Pueblo / Santa Fe

Regional / vernacular

Earth-formed adobe, rounded walls, and exposed vigas — architecture of the high desert.

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Overview

Earth-formed adobe, rounded walls, and exposed vigas — architecture of the high desert.

The adobe vernacular of New Mexico and the high desert, drawn directly from Pueblo building and Spanish settlement. Walls are thick, earthen, and softly rounded; roofs are flat with projecting log beams (vigas); colors come straight from the landscape. It feels ancient, sculptural, and deeply connected to place.

01 Key principles

01Thick adobe or stucco walls with soft, rounded edges
02Flat roofs with projecting wood vigas and latilla ceilings
03Earth-toned, hand-finished surfaces throughout
04Stepped, organic massing echoing the mesa landscape
05Deep window reveals; kiva fireplaces; banco seating
06Handmade, irregular, sculptural forms

Spatial direction

Organic, thick-walled rooms; sculptural kiva fireplaces in the corner; bancos and nichos built into walls; flat-roofed, stepped volumes.

Furniture

Rustic and handmade — carved wood, leather, Navajo-pattern textiles, pottery, iron and tin lighting.

Textures

Rounded plaster, exposed beams, saltillo floors, woven rugs, hand-thrown pottery, punched-tin fixtures.

02 Materials & finishes

Adobe and earthen plaster, peeled-log vigas, saltillo tile, hand-troweled stucco, turquoise-painted wood, woven wool

Color palette

7 tones — the working palette for this direction.

Adobe Tan

#C99A6E

Terracotta

#B05A38

Sand

#DCC8A6

Sienna

#9C5A33

Turquoise

#3AA3A0

Chile Red

#8E2F26

Cream

#EBE0C8