Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1462583
courtyards like exquisite specimens. "Some trees are at least 60 or 70 years old and, as such, give the house instant scale," he says. Not every client is brave enough to embrace uncommon design, but when they do, the results can be spectacular. "It takes a good client to make a good project," Turner says. "If the client allows you to think out of the box a little, you can create something that is uniquely theirs." For this project, the clients hired a dream team of professionals — in addition to Turner and his project manager, Celeste Martin — including Mary Ellen Cowen of Mesa landscape architecture, Julie Hayes of Simms Hayes Design, and Fort Worth builder Rick Yuill of JSZY Construction. Turner has worked with them all on previous projects. "As a team, we created a concept for the house with the clients and started bouncing ideas off each other so that everything works together," he says. The concept centers on a clean and modern vibe reminiscent of Palm Springs, where the clients spend a lot of time. Their new Westover Hills house is designed with white walls and tall ceilings that are perfect for hanging large art and is "essentially a very white space," says Turner, who warmed things up with a series of cedar beams and rectangular ceiling forms in the main gallery, which organizes the living, dining, kitchen, and bar areas. The wood elements also provide visual interest that's amplified when light washes across them from skylights above. Courtyards abound in Palm Springs, and they play an important role in this house's design, as they do in many of Turner's projects. The arrangement of buildings around trees created natural pockets of what Turner refers to as passive and active spaces, which Mesa's Mary Ellen Cowan interpreted into landscaped courtyards, many with exquisite vistas. Some of the courtyards are simply meant to be admired, while others draw you outside to spend time in them. "It makes for a nice journey as you walk through the house," Turner says. (Continued)