Life Uninterrupted
Tropical tranquility awaits a Chandler family every day • By Melanie Winderlich
Let the water lap at your feet as you curl your toes and bury them in the granulated sand. As the water tries to kiss your knees with every incoming wave, you serenely stare out into the distance and the warm island breeze clears away any stress or worry.
This is life, uninterrupted — where a Polynesian experience means more than just coconuts and grass skirts, and where “no worries” is more island motto than empty salutation.
One family, inspired by this tranquil beauty, wanted to bring this stress-free way of life back to their lives in Arizona. They renovated an Old World estate into a 6,000-square-foot tropical retreat with the help of interior designer Anita Lang Mueller of Interior Motives. Lang Mueller, inspired by the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, created a comfortable home, enveloped in warm colors and clean lines.
“This family was going through a stressful (personal) transition,” Lang Mueller says. “So we wanted to create a calming space ... inspired by their pleasant memories from previous tropical vacations.”
Water’s calming powers helped transition the home into a Zen space. The residence overlooks Ocotillo Lake near Ocotillo and Dobson roads in Chandler. The bubbling water heard outside near the lake blends well with the calming gurgles made by the massive saltwater aquarium inside.
Like the built-in aquarium, almost every furnishing and accessory was custom designed to fit the needs of the homeowner and his two teenage sons. Lang Mueller installed comfortable couches and chaises that follow soft lines, as well as natural materials such as bamboo poles, to accessorize the space. Unusual design elements such as palm frond mats and grass cover some of the ceiling and walls in the living room and dining room.
The warm and serene tones carry into the dining room, specifically the magnificent custom table. Lang Mueller played to the linear design scheme and created a dining experience inspired by a camp fire. She evoked that intimate experience of friends and family gathered around a glowing fire with a Honduran mahogany table. A slab of caramel onyx running through the table’s center is underlit with rows of fluorescent tubes (drawing power from a disguised electrical source hidden within one of the table’s legs). Though Lang Mueller couldn’t (and didn’t want to) create that smoky, woodsy scent, she did create diffused lighting that mirrors the glow of a tranquil camp fire.
“What I love about design is that it’s powerful and can evoke emotion,” Lang Mueller says. “We’re impacted by beauty and the way a space is configured, and design will make us feel different ways. This family wanted a nice space to reconnect and this aesthetic evokes calmness.”
She spread the island breeze to smaller areas of the home such as entryways and hallways. The foyer and powder room add playful elements by featuring palm frond murals. Guests are transported to a tropical paradise, as the murals resemble what it might be like to traipse across the jungle and look out through its lush vegetation.
The designer also captured the blazing colors of a Hawaiian sunset with a major focal point on one of the walls. Artists treated cast glass with color-shifting paint to create a chameleon effect. Its translucent, horizontal, amber-toned band lets light permeate the walls, evoking a fiery sunset. This piece, completely encased by wood, commands attention with its dramatic, 16-foot-tall presence.
This focal point connects the tranquil design of the first floor with the fun, entertainment area in the basement. Known as the “Gentlemen’s Club” by the home’s inhabitants (and most of their friends), the large subterranean area is a paradise for most men. Created to spotlight the family’s notable sports memorabilia, the space also features a custom granite bar, a large sectional sofa, poker table and multiple televisions. Burgundy, faux crocodile skin pads the walls to complete the lounge feel.
Whether male paradise or oasis of serenity, this home becomes a sanctum for anyone who enters. These three guys can put their feet up, close their eyes, and let the sweet sounds of their own thoughts transport them to their own private islands. H&D
