Designer Spotlight: Marmol Radziner

marmol radzinger - infratech

Scottsdale Property – photo via Bill Timmerman 

California based award-winning architectural firm, Marmol Radziner, is known for their mid-century modern-inspired designs. Most of their single-family homes, such as the Scottsdale winter retreat and the Benvenuto Court mountain home, are designed for indoor-outdoor living and extensive use of the space year round. We talk to the team at the design-build firm about what inspires their unique yet simple designs, as well as where they see the future in outdoor living.

1. What trends have you noticed in architectural design and outdoor room design?
We have noticed a continued interest in open living spaces that connect the indoors to the outdoors. For us, this has always been and probably always will be our goal, in addition to designing outdoor rooms at the same level as we do with our interior rooms. We see outdoor rooms not as secondary spaces, but rather as an integral part of the design of the home.

2. What inspires you when creating a custom space for clients?
We are inspired by each client’s unique needs. We allow these needs to inform the way we create each space to suit the client. We are influenced by the way a space evokes an emotional response and creates a sense of place, all while accommodating how the client truly lives.

3. How do you design your spaces to accommodate seasonal transitions?
We design spaces to protect against the elements, such as prevailing winds. We incorporate flexible outdoor furniture and native, indigenous landscaping that can weather the seasons. For interior spaces, we provide a visual connection to the exterior so that the changing landscape becomes part of the home.

marmol radzinger - infratech

Benvenuto Court – photo via Richard Powers

4. When and why do you use outdoor heaters?
We frequently use outdoor heaters in our designs to encourage more outdoor living. Outdoor heaters help maintain a comfortable environment in cooler temperatures, allowing for greater use of the outdoor spaces that are so integral to our designs.

5. Where do you see outdoor design headed?
We see outdoor design headed in a positive direction, where there is a greater appreciation and value assigned to usable outdoor space to promote a genuine indoor-outdoor way of living.