Paseo Encantado House

Located in Tesuque Village, a small community a few miles to the north of downtown Santa Fe, the Paseo Encantado house overlooks a deep ravine and the enchanting Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The high desert of Santa Fe County is a rugged, charming landscape where temperatures vary from one extreme to the other. The summers are as hot and dry as the winters are chilly and sunny, with infinite open skies year-round. The 1700 square foot house is oriented longitudinally on an east to west axis, almost parallel to the mountains. The one-story masonry structure is embedded in the sandy terrain to lower its vertical presence on the site while magnifying the horizontal coordinates of its interior (via strategic views and openings). The design’s three modules: carport, guest area and main house, delineate a set of courtyards, each with its own distinctive character and landscape.