TL;DR
Get home appliances delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a Las Vegas home created by magazine editors and a design team as a desert retreat. The archive feature highlights its central courtyard pool, shaded outdoor spaces and interiors featuring Marimekko patterns; the source does not say the house is currently open or document its present condition.
House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a home in Las Vegas designed around a central courtyard pool and shaped to offer shade and outdoor space in the Nevada desert. The archive feature recalls the collaboration between the magazine’s editors, architect William Turnbull Jr., interior designer Ristomatti Ratia and designer Michael Haskins, documenting a project intended to inspire builders through custom design using standard building materials.
The original project was presented in House Beautiful’s May 1979 issue. The article describes a sandy, treeless site and a plan that turns inward: the pool and a palm tree sit in the central court, which is visible from rooms around the house. The magazine characterized the water, trellises and fabric coverings as ways to temper the desert sun and bring a sense of greenery to the property.
Turnbull, a San Francisco-based architect, used battens and latticework to tailor standard builder’s materials. The design also included high ceilings with exposed beams, private decks, a covered outdoor viewing area called a mirador and a swimming grotto. The garage, finished in the same redwood as the rest of the house, was positioned as a buffer between the street and the home’s interior.
Ratia’s interiors combined Marimekko flowers and grid patterns with practical features. The kitchen linked the living areas and courtyard, while bedrooms were designed as separate retreats. The feature describes custom furniture, platform beds with storage, mirrored closets and a trellis-covered hot tub outside the master suite. Canvas canopies and tent-like forms appeared in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
A Desert Plan Built Around Water
The project offers a documented example of architecture and interior design responding to a difficult setting rather than treating the desert as a backdrop. Its inward-facing courtyard made the pool and planting visible across the house, while the trellises and canvas coverings moderated exposure to direct sun. These are the design strategies described in the original magazine account; the source does not provide measurements or performance data on cooling, energy use or water consumption.
The feature also preserves a specific snapshot of late-1970s residential design, including bright Marimekko textiles, Formica surfaces and an emphasis on flexible, custom-designed furniture. Revisiting the project gives readers a way to compare past design priorities with present-day interest in shade, outdoor living and homes adapted to local climate, without claiming that the house represents every home of its period.
Products Worth Considering
Philips Hue Festavia Globe Outdoor String Lights, 32 Bulbs, 91 ft
Samsung 85 M80H Series Mini LED 4K Smart TV (2026)
Google Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera, 3-Pack
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The 1979 House and Its Team
House Beautiful’s archive series draws on material from the magazine’s collection. In the feature, editor in chief Jo Saltz describes the series as a monthly look at past stories and the reasons they continue to resonate. The 1979 home was a magazine-led design project, rather than a report about a newly completed property.
The original account names Susan Grant Lewin as the writer and lists Ratia and Haskins as collaborators with the magazine’s editors. The American Wood Council was a co-sponsor. Builders Connie Sommers, Duane Daum and Ernest Becker of Rancho Bel Air, Nevada, are also credited. The archive feature revisits the original design; it does not report a new renovation or a current change in the property’s ownership or use.
“part history lesson, part design deep-dive, and 100 percent a love letter to the iconic taste that’s defined HB for over a century”
— House Beautiful editor in chief Jo Saltz
The Home’s Present Condition Is Unknown
The archive feature describes the house as it appeared in 1979 but does not state whether it still exists in that form, who owns it now, or whether it has been altered. It also does not say if the home is privately occupied, open to visitors or available for sale. The source provides no current inspection, photographs documenting changes over time, or independent assessment of how well the original design performed in the Las Vegas climate.
Further Archive Details May Follow
The feature presents the project as part of House Beautiful’s recurring archive series, which Saltz says will revisit a favorite past story each month. The published account does not announce a follow-up about the property’s present-day status or a schedule for additional reporting on this home. Any conclusions about its current condition will require information beyond the 1979 article and the archive feature.
Key Questions
What is House Beautiful revisiting?
The magazine is revisiting its 1979 Design House of the Year, a Las Vegas home featured in its May 1979 issue.
Who designed the 1979 house?
The archive account credits architect William Turnbull Jr., interior designer Ristomatti Ratia, designer Michael Haskins and House Beautiful’s editors. It also names the project’s builders.
What was the home’s main design feature?
A central courtyard pool anchored the plan. The magazine said rooms faced the courtyard, with trellises and fabric coverings used to filter the strong desert sun.
Is the Las Vegas home open to the public?
The archive feature does not say whether the house is open to visitors. Its current ownership, condition and use are not established in the source.
Source: rss
