From The Archive: Our 1979 “Design House Of The Year” Is A Fascinating Time Capsule

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House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a home built in Las Vegas around a central courtyard pool. The archive feature describes how architect William Turnbull Jr. and designers Ristomatti Ratia and Michael Haskins used trellises, fabric, Marimekko patterns and indoor-outdoor spaces to shape a cooler-feeling retreat. The source does not say whether the home survives today or provide a current status update.

House Beautiful has revisited its 1979 Design House of the Year, a Las Vegas home planned around a central courtyard pool to create a garden-like refuge on a sandy, treeless desert site. The archive feature recounts how architect William Turnbull Jr., interior designer Ristomatti Ratia and designer Michael Haskins combined filtered sunlight, water, trellises and bold textiles in a project intended to inspire builders.

The original feature appeared in the magazine’s May 1979 issue. According to the archive account, rooms were oriented toward the central court, where a palm and pool formed the focal point. Lattices and fabric moderated the intense sunlight, while high ceilings and exposed beams gave rooms a pavilion-like quality. The design team worked with standard builder’s materials, which the article says Turnbull customized with battens and latticework.

The interior paired Marimekko floral prints and grid patterns with practical features. The kitchen connected the other rooms to the courtyard and was described as the home’s center of activity. Ratia, then creative vice-president of Marimekko, said it was a place where food was prepared among family and friends. Turnbull called the atmosphere “decorative pragmatism,” referring to details such as hanging utensils and a bright red air-return duct.

The house also included private decks, a “mirador,” a swimming grotto, a hot tub beside a trellis, and bedrooms designed as retreats. The archive credits Ratia with designing the custom furniture, including a multi-level platform bed and storage pieces. The American Wood Council was a co-sponsor; the builders named were Connie Sommers, Duane Daum and Ernest Becker of Rancho Bel Air, Nevada.

A Desert Home Built Around Water

The project’s organizing idea was more than a visual style: it used the courtyard, pool and filtered light to make the house respond to the Las Vegas climate. Rather than treating the desert setting as scenery, the plan brought views of the central court into the rooms and used trellises and fabric to soften exposure to the sun.

Its relevance now is also archival. The feature records how a magazine-led design project brought architecture, interiors and building materials together to present a model for residential design. The archive’s details—from the open kitchen to the customized use of ordinary materials—show the practical choices behind the house’s vacation-like atmosphere, not just its decorative flourishes.

The 1979 Magazine Project

The archive feature is part of House Beautiful’s “Archive Dive” series, which revisits stories from the magazine’s collection. The editor’s introduction frames the series as a look at past design choices and why they may still resonate; that is the publication’s stated purpose, rather than an independently established assessment of the house’s influence.

In 1979, House Beautiful assembled the design team for a Design House of the Year in Las Vegas. The article says the project was meant to inspire builders and identifies San Francisco-based Turnbull as architect, Ratia as interior designer and Haskins as a collaborating designer. Its plan combined enclosed rooms with multiple outdoor areas within masonry walls, while the garage buffered the house from the street.

The House’s Present-Day Status

The archive feature describes the home as it appeared in 1979 but does not establish whether the house still exists, whether it has been altered, or who owns it today. It also provides no current assessment of how well its cooling strategies perform, and gives no information about later recognition or influence beyond the magazine’s original designation. Those points should not be inferred from the historical account.

Further Archive Details

The published archive feature offers a retrospective through the original project’s design descriptions and photographs. It does not announce a new building project, preservation effort or site visit, nor does it give a date for additional reporting. Readers seeking updates on the property’s current condition would need information beyond the source feature.

Key Questions

What was House Beautiful’s 1979 Design House of the Year?

It was a Las Vegas home featured in the magazine’s May 1979 issue, designed as a desert retreat organized around a central courtyard pool.

Who worked on the design?

The archive identifies William Turnbull Jr. as architect, Ristomatti Ratia as interior designer and Michael Haskins as a collaborating designer. It also names the builders as Connie Sommers, Duane Daum and Ernest Becker of Rancho Bel Air, Nevada.

What design features defined the house?

Its defining features included a central pool and palm court, rooms facing the courtyard, trellises and fabric to filter sunlight, high ceilings, and Marimekko floral and grid patterns. The plan also included private decks and other outdoor spaces.

Is the house still standing?

The archive feature does not say whether the house survives or has changed since 1979. Its present-day condition is not established by the source material.

Source: rss