It is time for summer to begin….105º, 110º, 118º???? The mass exodus to the coast, the lakes and the high country has begun. I am off to Durango, San Francisco and Dallas in the next month. Durango and San Fran sound good – Dallas might not be the perfect spot to spend the end of June but I’ll be heading to Coeur d’Alene for the week of the 4 ^th so that will definitely be the reward.

One of the things I love about our body of work are the summer getaways we get to design! From homes in Colorado, Mexico, Canada,  LaJolla, Coeur d’ Alene, Northern California, to now a lake house in Michigan – what fun! It’s amazing the different approach a client takes with their getaway house from their primary residence. Even their spirit and energy is different.   – so it becomes a very creative endeavor. It all becomes more about living and enjoying life and not so much about working and getting the kids ready for school. It’s about barbecues and entertaining, guests, sleepovers and outdoor spaces.

I think second homes make sense when your children are very young or when you are an empty nester. When your children are in those tween and teen years it is just tough to get everyone there. Second homes also make good sense as a family compound where you share the whole place amongst the family…..if you can get everyone on the same page. Of course, there is always the upkeep, taxes, and HOA’s to deal with any home and vacation and second homes seem to always have their share – especially because they sit empty sometimes for weeks or months.

We have designed some amazing second homes. The key is being able to accommodate lot’s of people at any one time. From a large functioning kitchen, to plenty of outdoor spaces, to ample places to sleep including some creative bunk rooms. It’s all about making it fun and beautiful.

People always ask us can we use you to design our home even if it’s outside of Phoenix. The answer is an affirmative YES! We love it and because design is so virtual anymore we can design a home anywhere. The key is to have your initial meetings on site to really understand the place, spend some time with the local governing authorities to give them some face time, and get to know some local builders and generally a local structural and civil engineer. Once the preliminary design is going everything else can be done long distance – not an issue! We love being able to work with different materials and styles and a different climate and landscape.

So with summer coming keep Candelaria Design in mind not only for your Arizona home but anywhere…..perhaps Italy!!!