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House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a Las Vegas home organized around a central courtyard pool. Designed by architect William Turnbull Jr. with House Beautiful editors and designers Ristomatti Ratia and Michael Haskins, the project used trellises, canvas, patterned interiors and conventional building materials to shape a sheltered desert retreat. The archive feature presents the house as a historical design example; it does not report a new renovation or establish the home’s current condition.
House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a home in Las Vegas planned around a central courtyard pool and described in the magazine’s archive feature as a garden oasis in the Nevada desert. The retrospective brings renewed attention to a collaborative design project that used shade, water and indoor-outdoor spaces to respond to the site’s intense sun.
The original project was created by San Francisco-based architect William Turnbull Jr., House Beautiful editors, interior designer Ristomatti Ratia and designer Michael Haskins. The American Wood Council was a co-sponsor. The archived report names builders Connie Sommers, Duane Daum and Ernest Becker of Rancho Bel Air, Nevada. It describes the house as built with standard builder’s materials and customized with devices including battens and latticework.
The design centered on a pool and palm in an enclosed court, visible from every room. The original report says the plan also included private decks, a “mirador,” a swimming grotto and a garage positioned as a buffer from the street. Protective layers of trellis and fabric filtered sunlight, while high ceilings and exposed beams contributed to the open, pavilion-like interiors.
Inside, the project paired bright Marimekko floral patterns with repeated grid motifs in wallpaper, tile and other surfaces. Canvas canopies appeared over dining and seating areas; the kitchen connected the rooms and courtyard. The archived feature also describes a master suite, children’s room, exercise room and hot tub. These details come from the magazine’s account of the original design, not a current inspection of the property.
A Desert Home Built Around Shade
The project offers a period example of how a home’s layout and materials can respond to a challenging climate. Rather than treating the courtyard as an accessory, the design made the pool and planted center a focal point, while trellises and fabric moderated exposure to the sun. Water, shade and sightlines shaped the plan as much as the decorated rooms did.
The archive feature also documents a collaboration among an architect, magazine editors and interior designers, with the work framed as a project intended to inspire builders. Its mix of practical construction materials and strongly patterned interiors captures the design approach described in the 1979 report. The retrospective’s relevance is historical: it returns a specific magazine project to view and records how its creators addressed desert conditions.
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The May 1979 Design Project
The home appeared in House Beautiful’s May 1979 issue under the magazine’s Design House of the Year label. The original report, written by Susan Grant Lewin, presented it as a response to a sandy, treeless site in Las Vegas. The current archive item revisits that coverage as part of a series about stories held in the magazine’s archives.
The source describes the design as a way to soften the desert environment through a sheltered central court, filtered light and a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces. It also identifies specific products and materials used in the interiors, including Marimekko textiles and patterns, Formica surfaces and tile. The present article’s source does not provide a new account of the home’s later history.
““It’s 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.””
— Jo Saltz, House Beautiful editor in chief, introducing the archive series
The Home’s Present Condition Is Unknown
The archive feature does not establish whether the house still exists in its original form, who owns it now, or whether its interior and courtyard remain as shown in the 1979 material. It also gives no update on the property’s current use or any later alterations. The details about rooms, finishes and design intent are drawn from the original magazine report and should not be read as a description of the house today.
The source does not identify a new restoration, sale or public opening. It presents the development as an editorial revisit to the archive, rather than news of a change at the property itself.
Further Archive Features Ahead
House Beautiful’s introduction says the archive series will revisit a favorite story from the magazine’s past each month, covering design projects and style moments from its archives. The feature does not give a date for the next installment or announce any planned reporting on the Las Vegas house.
For this property, the article’s next step is therefore editorial rather than a reported change on site: readers may see the design in further archive coverage, while any update about its present condition would require new information from the magazine, the owners or other reliable sources.
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 house?
The original report credits architect William Turnbull Jr., House Beautiful editors, interior designer Ristomatti Ratia and designer Michael Haskins. It also names the builders Connie Sommers, Duane Daum and Ernest Becker.
What was distinctive about the design?
The house was organized around a central courtyard pool, with trellises and fabric used to filter sunlight. The interiors combined patterned Marimekko designs, high ceilings and canvas-covered spaces.
Is the house still in its 1979 condition?
The archive feature does not say. It recounts the original design but provides no verified update on the home’s current condition, ownership or use.
Source: rss
