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When Swapna Reddy and Subhakar Mutyala bought the house, the exterior was painted an orange color with a faux-stucco finish. Painting the walls off-white changed the overall feel of the home and allowed the stone-fronted entry to stand out.
When Bazilus suggested adding a patterned wallpaper to the recessed ceiling in the foyer, Reddy “thought she was crazy,” but the result was a much warmer and more inviting entry.
Afternoon sunlight pours into the living room and reflects off the travertine floor, creating a bright and inviting space. The new tiles, which replaced the original carpeting, were set at a diagonal to help downplay their difference from the existing travertine in the hallways and kitchen.
Reddy and Mutyala were delighted by how much light and space was created by removing the lower section of the wall between the living room and dining room. In order to prevent the wide-open area from becoming visually overwhelming, they stuck to a unified color scheme of neutrals and blues.
Reddy has a fondess for mixing metallic elements, which she described as “kind of an Indian thing.” She joked that designer Bazilus had to restrain her from using them “everywhere.”
The original cabinets in the kitchen were very dark wood, but they were also what Bazilus described as “the Mercedes of cabinets,” so she persuaded Reddy and Mutyala to keep them and simply repaint the wood. The tall cabinet in the back conceals the refrigerator.
Painting the china cabinet a soft grey created a transition from the kitchen on the left to the family room on the right. The china itself was a wedding gift in the Wedgewood pattern called “India.”
The kitchen dining nook has become a favorite gathering spot, especially in nice weather, when the patio doors can be opened wide.
The gold skyline prints in the kitchen nook were purchased from an artist on Etsy and represent almost every place Reddy and Mutyala have lived, including Phoenix, Austin, New York, and Hyderabad, India.
The patterned wall behind the television in the family room matches that in the alcoves in the living room. The cabinets were repainted to a soft gray and, as throughout the house, the original dark draperies were replaced with custom fabric valances and sunscreens, opening up the views.
A statue of Buddha sits on the mantelpiece in the centrally located family room, where everyone in the household can be exposed to positive energy. And, Reddy says, “It’s true that we’ve all been very happy here!”
The original dining room draperies were very dark, but because the curved wall would have required a custom replacement, Reddy and Mutyala kept the rod and installed bold teal drapes instead. As in the rest of the house, though, they replaced the more traditional lighting fixture with a modern geometric piece.
Reddy wanted an interesting wall treatment in the dining room, but the curved walls made wallpaper nearly impossible, so Bazilus brought in custom painter Christopher Macon, who created a layered paint finish that looks rich and textural. The fused glass sculptures provide a bright contrast.
A niche in the dining room offered the perfect place to display a wooden sculpture of the Hindu deity Sarasvati, who represents knowledge, learning, music and dance. Mutyala bought the sculpture several years ago while in India to attend a wedding in Hyderabad, where Reddy’s family originated.
Reddy and Mutyala liked the unusual sinkstand in the powder room but not the elaborate basin and wrought iron mirror frame, so they kept it the lower section but swapped in a hammered metal basin and simple framed mirror. Painter Christopher Macon created the custom paint finish that gives the walls an irridescent glow.
Reddy and Mutyala appreciate that their new home is only one story, which makes it easier for their parents to visit without negotiating stairs. The guest suite includes a seating area, bathroom, and patio door, offering grandparents and other visitors a private space to unwind.
The beaded and embroidered bed pillows in the guest room are similar to traditional Indian designs, but with more contemporary colors and patterns.
Because both Reddy and Mutyala work long hours in addition to parenting, they wanted the master bedroom to be as soothing as possible. Bazilus helped them put together a palette of soft neutrals and subdued blues, including the geometric wall paper behind the bed.
Most of the bathroom is original, but the cabinets were repainted and the heavy window dressings were replaced with a fabric valance and sunshade to allow in more light.
Reddy and Mutyala initially intended to remove the clawfoot tub, but Bazilus convinced them it was too beautiful to let go. Still, both prefer the more practical travertine-lined shower.
The pool table in the game room flips over to reveal an air hockey table. Both sides are very popular with the family’s children.
The yoga frogs in the fireplace of the game room are a playful reference to Reddy’s appreciation for the traditional Indian practice.
Key elements of the decorating scheme, including blue accents and striking patterns, continue into the outside seating areas as well. The result is a seamless connection between the house and the backyard.
By adding sheer curtains, turquoise tables, and patterned pillows, Reddy and Mutyala converted the existing gazebo to their own style and gained a relaxing place to watching their children play in the nearby pool.
When Bazilus suggested adding a patterned wallpaper to the recessed ceiling in the foyer, Reddy “thought she was crazy,” but the result was a much warmer and more inviting entry.
Afternoon sunlight pours into the living room and reflects off the travertine floor, creating a bright and inviting space. The new tiles, which replaced the original carpeting, were set at a diagonal to help downplay their difference from the existing travertine in the hallways and kitchen.
Reddy has a fondess for mixing metallic elements, which she described as “kind of an Indian thing.” She joked that designer Bazilus had to restrain her from using them “everywhere.”
The original cabinets in the kitchen were very dark wood, but they were also what Bazilus described as “the Mercedes of cabinets,” so she persuaded Reddy and Mutyala to keep them and simply repaint the wood. The tall cabinet in the back conceals the refrigerator.
Painting the china cabinet a soft grey created a transition from the kitchen on the left to the family room on the right. The china itself was a wedding gift in the Wedgewood pattern called “India.”
The kitchen dining nook has become a favorite gathering spot, especially in nice weather, when the patio doors can be opened wide.
The gold skyline prints in the kitchen nook were purchased from an artist on Etsy and represent almost every place Reddy and Mutyala have lived, including Phoenix, Austin, New York, and Hyderabad, India.
A statue of Buddha sits on the mantelpiece in the centrally located family room, where everyone in the household can be exposed to positive energy. And, Reddy says, “It’s true that we’ve all been very happy here!”
The original dining room draperies were very dark, but because the curved wall would have required a custom replacement, Reddy and Mutyala kept the rod and installed bold teal drapes instead. As in the rest of the house, though, they replaced the more traditional lighting fixture with a modern geometric piece.
Reddy wanted an interesting wall treatment in the dining room, but the curved walls made wallpaper nearly impossible, so Bazilus brought in custom painter Christopher Macon, who created a layered paint finish that looks rich and textural. The fused glass sculptures provide a bright contrast.
A niche in the dining room offered the perfect place to display a wooden sculpture of the Hindu deity Sarasvati, who represents knowledge, learning, music and dance. Mutyala bought the sculpture several years ago while in India to attend a wedding in Hyderabad, where Reddy’s family originated.
Reddy and Mutyala liked the unusual sinkstand in the powder room but not the elaborate basin and wrought iron mirror frame, so they kept it the lower section but swapped in a hammered metal basin and simple framed mirror. Painter Christopher Macon created the custom paint finish that gives the walls an irridescent glow.
Reddy and Mutyala appreciate that their new home is only one story, which makes it easier for their parents to visit without negotiating stairs. The guest suite includes a seating area, bathroom, and patio door, offering grandparents and other visitors a private space to unwind.
The beaded and embroidered bed pillows in the guest room are similar to traditional Indian designs, but with more contemporary colors and patterns.
Because both Reddy and Mutyala work long hours in addition to parenting, they wanted the master bedroom to be as soothing as possible. Bazilus helped them put together a palette of soft neutrals and subdued blues, including the geometric wall paper behind the bed.
Reddy and Mutyala initially intended to remove the clawfoot tub, but Bazilus convinced them it was too beautiful to let go. Still, both prefer the more practical travertine-lined shower.
The yoga frogs in the fireplace of the game room are a playful reference to Reddy’s appreciation for the traditional Indian practice.
Key elements of the decorating scheme, including blue accents and striking patterns, continue into the outside seating areas as well. The result is a seamless connection between the house and the backyard.
By adding sheer curtains, turquoise tables, and patterned pillows, Reddy and Mutyala converted the existing gazebo to their own style and gained a relaxing place to watching their children play in the nearby pool.
Swapna Reddy and Subhakar Mutyala at home with their children Kavin, 6, and Jiya, 9, along with Mr. Darcy, one of the family’s two dogs.
When Swapna Reddy and Subhakar Mutyala moved from Austin to Phoenix last June, they knew exactly what they wanted — and what they didn't want — as they searched for a new house.
WANTED: A light, sunny, family-friendly space with mountain views.
NOT WANTED: Another big renovation project like they'd slogged through back in Austin.
Reddy, a professor of health law at Arizona State University, and Mutyala, the medical director of radiation oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, quickly narrowed their search to Paradise Valley because it was close to their jobs, schools for their two children, and the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
"The big thing for us," Mutyala recalled, "was that we really wanted to look at mountains every day. It seemed like such an Arizona thing, especially after living in so many places without anything like that."
After passing up several properties that were inconveniently located, poorly laid out, or otherwise not appealing, the couple found a contender ... but it came with a catch.
As Mutyala explained, "When we saw this place, we loved so many things about it: the location, the view, it had great bones."
But the 6,000 square foot home south of Lincoln Drive was built in a heavy Tuscan style, from faux-stucco exterior to wrought iron chandeliers to a kitchen full of dark wood cabinets and hand-painted tile. "It was very pretty," Reddy said, "but not our style at all."
No problem, she remembers thinking: "We'll just de-Tuscanize it. That won't be so hard."
The family had plenty of time to laugh about their underestimation as they and their two dogs spent the next several months living in a construction zone. Walls came down. Windows were relocated. Floors were replaced.
For six kitchen-less weeks, they cooked all their meals in a toaster oven in a bedroom. The renovation work went on until January. But, Reddy said, "it was totally worth it."
Key to their success, both agreed, was their team of local experts, including interior designer Andrea Bazilus of Red Egg Design Group and contractor Mark Malouf of Malouf Construction.
Unlike their previous experience with a remodel that dragged on and on, Reddy said, Malouf "was very realistic about the timeline and what we could and couldn't do for our budget."
She also credited Bazilus with "giving us lots of tools and tips for how we could redo things without spending a ton of money."
Project De-Tuscanization had clear goals: Create an open, airy space that would welcome both growing children and grown-up parties, while suiting Reddy and Mutyala's more contemporary style. However, Reddy said, "it was also important to us to respect the house," by preserving such features as the exposed beams in the ceiling and the unusual curved wall in the dining room.
Some of the most dramatic results came from the simplest solutions, like repainting the exterior and interior walls, removing dark draperies, and replacing the carpet with travertine tile, which bounces light off the floor instead of absorbing it.
But the biggest project involved removing most of the wall between the kitchen and living room.
"Just opening up that wall completely changed the house," Reddy said, "It opened up so much more light, and now the sun is coming in from different sides and reflecting around the space. It changed everything."
They also removed a small window in the kitchen dining nook where, as Mutyala put it, "the view just wasn't happening," and replaced it with three tall glass doors that effectively turned the entire wall into a window, providing the much-craved view of the mountains.
What's more, the doors can be opened all the way across, creating an expansive entry to the patio and allowing for an indoor-outdoor experience Mutyala described as "just awesome, because we've never been able to do that before anywhere we've ever lived."
Once the major structural renovations were done, the couple continued working with Bazilus to make the newly-brightened house even more their own. Together they developed a color scheme based on layered neutrals and enlivened with a variety of blue tones.
Another important consideration was to find a way to reflect the family's heritage. While Reddy and Mutyala are originally from Houston, their families both came from India and, Reddy said, "we wanted to find a way to incorporate that part of our lives," while still keeping the design contemporary.
Accordingly, Reddy and Bazilus placed meaningful sculptures and artwork in focal points throughout the house and arranged other pieces around them.
They also added wall finishings and textiles reminiscent of traditional Indian motifs. It helped, Bazilus said, that the kinds of bold patterns and colors typical of Indian design are "at the forefront of what's trendy right now," making it easier to find the accents that rounded out Reddy's vision.
With what they hope is their last big remodel safely in the past, the family recently celebrated their first anniversary in the no-longer-Tuscan home. And the verdict?
"We love it," Mutyala said. "The light and the space and the way it connects to the outdoors. It's just what we were looking for."