PROJECT: Residences at Ritz-Carlton
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Renee Robinson
Designer Renee Robinson was already working on her project—five model homes for the Residences at Ritz-Carlton in the exclusive Dove Mountain community in the desert foothills surrounding Tucson, Arizona—when she and Elizabeth met at a local restaurant opening. The two creatives hit it off instantly, and a decades-long relationship took root.
The vision for Residences at Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain was not another cookie-cutter development, but a customizable community with every detail considered. The project presented several unique challenges that would inspire both Renee and Elizabeth to flex their creative muscles, each inspiring and pushing the other to create innovative, enduring environments for the world-class brand.
Designing the Dream
A model home in a luxurious, highly customizable whole-ownership community is a unique and meticulous animal. It’s not just selling prospective owners on the specific footprint and design details of that home—but also asking them to imagine a myriad of additional ways in which they might make it their own.
Perhaps most importantly, though, it’s asking each property, inside and out, to represent the vision of a community that only exists in the developer’s mind. The goal: to take prospective buyers on a dreamlike journey through that vision, from gated entries and common spaces to the distinctive details of each model home.
Three Aesthetics. Infinite Possibilities.
Though each Ritz-Carlton property is unique, they all share a deep dedication to seamless integration into local landscapes. This was especially true for the five Dove Mountain model homes, which spanned three vastly different aesthetic directions: Southwest, Modern and Mediterranean. For outdoor living, each home offered 700 square feet of hardscape with an outdoor kitchen and cocktail pool.
Product sourcing for this project was a massive undertaking, requiring Elizabeth to curate cohesive, top-tier collections of furniture, pottery, pool accessories, fountains and more, for five different homes spanning three unique design styles. Add to this the pressure of perfection—realizing a unique vision for one of the world’s leading luxury hospitality brands—and the design partners rose, together, to the occasion.
For the Southwest home, Elizabeth designed a sunken seating area with a sandstone fireplace as its centerpiece, brightened by drought-resistant plantings and pottings.
“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere, it hides a well.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “The Little Prince”
A Model Collaboration
Due in part to the intentional design choices Renee and Elizabeth made in the model homes, Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain was a resounding success. In fact, although the homes and all their furnishings were intended to be fully customizable, many buyers requested exactly those in the model homes.
It was a model collaboration in two other ways, as well. It was during this project that Elizabeth realized there was no single, curated source for hospitality-grade outdoor furnishings—and the seeds of her successful BOXHILL business were first planted. Ultimately, Dove Mountain became the blueprint for our Trade Program, teaching Elizabeth how to scale her offerings and adapt to diverse styles while meeting the exacting standards of a leading luxury brand.
Most importantly, though, it became a model for relationship building. Today, Elizabeth remains a trusted partner of both Renee and Ritz-Carlton. Wondering what hidden wells we can tap together? Join our Trade Program to get started.