Home Design That Will Ease Your Mind

By Laura Eckstein Jones By Laura Eckstein Jones | December 5, 2022 | Home & Real Estate, Home & Real Estate, real estate, Home & Real Estate Feature,

Matthew Boland transforms a dated ’90s home into one that’s polished and fresh—without any pretention.

Designer Matthew Boland adjusted the plaster on the fireplace of this Paradise Valley home three times before finding the perfect final sculptural shape. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

Boland wanted the primary suite’s entry vestibule to feel like a garden room. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

When tackling a project for clients he’s worked with previously, designer Matthew Boland of MMB Studio took a less-is-more approach. “The look was to be clean but not cold, polished but not flashy,” he says. “The goal was to showcase the art and the gardens and the views sensitively.” Built in the early ’90s, the home was in need of a full gut renovation and an addition for the couple, who desired a modest and comfortable space. “There are not guest rooms as the Camelback Inn is walkable from the house and there are no grand entertaining spaces,” Boland adds. “This is literally a home for two.”

The powder room sink was made from an antique that was originally purchased to use as an accessory PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

To start, Boland looked to the clients’ existing art, Mexican colonial antiques and favorite upholstery for design inspiration, “I then resourced to complement those pieces with a special emphasis on making sure nothing looked brand-new,” he explains. “There was [also] a beautiful image of a modest Mexican minimalist room that inspired the whole house. The idea was to make it highly detailed but open and light and intensely private.”

The dining room features a custom Apparatus Studio pendant, a dining table by New York-based artist Silas Seandel’s Terra series and dining chairs from John Saladino. The large photograph is by Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

Before delving into the design details, Boland, along with architect Jon Poetzl, came up with a plan to rework the existing structure. “Th e house was very ’90s with Saltillo floors in a high-gloss finish, red cabinets, lots of Mexican tile including chile pepper tile in the kitchen,” Boland explains. “The primary was too small, the closet was cramped and the bathroom was microscopic and dark.” To combat this, they blew out all windows and doors and relocated them to take advantage of the views. As well, all interior doors were replaced with antique iron pivoting panels. The kitchen was relocated, the laundry was enlarged and a gallery space was built off the garage. “We also relandscaped the entire yard and put in a circular guest drive,” he adds.

Equipped with cabinetry by Leicht, the bar area highlights several unique pieces, such as sconces from Formations, an antique alabaster pendant purchased in Paris at the Puces and a photograph by Vik Muniz PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

While the home is not flashy in appearance, it does contain some truly special and unique pieces, something that can be seen particularly well in the primary bedroom. “The primary incorporates an amazing antique Mexican hummingbird table with a solid Sabino slab top,” says Boland, who notes that Verna Cook Shipway and Warren Shipway documented this table in their 1991 book Mexican Interiors. The photo hung atop the desk is also significant. “[It] was purchased from Mario Testino’s collection and is by the artist Miguel Rio Branco, a very important work from 1979. I also love the massive floor mirrors behind the consoles that really open the space up and bring the outside in.”

Interior designer Matthew Boland. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

The living room may look simple but it is far from boring. Consisting of two seating areas—four John Saladino chairs around a vintage Gulassa table and a leather-clad cocktail table fabricated by Casamidy flanked by Rose Tarlow chairs and a John Saladino sofa—there are several thoughtful details installed. Boland adjusted the plaster three times before landing on the fireplace’s final sculptural shape, and “the sconces on either side of the fireplace are bespoke, crafted in horn but done in a very contemporary way.”

Boland created an eclectic living room space centered around a leather-clad cocktail table made in Mexico by Casamidy with chairs upholstered in fabrics from John Saladino and Rose Tarlow. Lighting is from Apparatus Studio, Ralph Lauren and Blackman Cruz, and the artwork is by Jorge Pardo. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

With its vintage bronze and brass Silas Seandel table and chairs from John Saladino—plus art pieces by León Ferrari, Vik Muniz, Enrique Chagoya and Roberto Obregón—the dining room is also a standout space. “The monumental photograph is by the Brazilian artist Vik Muniz and we actually had to raise the lid in that hallway to hang it,” says Boland. “Originally, I was going to drop that lid a bit, but when the photograph was purchased the decision was make to carry the same ceiling all the way through.”

In lieu of a door, Boland created an eye-catching primary bedroom entrance made from reclaimed garden gates and surrounds found at a home in Scandinavia. The photograph over the antique desk was purchased from the collection of fashion photographer Mario Testino. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

One of Boland’s favorite areas of the home is an intimate sitting area located near the kitchen and bar. “It has the most amazing view of Mummy Mountain that we framed with an addition of a new window.” He also calls out the primary closets, which were were hand fabricated to fit and store each item.

“Every single item in the [main] closet was measured and planned for, so much so that if you buy a new pair of shoes, you have to donate a pair to make room for them,” says Boland. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA

With no major challenges of which to speak and a reveal that left his clients very happy, it’s safe to say this project was a smash hit. “It’s relaxed but polished,” says Boland. “You can’t tell if it’s a new or an old house. It feels rich but not precious or fancy.”

The primary bedroom has a collected-over-time look and feel. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE COTITTA