A Solid Elegance in Stone, Wood, and Rastra
By Paul Weideman, The Santa Fe New Mexican
Aug. 3–There were three coyotes in the driveway on the way down to Bishop’s Lodge Road from Rancho Escondido late one recent morning. They had probably been checking out the big, handsome house recently completed up in Coyote Canyon.
That’s the name associated with this locale south of the village of Tesuque, said developer Jay Ross. His new house, a sprawling composition outfitted with fine finishes and totaling about 11,000 square feet, looks up to dramatic, red-rock cliffs in the canyon.
“My wife and I would ride [horses] out on Bishop’s Lodge Road with all the cars whizzing by and we thought it would be so great to be able to ride right off the property,” Ross said. “I found out this land, a 225-acre parcel, belonged to Curly Welsh and his family and I eventually bought it. We did Tesuque Ridge Ranch, which is 18 lots on 109 acres, on part of the acreage, then I’ve turned the 50 acres surrounding this house into a conservation easement, so it will never be developed.”
The Rancho Escondido home on 11.64 acres was featured in a recent “Money’s Worth” column in the Wall Street Journal. The luxurious equine facilities stood out for the editors: “The 3,200-square-foot stable includes seven stalls, a horse wash area, a heated tack room, a hay storage area and work space, steel-fenced paddocks and a circular horse arena.”
They didn’t mention the brick floors, viga ceilings, and dramatic views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Up at the main house, the impressive facade of stone, wood, and stucco is interrupted by a copper tower at the entry. The feature was the idea of Detroit-area designer Brian Killian and Alex Kasa, a longtime employee who moved to Santa Fe after Killian died in a house fire. Kasa partnered on the ambitious spec project with Ross, Steve Herrera, and architect Steve Samuelson of Studio Architectura.
Among the solidly elegant attributes of the property are energy-efficient Rastra walls; steel windows by Hope’s; floors of limestone and ebony-stained white oak; furniture designed by Barbara Barry, Holly Hunt, Jonathan Hutton, and Christian Liaigre; fireplaces by Southwest Metal Products; hand-chiseled rock from Telluride Stone Co.; a stainless-steel hot tub in an intimate garden area outside the master bedroom; and a negative-edge swimming pool with black-painted bottom and underwater speakers.
The great room sports a 1927 Brunswick pool table, originally from a men’s club in New York, that was reconditioned using colors to match the house. Opposite walls of glass look out to the pool and Sangres above, and to the stunning cliffs towering over a courtyard with walkways of white, Israeli-limestone tiles set in white gravel. Landscaping is by Richard Wilder.
The master bedroom features furniture by Berman Rosetti, Los Angeles. A circular anteroom leads to the master bathroom. Here is a big, circular tub backed by a thin arc wall of vertical stone tiles. On the other side is a double steam shower with a black-pebble floor. Nearby is one of the unique stone fireplaces in the residence that is placed outside a window to minimize obstruction of views.
The kitchen has Canadian limestone on countertops, including on a spacious, 3-sided island. A dramatic dome of stretched fabric (by Rader Awning) roofs the round dining room.
Other features are custom-tiled bathrooms (material from Whistling Frog Tile Co., in Michigan) with faucets by Newport Brass; custom handrails and lighting fixtures by Firefly Lighting; an office with amazing views and that can be made more private with translucent-glass pocket doors; and a heated, 4-car garage.
Michaelann Huitfeldt, Santa Fe Properties, is listing the Rancho Escondido property for $21.5 million.
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