Scottsdale Arizona "The Most Western Town"

Oct 16
21:00

2004

Joan Ewart

Joan Ewart

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... Arizona – “The Most Western Town”, are we losing it or what? Is ... ... to look a little like Tuscany? If it were up to all the ... and, ... in town, I think the

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Scottsdale Arizona – “The Most Western Town”,Scottsdale Arizona "The Most Western Town" Articles are we losing it or what?

Is Scottsdale beginning to look a little like Tuscany? If it were up to all the architects and, designers in town, I think the “look” would overtake the whole desert. Every shop and designer touts “Old World Elegance” with velvets, brocades, and beads. Venetian colors of olive, burgundy, gold and black proliferate interiors. We may love the look in Tuscany, but in the desert? Finding velvets and brocades in Scottsdale is just about like chintz and floral fabrics – out of pocket.

How many more rocks and turrets are we going to see, before this “look” bites the dust? Whatever happened to the simplicity of the adobe? It suits our desert environment. It belongs in our Western atmosphere. Fortunately or unfortunately, we do not have ranks and rows of cypress trees and gazing out the window at cactus and sand, kind of makes the beads and tassels more than a little out of character.

Having worked as a designer for many years, I have always been a firm believer in design to suit your locale…right along with Frank Lloyd Wright who chose Scottsdale as his home. Taliesin does not contain velvets and brocades, but takes advantage of the desert vistas and local materials. There’s a reason for the Charleston “Single Houses”, the “Shingle Style” of our Eastern beaches, the “Prairie Homes of Wisconsin, The New England homes with “widow walks”, the “shotgun” houses in the Bayou, and all the other historical home designs that were born from need and suitability.

The Spanish founded Arizona, so yes we have had our “Spanish Hacienda” look, but somehow it was never quite as opulent as today’s trends.

The charm of Santa Fe is in it’s architecture, Charleston beckons with it’s “Painted Row Houses”, New York is spectacular with steel and glass skyscrapers, Savannah offers elegant 18th Century Georgian homes on it’s streets, in keeping with it’s English heritage, and yes, Scottsdale had it’s Western simple charm. For great examples of how we used to be, visit The Camelback Inn, The Hermosa Inn, The Royal Palms, and El Charro for peek back at the original “Scottsdale” look.

We always laughed at “English Tudor” here in the desert as totally inappropriate, can the “Tuscany Villa” be far behind?

I for one hope so!

Find all information for Scottsdale at http://insider-scottsdale.com

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