Global travelers and lovers of art and culture wanted a space that was as much about those things as it was them. Deeply influenced by time spent in Japan, the owners wanted a place that radiated serenity, contemplation, and a distinctive love of life. A sento-inspired primary bath and tansu-inspired custom cabinetry and ceiling treatments bring explicit references into everyday spaces.

The heavy use of natural white oak, blackened steel, and asymmetry combine for a quiet, honest yet leaning-modern framework that leaves room for other expressions as well: African folk art, vintage native American weavings, and other elements nodding to their personal and collective journeys.

Likewise, an appreciation of a fully present life is emphasized through the textural and graphic wallcoverings, the sinuous locally reclaimed wood elements, the lime plaster with embedded straw, to the Zen Buddhist-inspired gardens that occupy inside and outside space.

This home won the top award from the Santa Fe Parade of Homes, as well as every other award for which it qualified including, of course, interior design.