Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Last year, DesignLens featured elevation inspiration from California and the Mountain Region. This month we are highlighting great exteriors from the Desert Region, which includes Arizona and Nevada. JBREC groups these states into the southwest region for our regional report, but we wanted to separate the desert and mountain markets, so we can highlight their unique styles. In this special DesignLens feature, we’ve curated some of our favorite exterior elevations across a variety of product types with a broad spectrum of architectural styles including Spanish, Tuscan, Prairie, Desert Contemporary, Modern, and even Farmhouse.

Aria Crossing in Henderson, NV

Beazer Homes | Danielian Associates

The Spanish elevation style is very common in the Las Vegas suburbs. This Spanish Colonial elevation keeps with classic features of the style like the tile roof, shutters, and tile detailing at the eaves, while embracing a desert color scheme.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Arrow Peak at Kyle Pointe in Las Vegas, NV

Tri Pointe Homes | Bassenian Lagoni Architects

While the Spanish style remains popular, many builders in the desert markets are shifting to a modern take on the style that embraces different roof lines and clusters of windows as are seen here.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Culdesac Tempe in Tempe, AZ

Culdesac | Opticos

The Spanish elevation style also works well for attached and multifamily projects. The narrow walkways threading between Culdesac’s white-painted buildings evoke the intimate streetscapes of European historic villages.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Predominantly done in white, the design team integrated color and texture to enhance the buildings. Color accents the tops of buildings as well as railings and draws attention to the doors or people’s homes. The shutters and wood awnings add texture and new materials to the buildings.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Aria Crossing in Henderson, NV

Beazer Homes | Danielian Associates

The Tuscan style is highly aligned with the Las Vegas market – historically, culturally, and commercially. In fact, it has been one of the dominant styles in the valley for 20+ years, especially in master-planned communities. The desert climate pairs naturally with stucco and tile roofs, while the warm earth tones complement the Mojave landscape.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

La Cova at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, NV

Tri Pointe Homes | Woodley Architectural Group

Though Tri Pointe builds exclusively contemporary in the Las Vegas market, they still wanted to fit the context of the Lake Las Vegas community, which is a bit more traditional and embraces the Tuscan aesthetic. The Residence 2 model features the Modern Tuscan style, which embraces traditional Tuscan features like the varied massing and rustic stone, while also bringing in modern features like the black trim windows and simpler detailing. This fresh take embraces the luxury villa aesthetic while utilizing features that are more appealing to today’s buyer like the lighter color palette, larger windows, and more restrained ornamentation.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Meadowlark at Waterson North in Gilbert, AZ

Tri Pointe Homes | Bassenian Lagoni Architects

Farmhouse has found some popularity in the Las Vegas market though that market tends to embrace a desert version of the style. The Arizona market, however, has embraced the style. This softer palette does not pick up the colors of the surrounding desert landscape but sets itself apart in the street scene with a mix of white and blue accents. The style has been well received in the Phoenix market.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Capstone Homes at Jasper 3 in Prescott Valley, AZ

Capstone Homes | Architeyk | ES Consulting & Design LLC

Staying true to the ranch roots of the land, the design team created two elevation styles for the homes: traditional farmhouse (seen here) and modern. The goal was to create something synonymous with the history of the land but modern, sleek, and different than other master plans in the area, which have a more southwestern feel. The farmhouse style sets the community apart similar to how it set the home apart at Meadowlark.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Villa Collection at Sterling Grove in Surprise, AZ

Toll Brothers | BSB Design

Multiple communities in the city of Surprise including Sterling Grove have embraced traditional styles that are not historically native to the desert including farmhouse and craftsman. After some communities found success, more builders have embraced these styles despite the juxtaposition to the traditional desert market styles.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

The design team for the Villas Collection wanted the homes to highlight Arizona Ranch architecture with distinct modern and farm elements that reflect the region’s heritage and the land’s history as a former working farm. Homes in the collection feature board and batten siding, low-pitch roofs with exposed rafter tails and gable brackets, welcoming covered front porches, and contemporary color schemes.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Aria Crossing in Henderson, NV

Beazer Homes | Danielian Associates

While the Prairie style is not historically native to Nevada, it can work in certain Nevada markets if adapted properly. Note how the design team embraced the low hipped roof and strong horizontal lines of the style, while also using desert-adapted materials like stucco and emphasizing horizontal shadow lines.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

The Pointe at Ascension in Las Vegas, NV

Pulte Homes

Pulte offered Modern Prairie as one of three elevation styles in this luxury offering. The team embraced a modern take on the Prairie style with low hipped roofs and horizontal lines, while also integrating a desert-inspired color scheme.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Tanager at Waterston North in Gilbert, AZ

Tri Pointe Homes | Bassenian Lagoni Architects

Desert Contemporary architecture is a modern design movement developed specifically for arid climates like Arizona and Nevada. It blends modernist principles with desert-adapted materials and massing. The style emphasizes flat or long, low rooflines, as well as embraces the desert color palette.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Arrow Peak at Kyle Pointe in Las Vegas, NV

Tri Pointe Homes | Bassenian Lagoni Architects

The desert contemporary style can be found in both the Phoenix and Las Vegas markets though the Las Vegas homes lean into the modern features of the style more than most homes in the Phoenix market. This home features a mix of roof lines as well as materials inspired by the surrounding desert.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

The Pointe at Ascension in Las Vegas, NV

Pulte Homes

Pulte highlights a higher end version of the Desert Contemporary style here. The team integrated flat rooflines, black trim windows that are plentiful, and a mix of tan stucco and stone accents.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Rosewood Highlands at Storyrock in Scottsdale, AZ

Rosewood Homes | Alliance4Design

Rosewood offers a variety of architectural styles with authentic detailing to create a custom home neighborhood and to appeal to the varied homebuyers who come from all over America wanting to live the Scottsdale lifestyle. Two of those styles are Desert Contemporary (seen here) and Desert Modern, both takes on a similar theme. This home has a low profile and flat rooflines that allow it to blend into the surrounding landscape. The mix of green and reddish stucco with the stone accents further integrate a desert vibe.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Rosewood Highlands at Storyrock in Scottsdale, AZ

Rosewood Homes | Alliance4Design

This home is the Desert Modern style. Here the team kept the colors more subdued and utilized massing and windows to add interest.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Arrow Peak at Kyle Pointe in Las Vegas, NV

Tri Pointe Homes | Bassenian Lagoni Architects

More classic modern styles versus desert takes on the style can be found in both markets too. Modern styles are actually very authentic to the Las Vegas market and homes there tend to take a more dramatic approach to modern than the Arizona markets. This home embraces the style with the angled roofline, dramatic horizontal overhang for the front porch, oversized windows, and the pop of color at the front door.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

The Pointe at Ascension in Las Vegas, NV

Pulte Homes

Pulte’s design team leaned into modern architectural details with this elevation style, incorporating warm wood-tone siding, angled rooflines, and elongated windows. It’s all in the details with higher-end offerings. Note how the uniquely shaped window over the entry mirrors the roofline above it and the dramatic horizontal feature below it.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Capstone Homes at Jasper 3 in Prescott Valley, AZ

Capstone Homes | Architeyk | ES Consulting & Design LLC

Capstone’s modern style mixes angled and seemingly flat roof lines, which brings a modern feel to the home, as well as the choice of garage doors and awnings.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Seneca at Southern Highlands in Las Vegas, NV

Seneca | Christopher Homes | KTGY

Even built-to-rent offerings embrace modern in the Las Vegas market. These high-end homes sport contemporary, color-block facades composed of stucco, wood, and stone.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Seneca’s neutral taupe and rich brown hues complement the desert atmosphere, while the clean lines, flat roofs, and modern feel give this community a unique edge in comparison to nearby neighborhoods.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Southridge Pointe in Las Vegas, NV

Tri Pointe Homes | WHA

Not all modern homes have to be expensive. Southridge Pointe was designed as an entry level premium option amongst the move-up housing around it. Tri Pointe builds exclusively modern, contemporary homes in the Vegas market. The goal here was to create elevations that had a punchy, urban flavor with lots of color. The team brought the modern style to these townhomes in a simple but effective way through the roofline and color blocking.

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

Special Feature: Inspiring Desert Region Elevations

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