How Studio McGee gave soul to a brand-new home in Arizona
Discover Valley Vistas, a family brand-new home by Studio McGee in Arizona with a design vision built to last for decades
When you move into a new construction, you always face the same question. How do you give it character when the walls still smell like fresh paint? Shea McGee, founder of the California-based Studio McGee, had to answer that very question with this brand-new home in Arizona.
The project is called Valley Vistas. Located on the outskirts of Phoenix, it houses a family with four children. This is a home that needs to work for a very active daily life and a love of entertaining, while staying relatively simple, per the owners' wishes.
The great room rises to double height beneath oak beams. Its coffered ceiling gives the space an almost European proportion, the feeling of a building with a story behind it. Down below, everything leans into comfort without ostentation: an oversized sofa upholstered in natural linen, a tufted ottoman, armchairs with black frames and floral cushions and a gray veined marble coffee table.
The brick fireplace, painted white, features blue-green chevron tile inside the firebox. The painting above the mantel depicts a wooded landscape in sepia tones, nearly monochrome. It's understated, quiet, and genuinely beautiful.
This is the most photogenic room in the project, and it is easy to understand why. The central island stretches over thirteen feet long. It sits on an open base with visible shelving and storage. Cookbooks are stacked up, ceramics are scattered about, and everyday objects are left lying around without a care. The white marble countertop contrasts with the natural oak cabinetry. Brass globe pendants light the space.
Along the back wall stands a Lacanche range. Yes, the iconic French brand is here, in this stunning kitchen. When you want lasting beauty and serious craftsmanship, the kind of object that will still be going strong in fifty years, you can turn to French quality even in the USA.
The matte zellige tile backsplash and unlacquered brass fixtures complete the look. That brass will develop a patina over time, and only get more beautiful.
The client had one firm request: a sink under a window looking directly onto the backyard. That window connects the interior to the exterior and completely changes the energy of the kitchen. While you do the dishes, the garden is right there.
Vertical shiplap painted white, woven rattan pendants, a deep khaki sectional with an ottoman upholstered in an English garden-style floral , the family room deliberately breaks from the rest of the house. The vibe is more laid-back.
The game room includes a pool table, a rustic dining table, and black-and-white photos in frames against a dark charcoal wall. Johnny Cash, rock concerts, festival scenes, quintessentially American imagery. One child's bedroom features three cowboy hats hung above the bed, another nod to the spirit of the place.
The primary bedroom keeps things pared back. With oak beams overhead, white-painted shiplap walls, and natural linen bedding, it is a deeply serene space. A burgundy velvet settee at the foot of the bed provides the only real pop of color.
The primary bathroom is classic and luxurious. A freestanding soaking tub sits in front of a window dressed with white curtains. The shower floor and walls are clad in Arabescato Calacatta marble, gray-veined on a white ground. The ceiling picks up the light wood paneling found throughout the house. And tucked into one corner hangs a piece of embroidery made by the client's grandmother, a lovely family keepsake, quietly touching, a little unexpected.
Arizona is a state that takes you somewhere else entirely. The Sonoran Desert surrounding Phoenix imposes its harsh light, extreme temperatures, and relentlessly dry landscape. Burnt ochre, dusty sage, sun-bleached limestone, the palette of this region is not an easy one to bring indoors. Many projects fall into the trap of the ranch-house cliche or a coat of beige. But Shea McGee knows how to avoid that.
She draws from the landscape its colors, textures, and materials, while steering clear of the obvious. The house does not feel like it is "in Arizona," and that is precisely the point.
The Lacanche range in the kitchen does not go unnoticed. It is a beautifully crafted piece made by a Burgundy-based manufacturer founded in 1796, one of the last companies to produce cooking ranges entirely in France, in the town of Lacanche in Cote-d'Or.
You find these ranges in high-end kitchens worldwide, and they are a lifetime investment. Seeing one here beneath the Phoenix sky is all the proof you need of the quality that went into this home.
Shea McGee's "New Heritage" approach, blending classical architecture with materials that improve with age, makes a case for quality craftsmanship.
This project succeeds where so many new builds fail: it simply does not look like a new build. Shea McGee built it around natural materials that age beautifully, antique objects that add depth, and personal details that keep the house from feeling like a showroom.
What stays with you is the coherence of the choices, no bold colors, no jarring accents. Everything revolves around natural oak, warm white, linen, warm gray, and occasional touches of terracotta or burgundy. The result is an interior that is genuinely elegant without ever trying too hard.
The project is called Valley Vistas. Located on the outskirts of Phoenix, it houses a family with four children. This is a home that needs to work for a very active daily life and a love of entertaining, while staying relatively simple, per the owners' wishes.
The living room with generous volumes and raw materials
The great room rises to double height beneath oak beams. Its coffered ceiling gives the space an almost European proportion, the feeling of a building with a story behind it. Down below, everything leans into comfort without ostentation: an oversized sofa upholstered in natural linen, a tufted ottoman, armchairs with black frames and floral cushions and a gray veined marble coffee table.
The brick fireplace, painted white, features blue-green chevron tile inside the firebox. The painting above the mantel depicts a wooded landscape in sepia tones, nearly monochrome. It's understated, quiet, and genuinely beautiful.
The kitchen
This is the most photogenic room in the project, and it is easy to understand why. The central island stretches over thirteen feet long. It sits on an open base with visible shelving and storage. Cookbooks are stacked up, ceramics are scattered about, and everyday objects are left lying around without a care. The white marble countertop contrasts with the natural oak cabinetry. Brass globe pendants light the space.
Along the back wall stands a Lacanche range. Yes, the iconic French brand is here, in this stunning kitchen. When you want lasting beauty and serious craftsmanship, the kind of object that will still be going strong in fifty years, you can turn to French quality even in the USA.
The matte zellige tile backsplash and unlacquered brass fixtures complete the look. That brass will develop a patina over time, and only get more beautiful.
The client had one firm request: a sink under a window looking directly onto the backyard. That window connects the interior to the exterior and completely changes the energy of the kitchen. While you do the dishes, the garden is right there.
The playroom and secondary living spaces
Vertical shiplap painted white, woven rattan pendants, a deep khaki sectional with an ottoman upholstered in an English garden-style floral , the family room deliberately breaks from the rest of the house. The vibe is more laid-back.
The game room includes a pool table, a rustic dining table, and black-and-white photos in frames against a dark charcoal wall. Johnny Cash, rock concerts, festival scenes, quintessentially American imagery. One child's bedroom features three cowboy hats hung above the bed, another nod to the spirit of the place.
The primary bedroom and bathroom
The primary bedroom keeps things pared back. With oak beams overhead, white-painted shiplap walls, and natural linen bedding, it is a deeply serene space. A burgundy velvet settee at the foot of the bed provides the only real pop of color.
The primary bathroom is classic and luxurious. A freestanding soaking tub sits in front of a window dressed with white curtains. The shower floor and walls are clad in Arabescato Calacatta marble, gray-veined on a white ground. The ceiling picks up the light wood paneling found throughout the house. And tucked into one corner hangs a piece of embroidery made by the client's grandmother, a lovely family keepsake, quietly touching, a little unexpected.
Arizona: a land of wide open spaces
Arizona is a state that takes you somewhere else entirely. The Sonoran Desert surrounding Phoenix imposes its harsh light, extreme temperatures, and relentlessly dry landscape. Burnt ochre, dusty sage, sun-bleached limestone, the palette of this region is not an easy one to bring indoors. Many projects fall into the trap of the ranch-house cliche or a coat of beige. But Shea McGee knows how to avoid that.
She draws from the landscape its colors, textures, and materials, while steering clear of the obvious. The house does not feel like it is "in Arizona," and that is precisely the point.
A touch of France in the USA
The Lacanche range in the kitchen does not go unnoticed. It is a beautifully crafted piece made by a Burgundy-based manufacturer founded in 1796, one of the last companies to produce cooking ranges entirely in France, in the town of Lacanche in Cote-d'Or.
You find these ranges in high-end kitchens worldwide, and they are a lifetime investment. Seeing one here beneath the Phoenix sky is all the proof you need of the quality that went into this home.
Shea McGee's "New Heritage" approach, blending classical architecture with materials that improve with age, makes a case for quality craftsmanship.
Our take on the design choices
This project succeeds where so many new builds fail: it simply does not look like a new build. Shea McGee built it around natural materials that age beautifully, antique objects that add depth, and personal details that keep the house from feeling like a showroom.
What stays with you is the coherence of the choices, no bold colors, no jarring accents. Everything revolves around natural oak, warm white, linen, warm gray, and occasional touches of terracotta or burgundy. The result is an interior that is genuinely elegant without ever trying too hard.
Comments