4.07.2009

BEHIND ADOBE WALLS

I photographed hundreds of houses in the 18 years that I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Most for a series of articles that we did called "Behind Adobe Walls". These articles ran in a monthly magazine published by The Santa Fe New Mexican. My husband also designed and built many houses in Santa Fe ~ so I have plenty of photos of those as well. This post is for Linda and Jain who have expressed interest in this type of architecture. These are just a few that I happen to have at hand. I'll post more from time to time.ASID show house - Room designed by Jane Smith. I've always loved Jane's work. In this room she mixed Fortuny fabrics with traditional New Mexico elements and turned the fireplace into a bit of an alter with folk art and candles. The painting around the door frame is by artist John Alan.

Living in a true adobe house is a wonderful experience. The above photo is a house that my husband renovated. Note the thick walls. This house is a double adobe house ~ the walls are around two feet thick. Brick floors are quite common in the older houses. Hand troweled plaster walls and kiva fireplaces are the norm as are vigas and latilla ceilings. A simple beautiful small house built in the Territorial style, set back on a quite shady lane in the historical district of Santa Fe.
Kitchen in a newly built SF home.
This bedroom was in a Territorial Style house.
A new house with a few props from Wiseman ~ Gale & Duncan Interiors.
This last photo was taken at Los Luceros. A historical house north of Santa Fe. Notice how thick these walls are ~ around three feet I would guess. Adobe walls keep the house cool in the summer and help retain and radiate the heat in the winter. The houses that Jim and I built always had radiant heat in the floors. I loved this type of heating system. My feet were always warm. The shower floors, toilets and even the furniture stayed warm. Most importantly - no ugly vents anywhere.
I'm off to spend a few days at the casa and vineyard. Feels like I'm always packing or unpacking these days. Not too much to pack this morning - the nice thing about going to our other residence is that everything I need is already there.
Salute!
Ry

Photography by: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Copyright: Sotto Il Monte Vineyards