The Wabi-Sabi House

Jameson Neuhoff with Palm Canyon Development came to Hoerr Schaudt with the directive to design something absolutely exceptional—and irreplicable. As a result, Hoerr Schaudt incorporated a hefty dose of regenerative design features, including utilizing local materials and native plants like agave, yellow brittlebushes, Mexican palo verde, desert coral, and aloe vera; carefully finding and setting boulders and stones; and creating a system to keep rainwater on site for the plants and local wildlife. The goal was to restore native ecosystems onsite with sensitivity and respect, making the impression that the new landscape had always been there.

Overseeing the design of the whole property, the design team strived to elicit a childlike sense of awe, wonder, and joy. The front yard serves as a practical stormwater management swale and basin. Two concrete walls create a private garden that can only be viewed from the home’s kitchen and dining room alcove. A raised planter garden near the garage has a jewel-like collection of succulents and cacti. The highlight of the entry is the Peruvian apple cactus; impossible to miss as you approach the home, the Peruvian apple is illuminated from two sides to cast a dramatic shadow in the evening.

An informal Japanese stone garden is perched at the lowest point in front of the home, comprising large boulders that mimic the nearby mountains. Just uphill is a gravel and stone arroyo lined with sculptural desert plants. A few steps short of the front door, a grove of beaked yucca points skyward like exploding fireworks.

The rear of the property is arranged into zones, with a staggered path running through each. The highlight of these is a monolithic black stone swimming pool with knife edges on all sides and a placid surface that mirrors the sky and surrounding natural tapestry, with an adjacent sunken hot tub. Other zones include an arroyo; a generous gravel courtyard and outdoor grill; a pool lounge with a Tobi-Ishi-inspired stone path leading to the primary suite; and “flaming stones,” a manufactured feature inspired by naturally occurring events in New York and Turkmenistan, with gentle flames from the ground framed by boulders.

Among other notable landscape features are an uphill-side rockery with prickly pear cactus and deergrass swaying in the wind, and downhill-side boulder basins organically arranged as upper and lower pools with a gentle waterfall in-between—sustainable water holes essential for stormwater management.

Key to the home's success was Jill Lewis of Jill Lewis Architecture, who was tasked by Neuhoff to create a home perfectly in tune with its site. She carefully studied the site—with its existing arroyos and boulders, sun patterns, and prevailing winds—and designed a boomerang-shaped home inspired by classic desert modernism. Expansive glazing and fluid indoor-outdoor connections affirm the home’s relationship with the rugged land. One wing dramatically bridges a rocky waterway, while an internal glass bridge serves as a gateway to a private wing, floating above a natural arroyo.

As a result, the house is a timeless modern sanctuary that is bold in presence yet inherently belongs to the desert.

Architecture + Interiors: Jill Lewis Architecture

Developer: Palm Canyon Development

Landscape: Hoerr Schaudt

Stylist: Anita Sarsidi

Staging: Francesca Grace Home

Select Art & Furniture: Super Simple

Photography: Douglas Friedman

Oasis Award for Outdoor Living, 2026

LUXE RED Award for Landscape Architecture, 2026