling as a unifying feature, insert finely crafted amenities, and reorient the focus of the living spaces of the home outwards, towards views of the desert and the distant horizon. Subtle design touches are everywhere, highlighted with the addition of natural light. artisanal lime plaster walls are paired with sustainable wood veneer cabinets to integrate function and effect, creating a calm, minimal backdrop that mediates the home’s structural palette of concrete, earth, and timber, just as life in the Sonoran desert mediates the ground and sky.