by Jessa Cast
photographs by Amadeus Leitner
an Albuquerque couple gets a home with fabulous views thanks to thoughtful design
Before designing a home, builder Paul Kenderdine, founder and owner of PWKI LLC, visits the proposed site and meanders on it, taking in each view from every angle. He considers the topography within the building envelope, the views he wants to highlight and any views he’d prefer to obscure. These are all pieces of a puzzle he begins constructing in his head well before putting pencil to paper.
In 2020, when a potential client approached Kenderdine about building their home, they knew he was the right fit for their vision. Besides loving a PWKI home they’d toured in Placitas and his aptitude for their preferred modern aesthetic, they valued his personal touch. “He answered his own phone and came right out to the site,” say the homeowners.
Kenderdine, who—with his wife Brenda who is also actively involved in designing the homes—recently celebrated 35 years in business, got to work on a floor plan after discussing the clients’ wish list. For starters, his layout would follow the land, not the street. “All the other houses are parallel with the street,” he says. “Instead, by following the natural landscape’s contours, you capture the views.” The 1.5-acre lot had a steep drop-off, which tightened the building envelope. To accommodate the four- bedroom, 4,600-square-foot home, he tucked the guest rooms into the hillside in a lower story. From the driveway, though, the home appears single-story.
Starting adjacent to the front door and running straight through the house, onto and past the back patio, is a monumental wall Kenderdine refers to as the home’s “spine.” Oriented to capture views of the Sandia Mountains, the foothills and Mount Taylor, everything radiates off that spine. It also anchors a series of exceptional opportunities for framing those views. To emphasize the continuity of the monument wall, its indoor paint and outdoor stucco were color-matched, so that visual line carries through, uninterrupted.
On the back patio, an opening in the spine outlines a view west, like a painting, showcasing something stunning while also creating a unique definition of spaces—the one inhabited and the one observed. Inside, however, by the fireplace, is the residents’ sweet spot. “Our favorite view is of the crest through the clerestory windows,” say the homeowners. Using high windows, Kenderdine’s intent was to conceal the homes on that side of the house and still underscore the iconic Sandia Mountain crest.
Indoors, every surface is a canvas of soft white, accented by earthy neutrals. The tones—matte white tile floors, cream-colored walls and the sable-hued accent wall—intentionally harmonize with the desert. When seen next to the view out a window, the colors don’t starkly contrast, but rather reflect the landscape. This is especially true of the subtly multicolored stone behind the patio water feature, which Kenderdine chose to replicate variegated desert shades. “I’m very consistent on that,” he says. “I bring the outside colors through.”
“That cantilevered reading nook was directly influenced by Brenda. She wants these little moments and, structurally, there are some tricky things going on there.”
– Paul Kenderdine
An opalescent tile backsplash balances against the kitchen’s toasty walnut-stained wood cabinetry, Wolf appliances and SubZero refrigerator. Take note of the meticulously matched walnut grain of the cabinetry and doors throughout the home. Though the living areas are open concept, tucked behind the kitchen is a snug breakfast nook.
Along the living room wall runs a portland cement banco, as useful for displaying art as for seating. “It matches up to the banco on the patio,” the homeowners say of the continuous line it suggests. “That’s another Kenderdine touch.”
In fact, continuous lines like that are an important aspect of Kenderdine’s design. For instance, though the ceilings are higher, he maintains an eight-foot-high visual line, demarcating an intended experience of a more intimate scale. In the living room, the monolith wall’s border and the window frames align, as do the dining room soffits and the kitchen ceiling. People won’t notice this continuity, but he doesn’t intend for them to. Unaware, people just feel the resonance. “That’s the point,” he says.
A small but notable feature of the home is a cantilevered alcove, suspended from the second story next to the primary bedroom in a space that just as easily could have been omitted from the design. Outside, contrasting stucco color enlivens its exterior dimension and highlights the cubicle. On the interior, the small space functions as a reading nook. “That cantilevered reading nook was directly influenced by Brenda,” says Kenderdine. “She wants these little moments,” he says, “and, structurally, there are some tricky things going on there.”
Perhaps equally complex is the spacious, deep patio roof off the west-facing primary suite. Pushing those horizontal lines so far out serves a purpose beyond appearances. “In New Mexico, nine days out of ten it’s so hot you won’t use a deck. Drawing that cantilevered roofline out there offers protection to the homeowners’ bedroom and the deck, so they don’t overheat,” Kenderdine says.
“We just can’t express enough how thrilled we are with the whole experience,” say the homeowners. Depth of thought in design translates to a depth of joy in their new home.
resources
Home Designer/Builder/Interior Design
PWKI LLC
pwki.com
Home Staging
Mickey’s Staging Solutions
Appliances
Builders Source Appliance Gallery
builderssource.com
Architectural Metal
Duran Steel Fabricators, Inc.
Bathroom/Kitchen Fixtures
Winsupply of Albuquerque
albuquerquewinsupply.com
Bathtub
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
Cabinetry/Doors/Living Room Table
Paramount Custom Cabinets
Central Vacuum System
Albuquerque Sound & Vac, Inc.
abqsoundandvac.com
Countertops
Granite Passion LLC
Fireplaces
Mountain West Sales
mountainwestsales.net
Flooring Tile/Kitchen Backsplash Tile
ProSource Wholesale
Front Door
PWKI LLC and Paramount Custom Cabinets
Interior Doors
Paramount Custom Cabinets
Landscaping
PWKI LLC and Plant World
Pool Design & Build
Master Pools & Spas LLC
Windows
Dwight’s Glass & Mirror
Water Features
PWKI LLC
