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Open and inviting

Buckeye residence a mix of color subtleties, flowing space

It would be an understatement to say that their style has changed. There is no trace of that 1980s décor in their new home, which they’ve filled with rustic, handcrafted Mexican furniture and art that makes it uniquely theirs.

Many of the pieces come from their furniture and home décor store, Sonoran Digs. Actually, some of the pieces never make it off the delivery truck before Marilyn claims them, says Fred with a laugh. For instance, the massive coffee table was created in Guadalajara from a 200-year-old rustic mesquite door. “We love to use pieces that have a story to them,” Marilyn says.

The Mazons moved into their custom home in Buckeye two years ago, at about the same time that they moved their store from South Phoenix to a Tolleson shopping center near McDowell Road and the Loop 101.

When designing their home, the “most important thing was having an open layout,” says Marilyn. “This way, when we entertain, everybody is in the middle of everything.” In the home the main living room, kitchen and dining area flow together.

Fred enjoys mixing paint techniques and nearly every wall in the home features a subtle mix of shades. In the kitchen, mango is washed with pink; the bedroom walls are a deep cranberry; in the main living area nichos are a rich pomegranate washed with a gold glaze.

Mexican handicrafts add character and create vignettes to draw the eye. Atop the kitchen cabinets a cluster of lighted tin stars sparkle next to clay pottery; nearby a tile mural fills a backsplash.

A collection of crosses and religious relics cover a painted plaster fireplace. Navajo pottery and soapstone sculptures displayed in the built-in entertainment center are a nod to Fred’s maternal Navajo heritage.

The main rule that the couple follow is: “Everything doesn’t have to be ‘matchy-matchy,’ ” Fred says. “Just put what you love together and it will look great.” For instance, the dark-stained mesquite dining table is ringed by lighter mesquite chairs with comfortable leather seats. The couple prefers mesquite wood for furniture because “it lasts forever,” Marilyn says.

And there are personal touches: an original painting by Chicano artist Josè Andrès Giròn is prominently displayed on a decorative iron easel while a home office features grade-school paintings created by their nieces.