bliss: found

by Amy Gross
photographs by Gabriella Marks

A modern twist on an old design concept connects a home to its surroundings 

The predominant architecture of New Mexico’s oldest houses, particularly those passed down through generations of families, represents a time when “adding an addition” did not involve a planning commission, a historic review board, or even much in the way of engineering. Back in the day, if a family needed extra room for, say, a new child, a live-in grandmother, or a storage shed, someone whipped up a batch of adobe bricks, attached them in some fashion to the existing house, added stucco, and repeated—as needed, per expanding family—in a truly organic fashion.

It’s a look architects and builders have largely avoided in recent years, espousing instead open, non-compartmentalized floor plans. But for Texas transplants and recent retirees Michaela Hart and Rudolph Joseph “R.J.” Marcuse, the rambling, hallway-free design of these old homes struck a chord.

“We’ve stayed in bigger haciendas in South America and Mexico, and that gives you a feel for what a larger structure like this feels like,” says Hart, whose background was in commercial real estate and who owned an antiques store in Texas. “None of those houses have hallways. They either have a central courtyard that everything opens into, or have portales around the house. And that really is so comfortable.”

Though they’d been to New Mexico many, many times, and both even had family ties to Santa Fe and Glorieta, Hart and Marcuse hadn’t really considered the Land of Enchantment for retirement until they started ticking off what they call “the list.” Discovering the Turquoise Trail subdivision of San Pedro Overlook checked every box, they bought a lot there.

Hart began sketching a house design, a contractor was hired, and things began to progress—until they didn’t. Months into the issue-fraught project, Hart and Marcuse ultimately had to start over with a new contractor. It didn’t help that during that time they were driving daily to the job site, and were living miles away in a cramped travel trailer. With a parrot.

Echo, nicknamed The Green Chicken, is a gorgeous Orange Wing Amazon. Though he’s great company and a cherished family member, the travel trailer quarters were tight, and emotions were running high. Marcuse deadpans, “It was like us, living in his cage.”

The clouds parted when Hart and Marcuse were introduced to David Green, who is both a licensed architect and a contractor—aptly, his company is called Architractors. “We needed someone who could do some forensic analysis before we started,” Hart explains. “Mr. Green was an absolute godsend.” Green’s expertise as an architect came into play often as he suggested structural edits to the house, even as he tackled major issues with the electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. As Hart and Marcuse had envisioned, the home took on its own organic feel, connecting superbly with its rolling desert surroundings and landscape. Inside, standing in the center of the house, they could look directly into wings on either end. Also per design, the outdoors were accessible from nearly every room.

If the actual construction of the house was a challenge, the interior design and decoration was a breeze for Hart, who cast her unerring eye and unique vision upon every space. A ton of inventory from the shuttered antique store in Texas was brought out of storage to furnish the new house, along with eclectic but carefully curated bits of antique and vintage décor.

A few pieces of furniture were purchased. For those, Hart and Marcuse made a visit to Nob Hill furniture store Sukhmani Home to see their friends: brothers and co-owners Sat Gurumukh Singh Khalsa and Hari Mander Jot Singh Khalsa. They’d worked for years with “Mr. S and Mr. H,” as they affectionately call them, through Sukhmani Jewelry in sourcing high end Native American jewelry for their antique store in Texas.

“I don’t think they knew what they were looking for; they just saw things and they knew right away what they would be,” says Sat. “Some of the pieces were pretty obscure. Clearly, Ms. Hart was a genius.”

The rambling, hallway-free design of some of New Mexico’s generational homes struck a chord with Texans Michaela and R.J. 

“The first Sukhmani piece that helped with the design of the house was my bathroom vanity,” says Hart, who explains that the long, jade-colored cabinet “helped me think about the flooring, the wall colors, the finishes.” Topped by a pair of ornate chandeliers, the vanity is an instant focal point. With the winking goal of “a Sukhmani piece in every room,” Hart and Marcuse also found use for a glass-front cabinet in the kitchen, a pair of carved, gilded doors between the den and the living room, and a host of other exquisite old and repurposed pieces. Their kitchen table, however, was a special order.

“I wanted a dine-in kitchen and a table that could accommodate a lot of people,” says Hart. “So the guys built that for us in India, in Rajasthan.”

Her husband adds, “They would Skype us and be holding up a door in some old junkyard and say, ‘What about this?’” The now glass-topped table seats 12, and all of the chains that once locked the door are still intact on the underside.

After many months in a state of constant construction, Hart and Marcuse are finally (and happily) settled in their beautiful new home, which, in deference to Echo, they have cheekily dubbed Casa Pollo Verde. They’re not just idly enjoying retirement, however, but are in fact helping Sat and Hari with an exciting new project: the opening of a Sukhmani Home in Santa Fe. Hari marvels at the couple’s process. “Ms. Hart’s got many years of experience doing homes for herself,” he says. “They’ve been wonderful to us, not just as customers but also being there for us as somebody we could lean on.”

As the literal translation of Sukhmani is perfect bliss, theirs is an appropriate partnership. Whether relaxing on the rear portal watching birds, coyotes, and bobcats, or following the movement of the moon through tiny windows created just for that purpose, Hart and Marcuse are enjoying every moment in their home, blissfully connected to the environment in a secure and magical way.

“One thing I love about this house is the fact that it lets me be part of the world,” says Hart, adding with a laugh, “without getting my feet dirty!” Safe in the home named for him, The Green Chicken couldn’t agree more.

resources

Architect & Builder
Architractors

Antique Furnishings and Architectural Pieces
Sukhmani Home
sukhmanihome.com

Exterior & Interior Design
Michaela Hart and R.J. Marcuse and A-Dwelling Design

Additional Antique & Consignment Stores
Antique Connection
Bright Star Antiques
Stephen’s Consignment Gallery

Landscape Architect
Mitchell Landscape Design

Bathroom Countertops
Casa Talavera

Cabinets, Front & Interior Doors, Gate to Utility Yard, Wall Oven Cabinet
Fine Custom Furniture & Doors by Castulo

Exterior Lighting
Southwest Ceramic Lighting

Fireplaces
Mountain West Sales
mountainwestsales.net

Flooring, Kitchen/Bar, Kitchen Backsplash, and Master Bath Tile
The Tile Shop

Windows
Reule Sun Corporation