Discover gardens and villas in California’s arid landscapes

When the brief for Gardens & Villas was received by Andrew McClure’s architectural firm, McClure Homes Design Build, the brief was for a specific home to be sold – in some ways a difficult task, as one is planning without considering a specific client and their needs Needs must be taken into account. But in the early days of working with close friend and architect Christopher McLean on the design, the property was sold and an immediate adjustment ensued.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

“One of the goals was to deconstruct this house as much as the builder would allow,” McClure says of his goal to create a truly customized and unexpected home in the desert landscape of Las Quintas, California.

Gardens & Villas: Take the tour

The house sits on a hillside lot and offers 180 degree panoramic views overlooking green fairways, lakes, palm trees and snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. Because of its location on the Madison Club golf course, it provided a fertile environment for architectural experimentation (since the architects had previously worked on campus) and offered the opportunity to connect with nature – which the team immediately took advantage of.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

To create a house that feels spacious, expansive and “deconstructed,” both the vertical and horizontal spatial relationships within the design had to be adjusted and optimized. The introduction of multiple floating roof levels and super-tall doors, for example, blurs the boundaries towards the ceiling, enhancing the home’s sense of space.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

What influenced the design decisions? “The desert surrounding La Quinta is a unique oasis – both rugged and lush, remote yet easily accessible.” It provides a perfect environment for realizing our vision of deconstructing architecture and blurring the boundaries between interior life and nature or even to cancel. To achieve this, we employed a number of thoughtful architectural strategies. Before officially designing the interiors, we focused on creating a series of interwoven landscapes that connect the entire site. The purpose of this approach was to ensure that each space, regardless of the formal design of the plan, includes either a garden, water or both,” said the team.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

A long primary east-west axis helps organize the floor plan, while the sequences of living spaces are punctuated by outdoor gardens and paved terraces – including three swimming pools.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

“A second strategy focused on eliminating internal circulation.” With minimal rain but harsh sunlight in the desert, we replaced interior hallways with shaded exterior walkways and encouraged residents to stroll through carefully curated botanical gardens. These adventure walks connect the main living spaces with the individual villas within the garden landscape. The relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces is one of the most dynamic components of the project. “Almost all main rooms feature wall-to-wall sliding doors on two opposite sides of each room,” the architects continue.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

“Finally, the architecture carefully integrates multiple passive sustainable strategies designed in response to the desert context.” [For example,] “Each primary interior space is illuminated from at least two sides by filtered natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.”

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

The team admits to being inspired by modernist architecture and the historic Case Study House movement in Southern California from 1945 to 1966. They see Gardens & Villas as a contemporary case study, they explain – where contemporary architecture and landscape are mixed with modern technology.

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

Although the house was originally intended as a retreat, it was “thoughtfully organized.” [with] programming a primary residence so that an owner can comfortably live in that home year-round if desired,” the team adds. “The scale of the home is both comfortable and familiar.” “What makes Gardens & Villas truly unique is its ability to seamlessly transition between retreat and residence, offering the best of both worlds.”

(Image credit: Diego Padilla & Alejandro Ramirez)

Film by Charles Schwarzbeck