Homeowners Jay Braun and Sara Gutierres.

Gutierres loves her art déco bathroom with aqua porcelain fixtures. There’s no way to know for certain, but they might be the original fixtures from when the house was constructed in the late 1930’s. “They are old, we know that every time we try to get a plumber to work on them, because this stuff is difficult to work on!” she jokes.

The “little upstairs bedroom” and the “teeny little bathroom,” as Gutierres calls them. Tess and Thomas are the couple’s indoor kitties. There is also outdoor roof space on this level but Gutierres and Braun don’t use it.

Thomas the cat relaxing in the cozy upstairs bedroom.

Added to the property sometime in the 1950’s, the guest house has been a rental in the past. Nowadays, Gutierres and Braun host their children and grandkids there. The building needed work, since there used to be a sun roof facing south, which made the small space hot enough “to cook a roast in it” during the warmer months. So Braun extended the roof over it. He also restored the ceiling and the walls.

The couple loves cats and are known in the neighborhood for helping cats find a forever home. This portrait was made for them by a local artist.

An eclectic display cabinet.

Braun restored the dining room table, which he bought at an auction. It used to belong to the Old Jefferson Hotel in downtown Phoenix.

The fireplace is made of river rock and was the only heat source back when the house was built.

The tiles and countertop were added by the homeowners.

The homeowners get crafty to make the most out of their wall space in the kitchen.

There wasn’t enough storage space in the kitchen, so the homeowners found someone who could build custom made cabinets to look exactly like the original ones. Many of the knobs are replicas too, made by a company that recreates vintage hardware.

“Hembra” mask from Guatemala.

Braun’s father was a baker by trade, “but a number of things in reality”. He was a second generation German who grew up in Washington and later moved to Alaska. Pictured here are his moccasins. In 1938, when Braun was born, Alaska was still just a territory.

The living room niche is adorned with masks and objects from all over the world. There are artifacts from Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, New Mexico, Africa, Asia, Ecuador, Perú, Nicaragua, Nepal, Australia, Vietnam, Norway and some local Native American ones.

The brick flooring originally covered only a small section of the patio. Braun and Gutierres extended it all while trying to maintain a cohesive look. Pandora is their outdoor cat; a sweet but wild feral they adopted even though she refuses to go inside the house.

The original logs of the patio cover had rotted, so the couple restored it using saguaro ribs instead. They had to ask for special permission for that, since there are strict rules against harvesting the cactus. They built it similarly to the Mexican tradition of placing a layer of tar paper on top of the wood for added shade. The wood and leather patio chairs are handmade in Mexico.

The original logs of the patio cover had rotted, so the couple restored it using saguaro ribs instead. They had to ask for special permission for that, since there are strict rules against harvesting the cactus. They built it similarly to the Mexican tradition of placing a layer of tar paper on top of the wood for added shade. The wood and leather patio chairs are handmade in Mexico.

The patio.

The Wilkie house was built for Irene Wilkie in 1937 by a contractor named Leonard Carr. It received historic designation in 2009 thanks to the efforts of its current owners.

The front porch

Once the homeowners obtain a historic designation, they can’t change the appearance of the facade of the house. That is part of the reason why Braun and Gutierres haven’t changed the windows. The other reason is that they love their aesthetic and fortunately, the house stays relatively cool in the summer regardless, thanks to their walls being 14” thick.

Homeowners Jay Braun and Sara Gutierres.

Gutierres loves her art déco bathroom with aqua porcelain fixtures. There’s no way to know for certain, but they might be the original fixtures from when the house was constructed in the late 1930’s. “They are old, we know that every time we try to get a plumber to work on them, because this stuff is difficult to work on!” she jokes.

The “little upstairs bedroom” and the “teeny little bathroom,” as Gutierres calls them. Tess and Thomas are the couple’s indoor kitties. There is also outdoor roof space on this level but Gutierres and Braun don’t use it.

Thomas the cat relaxing in the cozy upstairs bedroom.

Added to the property sometime in the 1950’s, the guest house has been a rental in the past. Nowadays, Gutierres and Braun host their children and grandkids there. The building needed work, since there used to be a sun roof facing south, which made the small space hot enough “to cook a roast in it” during the warmer months. So Braun extended the roof over it. He also restored the ceiling and the walls.

The couple loves cats and are known in the neighborhood for helping cats find a forever home. This portrait was made for them by a local artist.

An eclectic display cabinet.

Braun restored the dining room table, which he bought at an auction. It used to belong to the Old Jefferson Hotel in downtown Phoenix.

The fireplace is made of river rock and was the only heat source back when the house was built.

The tiles and countertop were added by the homeowners.

The homeowners get crafty to make the most out of their wall space in the kitchen.

There wasn’t enough storage space in the kitchen, so the homeowners found someone who could build custom made cabinets to look exactly like the original ones. Many of the knobs are replicas too, made by a company that recreates vintage hardware.

“Hembra” mask from Guatemala.

Braun’s father was a baker by trade, “but a number of things in reality”. He was a second generation German who grew up in Washington and later moved to Alaska. Pictured here are his moccasins. In 1938, when Braun was born, Alaska was still just a territory.

The living room niche is adorned with masks and objects from all over the world. There are artifacts from Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, New Mexico, Africa, Asia, Ecuador, Perú, Nicaragua, Nepal, Australia, Vietnam, Norway and some local Native American ones.

The brick flooring originally covered only a small section of the patio. Braun and Gutierres extended it all while trying to maintain a cohesive look. Pandora is their outdoor cat; a sweet but wild feral they adopted even though she refuses to go inside the house.

The original logs of the patio cover had rotted, so the couple restored it using saguaro ribs instead. They had to ask for special permission for that, since there are strict rules against harvesting the cactus. They built it similarly to the Mexican tradition of placing a layer of tar paper on top of the wood for added shade. The wood and leather patio chairs are handmade in Mexico.

The original logs of the patio cover had rotted, so the couple restored it using saguaro ribs instead. They had to ask for special permission for that, since there are strict rules against harvesting the cactus. They built it similarly to the Mexican tradition of placing a layer of tar paper on top of the wood for added shade. The wood and leather patio chairs are handmade in Mexico.

The patio.

The Wilkie house was built for Irene Wilkie in 1937 by a contractor named Leonard Carr. It received historic designation in 2009 thanks to the efforts of its current owners.

The front porch

Once the homeowners obtain a historic designation, they can’t change the appearance of the facade of the house. That is part of the reason why Braun and Gutierres haven’t changed the windows. The other reason is that they love their aesthetic and fortunately, the house stays relatively cool in the summer regardless, thanks to their walls being 14” thick.

The exterior of the Gutierres-Braun home.