This peaceful secluded courtyard near Santa Fe provides an outdoor living space that rests perfectly between the simplicity of the modernist interior of their home and the wilder, natural landscaping just beyond the courtyard. The contrasting dark wood and light stone colored brickwork echo the colors of sage and mesquite and the gray silhouette of the mountains in the distance.

Quinn and Veree designed and built this space, laying every brick and securing every rafter in its place. The low stone wall that borders the courtyard was made as a gift by a family friend. The trellis has growing wisteria vines and the as the plantings mature they will provide a visual interest throughout the seasons and for years to come. The courtyard is a true extension of their home. It embodies their love of tradition and natural materials. It shows their appreciation of strong foundations for their family and the importance of space in which to welcome others.

These bolts will be held in place by the twisted steel wire until the CMU wall is grouted in.  They will provide anchor points for a corrugated bare cold rolled steel running vertically along the exterior.  In the image below you can see the bolt is propped in the notched CMU.  You can also see other bolts pre-drilled, awaiting for the wall to be filled.  The washer helps contain any grout that might ooze during the concrete pour.

Veree and Quinn’s home manages a marriage of contemporary design with a timeless sense of place and tradition. This is evident in the centerpiece dining table that Quinn hand planed from two fallen Russian Olive trees that had lived on their property for generations.

They made the choice early on to forego a formal living room and embrace the daily living that defines their home. It is a place for family and friends to gather for meals. At the table they study, they lay out design ideas, and they sit here to look out on the garden and the wilder parts beyond it. The artisanship and design reveals the heartwood of the source trees and the daily use by this family makes it the heart of their home.

Reliquary: A container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept.

Relic: Remains/corpse a survivor or remnant left after decay, disintegration, or disappearance a trace of some past or outmoded practice, custom, or belief an object esteemed and venerated because of association with a saint or martyr souvenir/memento

Memento Hominem: That which registers a life. each object contained within represents a decisive moment or relationship in the personal life of the compositor. the objects are often commonplace; the reason for their selection is not.

A Venice Reliquary records traces of being in and memory of a location, embodying that which captured my imagination and commanded my devotion while living in Venice almost 20 years ago. The juxtaposition of everyday scenes of domesticity with the dreamscapes of dusk conveys the reciprocal flow between corporeal and mystical space. Here, the diptych format allows me to portray the ambiguity between past and present, where issues of internal/external, reality/fantasy, and place/placelessness are brought to bear.

This kitchen’s mixture of old and new, handmade and vintage goods, is warm and functional.  The cabinets were handmade by Quinn and the finishes selected by Veree, notice the sandstone counter.  The impeccable easy styling of this kitchen makes clean up a breeze.  Check the smart placement of their chalkboard wall – below the bar.  Perfect to keep young ones distracted and out of the way while cooking – practical kitchen for a growing family.