Bicker and Larson Residence
Back O' Beyond
Sedona, Arizona
Completion 2008

The composition of the Bicker and Larson Home is a direct and honest response to the essential design opportunities and constraints. These design parameters are the climate, sun, views, topography, access and privacies of this property. It is precisely designed to the owners needs and finished with high quality, durable and luminescent materials. It is true organic architecture. As timeless as the Pueblo structures of the southwest, this home will endure because of its inherent appropriate response to its place. And yet the design is a reflection of the owner’s lives at this exact point in our modern time.

The undulating forms of the home demonstrate the lightly controlled response to the design requirements. The design flows without a preconceived notion of how the home should appear. The walls sweep with the alternating pressures of: the exacting interior space requirements, the ebb and flow of sunshine, the panoramic views, and the protected patios. With the basic shape forged to these parameters, the restrained and sleek exterior showcases the flowing walls.

Exterior materials are indigenous to Sedona, to root the home in place. They are a minimal composition that relate to the essentials of the home’s desert location. The exterior consists of smooth stucco walls, chocolate-colored stacked stone, simple ornamentation of stained log columns with laminated wood beams, and bronze colored steel railings, doors and gates.

The interior spaces alternate between airy and cozy. They transition effortlessly to the courtyards and landscape. All spaces are elegant in form and finish because of the home’s organically designed enclosures and definitions of space. The beautiful and durable interior finishes and furnishings were carefully selected by Divya Debra Barter of Divya Design Studio.

The entry progression starts at the gated entry courtyard. Eric Brandt designed the rectangular-slotted gate as a mild counterpoint to the rounded forms of the home. This small courtyard is the first foyer of the home. The main entry door opens directly to the great room and the amazing southern view of Cathedral Rock. The interior foyer is within a wood-ceiling niche of the great room. The great room features a large window wall on the south. When opened, the great room combines with the deeply covered porch to create an open-air pavilion. The kitchen is within the main great room space, and a dining nook is within a smaller space to the south of the kitchen. The table here is pulled close to the elevated view of the distant Oak Creek.

The dining rotunda is a distinct, columned room within the great room. It is the axis of the spiral of the central, sweeping forms of the home, and all energy starts here and naturally ends here. Therefore, this energy makes the rotunda the place for both lively group discussions over fine meals and for concentrated study with a favorite book. The columns frame interior views of the living area and kitchen. A large window frames a view north to red-rock Sky Mountain.

The master suite is at the end of a slowly curving hallway. The experience of walking the gentle curve contributes to the special, peaceful and retreating nature of the suite. Views from the master bedroom overlook the lush Oak Creek valley and distant Black Hills of Jerome. A pocket door separates the Media Room from the Great room, and a small home office with built-in desks is along the hallway to the master suite. The guest wing includes an additional three bedrooms and two baths on two levels of the home.