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Daring dwellings

Housing design experts laud Hispanic buyers’ sense of family togetherness

What gets interior designer Norma Escandon Michaels excited about working with her Latino clients is their fearless attitude when it comes to making their house a home.

When many homeowners try to play it safe with creams and neutral earth tones, this demographic abandons the nondescript look for the opportunity to treat walls and furniture as a blank canvas that needs to come alive.

"I enjoy working with my Hispanic clients because they not afraid to embrace culture, and we are a culture that embraces color. It’s nice to see that different ethnic groups like different colors," says Michaels, who owns the Phoenix-based NM Interiors.

"Navajo white is so common," Michaels says. "When I bring out the deep red their eyes light up."

It’s no secret that vibrant shades permeate the food, fabric and artwork of Hispanic homes. Salsa could be a condiment or the color of fiery velvet drapes. The chances of having a kitchen bathed in Pistachio are about the same as it showing up in a dish as an ice cream flavor. And gold is not reserved for only rings or bracelets, either.

The features that distinguish Hispanic homes, and how to improve your current home or purchase your next one are part of Expo Tu Casa, Oct. 28-29 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The Expo is designed to emphasize concepts that are popular in Hispanic homes, including deep rich colors, family-friendly layouts and space-saving appliances and cabinetry.

A large family room that accommodates extended family gatherings and lots of children is high on Latino’s wish list when it comes to house hunting. Rather than an extravagant master suite or foyer, an open space where friends and family can mingle smoothly becomes the center of the home.

When it comes to searching for their new abode, Realtor Doris Torres says her Hispanic clients are looking for the most out of their hard-earned dollars. They don’t mind living on the edges of the city if it means the right price for a large new house. Developer incentives have made the home-buying process that much more appealing to her Latino clients.

Torres says that large kitchens that allow cooking and socializing are a draw, as are casitas or mother-in-law suites.

"Hispanics are very family oriented and there are many multigenerational families. We are more likely to take care of our own family than sending them to a nursing home, so sometimes they want the room for extended family," says Torres, who works for RE/MAX Gateway Red Mountain in Mesa.

Recent design trends take cues from both the present and past, says interior designer Ernesto Garcia, ASID, of the Scottsdale-based Carlson Design Group, LLC.

Garcia says variations of the very classic, original Spanish home are desirable, as are Santa Barbara influences, which incorporates a hybrid of styles found in Italian villas, French country and Mediterranean accents.

"There are variations of the classic look, the hacienda look. The colors are very classic, the original white hacienda with red Spanish tile and saltillo floors, wrought iron, handmade tiles in kitchen and bathroom, even wainscoting in the main rooms, too. These are from southern Spain," he says.

Furnishings in this home include dark and distressed wood that is intricately carved and feature handmade craftsmanship or antiques.

The other trend reflects a reconnection with color, which is more modern and common in newer homes.

Here, furnishings are an eclectic mix of wood and metal. Fabrics tend to be rich, embossed velvets and exquisite furnishings on metal.

"In the New World, there were fewer inhibitions with use of color versus Europe. This is seen with more modern architecture, where you see brilliant colors like pistachio, garnets and golds," Garcia says.

"Because everything in the home is connected, you want to make sure everything is consistently integrated."