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Desert Cabin - Living and Kitchen

Living Room

Fireplace Detail

Mid-Century Modern open concept living spaces

Architect Gabriele Mary Ann Schicketanz designed a modular compound in Carmel-by-the-Sea to house her son’s family and her own, offering a cost-effective alternative to the area’s $2–3 million homes. Placed on a nearly five-acre lot beneath old oaks, the project includes a three-bedroom main house, a freestanding ADU, and a site-built garage, all oriented for views and privacy.

Main house Living Space

Living Space Main House Looking out to Central Court

Living Space looking north towards bedrooms

Central Courtyard at Twilight

Front entry with reflection pond and pivot-panel fence separating the atrium.

The open-plan kitchen, dining area, and living space are arranged in a 16-square-foot volume that features a vaulted ceiling, lending a sense of spaciousness.

Pool House with NanaWall Folding Glass Doors

Pool House with NanaWall Folding Glass Doors

Dining Room with NanaWall Folding Glass Doors

The red masonry wall partially hides the interior from the entryway.

The interiors are grounded by a simple palette of black and wood tones with a few pops of color.

Moore moved from California to Santa Fe, New Mexico, on a “complete whim” after it was suggested that the landscape, architecture, and lifestyle would appeal to her. “I had no idea what to expect,” she says. “The plaster walls of the adobe home are so soothing, so calming, and the weight of the home anchors you like no other architecture has for me.” During the renovation, she rented a small house in the village so she could be hands on throughout the construction.