An architect and interior designer, John Bissell was the creative force behind this desert home on the west side. Situated on over 8 acres, this one-of-a-kind custom residence is gracefully adorned with saguaros, palo verde, ironwoods and mesquites. Renowned for his mastery of geometry and color, he pays homage to the inherent beauty of the surrounding desert landscape. Bissell was born in Jamestown, NY and moved with his family to Scottsdale, Arizona, in the late 1940's. He attended Yale College and graduated from the University of Arizona. Throughout his career, he was known for bringing beauty into the lives of others and invited viewers to see, really see, the intense colors that exist in the Sonoran desert and make Tucson unique. Although his career has focused primarily on private residences and interiors, he is also known in Tucson for his saturated color palette for the exterior of the 1970s La Placita retail complex downtown, which was demolished in 2018 to make way for apartments.
bold colors and geometries were a signature style of Bissell
What attracted you to this home?
T: I’m an architectural photographer and was immediately taken with the enormous amount of light entering the house, bringing the outdoors into a space that blends strong modern lines with a traditional southwest feel. The strong use of color deepens both design aspects. But as distinct as the design is, the house sits comfortably in the surrounding desert, its proportions, unlike many houses, never upstaging the landscape. It’s a unique and thoughtful vision that really resonates for me.
the great room is illuminated throughout the day due to window placement and the skylight in the center of the space
What is your favorite space?
M: My favorite space is fluid; following the stretch and contraction of sunsets and sunrises across the landscape; or being pulled to one place or another in the house by birdsong or the howls of gathering coyotes. Or tracing the path of the moon and stars. Sometimes, my favorite space is outside of the house looking in. An enchanting private Thorne Room.
living area in the guest house
office catching late-day sun
What changes did you make?
T: We have tried to push the house into a closer marriage of design and environment. We’ve added solar panels to an already super-efficient building and deployed water catchment and irrigation systems to support desert plants, trees, and shrubs inside and outside the fenced-in courtyards. The arrangement of plantings inside the courtyards has been precisely and artfully designed by Mary and the planting outside the living areas highlight and bolster the existing landscape.
native courtyard landscaping reflects the existing landscape beyond the fence line
How has your style evolved over the years?
M: I’m a recovering “maximalist” with a burning need to cover every surface, (every shelf, every wall, every square inch of floor) with more furniture, more objects, more art to hang, My time with Tim (“minimalist”) has helped me recover from that affliction. Less is truly more. This house has taught me that the spaces between things are as much a part of experiencing a place as all the stuff in it.
main bedroom
What materials are important to you?
M: Honest, beautifully crafted materials. The Talavera tiles in this home never fail to astound me, to catch my eye, to cause me to wonder who the craftsperson was who patiently, repetitively created such beauty and detail. And I love the names of the solid-colored tiles: Marina, Crema, Sol, Saguaro. At once accurate and poetic. The Talavera sunflower pattern that encircles the sinks in the master then reappears in the spa edging tiles. Brilliant!
desert sunsets on the west side never disappoint
