I’ll preface this by saying Phoenix is on my list of “only been to the airport” cities. (Special shout-outs to Oslo and Dusseldorf.) Expert on The Valley of the Sun, I am not.
However: the 30 seconds I once spent walking across the PHX tarmac to a connecting, California-bound airplane were the absolute hottest of my life. It was pushing 109. My Nikes should’ve melted.
If anything has a shot at neuralyzing that painful experience, though, it would have to be the Red Rocks house, a local retreat perched against a russet canyon that is gorgeously set, brilliantly appointed and yes, miraculously, a great place to keep cool.
Designed by local architecture firm The Ranch Mine, Red Rocks is a remodel of a tired Spanish Colonial Revival home, which traded in sun-torched terracotta tiles for a gentle limestone exterior and sweeping porticos and porches — to the tune of 2,000 square feet of shaded exterior living space. Inside, walnut mixes with white cabinets, and optional shading slats offer even more privacy from the sun.
The moneymaker, though, in a land where pools are as necessary as milk and bread, is an ample dipping pool with a water feature astride the outdoor patio. I know where I’m headed once I leave the airport.
Find more info on Red Rocks here.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
