House & Garden Tour
By Jennifer Hamilton

Musical mementos, adoquín steps and cascading pools

1. High on a hill in a new neighborhood called Rinconada de los Balcones, overlooking the Picacho mountains to the west and El Charco del Ingenio to the north, lies a captivating modern home with a wonderful feeling of clean, smooth lines throughout, polished cement flooring and glass skylights. Under the staircase is a water feature with square, round and rectangular stone fountains lit surreptitiously from below.

The lighting throughout is soft and sensual. A music room is filled with hundreds of DVDs and LPs collected over many years during one of the owners’ career as an orchestral violinist in the New Orleans Symphony and the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. The artwork and sculpture in the home is mainly from Africa, but also contains pieces from Mexico, South America and Asia. A cozy breakfast nook in the kitchen has colorful posters illustrating different aspects of the music of New Orleans. A sliding door leads into the high-walled garden with pebbled and stone pathways and drought-resistant plants, in addition to olive trees and a small herb garden. On the third level is a media room with a large flat screen television and many photographs, most signed, of famous musicians and singers, including Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Joan Sutherland and many others. Four bedrooms surround the glass skylight and circular wood balustrade that overlooks the downstairs, allowing light to filter through the house. On the wall are striking antique Kuba cloth pieces encased in glass. The master bedroom contains a sizeable walk-in closet, an angled Jacuzzi bathtub in the bathroom positioned above two granite steps, and a large terrace with mountain views. Up one more flight of stairs is the “party room” with its large hot tub and views of the city, the presa and the mountains beyond.

2. Above Los Balcones among the softly rolling hillsides on the edge of the botanical gardens is an inspiring contemporary Colonial adobe home in the style of Roberto Burillo.

Entering through an ancient wood door, one is greeted on one side by a water cascade falling down stone steps into a large pool and, on the other, a lush garden and a rounded stone wall leading to another pool. A dramatic entry with a barrel-vaulted ceiling high above sports adoquín steps rising to the second level. On the right is a glass door opening onto a bridge, which spans the flooded patio taking one into the guest wing of the house. A large mirror reflects the outside patio and pool and the walks and gardens beyond. High-ceilinged guest bedrooms with wood beams are delightful and colorful, with mosquito netting and patios, each one facing their own private garden, fountain and weeping wall. From almost every room can be heard or seen the soft sounds of fountains or streams. The tranquil master bedroom has expansive vistas and is filled with family photos. Two patios offset views of the gardens, the botanical garden and the town below. The sizeable garden is unsurpassed—an elongated pool, again with waterfalls, a stone bridge, Jacuzzi and pond at its far end crossing into the oval grass area surrounded by native plants, herbs, masses of lavender, flowering vines and a palapa beside a pond. A softly undulating stone wall with open arches overlooks the surrounding hillsides. Panoramic views are visible from the rooftop, accessed through a charming vine-covered trellis.

3. It’s difficult to imagine that the owners of this beautiful property constructed this fantastic home and beautiful gardens over, under and around a former 40-year-old residence. With minor exceptions, everything new is pure Mexican including materials, workmanship and furnishings.

A series of five ponds with water cascading from one to the other over rocks and gardens appears to have been there forever. Seven rooms in this incredible house are available for rental as a luxurious bed and breakfast. The owners have their private quarters on the top floor of this fascinating structure.

Bonus discount!

House & Garden Tour ticket-holders receive a bonus 10-percent discount at La Tienda, applicable to certain items on Sunday purchases.





THE HOUSE & GARDEN TOUR THANKS THE FOLLOWING
FOR OPENING THEIR BEAUTIFUL HOMES
On Sunday, October 18, 2009

Julie Allbritton & Richard Gibbs
John Schwoebel
Jack Whitlock

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3rd Sunday in October for 2008 167 visitors on tour 

3rd Sunday in October for 2009 114 visitors on tour

Year To Date 2008 7,290 visitors on tour 

Year To Date 2009 5,755 visitors on tour