Santa Fe-based designers Michael Violante and Paul Rochford share more than just a firm — they’re also married. For this patio, the duo, owners of Violante & Rochford Interiors, balanced beauty and privacy to make a Jack Nicklaus golf course house a home.
1. The style of the furniture should complement what is just on the other side of the windows, so everything is of the same neutral color palette, including the stone used on the patio and the fireplace. An outdoor space poses the same questions as designing a room: How will it function best for the clients, how will it meet their needs, fit into their design inspiration and provide a stylish space as well as being functional and comfortable and work well for entertaining, which is always an issue.
2. You want the house to have beautiful vistas and still be private. This is the biggest challenge. You are right in the middle of everything, yet you don’t want people on the golf course seeing into your house or watching you have a drink or dinner on your patio. That’s why you have window treatments on all the facing windows for privacy (as well as style), and in the outdoor space, the fireplace is placed strategically and there’s ironwork to partially enclose and delineate the area.
3. The client wanted the outdoor space to be functional, private, beautiful and still fit into the character of the entire house. It somehow feels like an extension of the rest of the house instead of its own space. They wanted it to be in a similar style of the indoors, and they wanted to have enough space to entertain their extended family and also guests. It is very spacious, and the decor is minimal, just enough seating and table space as needed, but still enough space so that the clients are surrounded by things they love, including nature and the gorgeous views that happen more frequently in Santa Fe than in many places.
Michael Violante and Paul Rochford, owners of Violante & Rochford Interiors, have 38 combined years of experience in interior design. Their full-service firm offers designs that "reflect the personalities of their clients and execute their visions flawlessly."
