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Enchanted Homes
Stories from this issue
Enchanted Homes
Four Ski Valley homes raise the bar for sustainable living
Taos’ signature “Passive Solar” design long ago melded into the broader rubric of “green building.” Building technology continues to evolve in pace with the mounting concern over carbon footprint and climate change.
Here we look at four high-performance homes in Taos Ski Valley.
Enchanted Homes
Light, bright and happy: Turning a commercial asset into a home
What do you do when you have an asset that no one else wants? Do you invest more money in the hope you’re not throwing good money after bad, or do you take your losses and move on? This …
Enchanted Homes
TSV Launches New Phase With Luxury Housing Project
The ongoing evolution of Taos Ski Valley took another major step forward with the announcement in December 2018 that the ski area was embarking on its first housing development, the Blake Residences.
Enchanted Homes: "High Design" edition this Thursday
This month’s Enchanted Homes “High Design” edition looks at high tech sustainable ski homes; the new Blake Residencies condos; offers tips for making your home holiday-friendly; and more.
Enchanted Homes
In the land of Enchantment: A mountain paradise awaits
In addition to the alfresco elements of life in the main house and guest house, Los Cielos Ranch comes with a full range of opportunities for the outdoors enthusiast, all within its 300 acres, where you can enjoy hiking, snowmobiling, fishing and hunting.
Enchanted Homes
Successfully managing significant sources
Location; mountain views; sprawling acreage; tidy small houses. What we want to call home means different things to everyone who is looking to buy or sell a property, whether in New Mexico or anywhere else.
Enchanted Homes
Championship golf at Taos Country Club is Taos best kept secret
The High Country is known the world over for skiing and snowboarding, but its best-kept secret is golf. Attitude at altitude is one of the big perks of mile-high-and-more elevations.
Located at …
Enchanted Homes
The Art of home Design: What's hot in fireplaces
On the face of it, not much has changed in the world of fireplaces. You still see the usual array of corner “kivas,” ranch-style fireplaces with mantles, and metal inserts and …
Enchanted Homes
Stylin' with Stone
In recent years, natural stone has taken backseat in the trend towards contemporary design with its use of concrete, porcelain, and the many shades of gray.
Destination Home
This is more than a home… it’s an experience.
Located between Taos and Arroyo Seco, these 9.7 acres against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo mountains deliver all the …
Enchanted Homes
Handcrafted Doors of the Southwest
Handcrafted doors of the Southwest – built in the Taos tradition
In Taos, there is a long tradition of handcrafting everything needed for life. The Pueblo people grew and made much of what …
Small patios with big design
Any courtyard or patio can become a dream landscape, according to Ben Maddox, proprietor of Maddox Outdoor Solutions. Here the local landscaper and ISA-certified arborist shares some of his …
Love your mother, Earth that is
Touch the earth and the earth breaths back – that’s what it feels like standing in Julie Parker’s poured-earth home overlooking the Río Grandé Gorge.
Pat Woodall Fine Art Gallery and Southwest Framers
The Pat Woodall Fine Art Gallery is bursting with color and grace. It is filled with flowers, aromatic smells, and the distinctive artwork of Pat Woodall.
Nine Design Solutions
There’s no question that living small has become a big thing. Whether by circumstance or choice, the way in which we view our material world is undergoing a quiet revolution.
Enchanted Homes
Start to finish sustainable building
Thomas Soule and Mark Brewer are Taos sustainability contractors who strive to make the world a better place – for humans and the planet in general.
Enchanted Homes
'Seed to window' manufacturing
At Sierra Pacific, "Seed to Window" means that every atom of wood used in the company's windows is harvested from forests that have been tended by the company's founding family, the Emmersons, for four generations.
Enchanted Homes
Net zero-energy home appeals to creative and enviro-tech spirit
This home at 11 Turkey Springs Road in Valdez is a rare opportunity. The 5,000 square-foot passive solar homestead sits on 30 forested acres in the secluded Gallina Canyon neighborhood.
Enchanted Homes
7 native plants that reduce water use
With so much focus upon the impacts of climate change, we asked our experts: Can you name seven native plants that reduce water usage for our immediate present and our future?
Enchanted Homes
Realtor profile: Pennie Wardlow, Century 21 Success
Realtor Pennie Herrera Wardlow has deep roots in Taos. She was born in the family home where she lives now. Those who came before her constructed the home with hand-made adobe bricks and wood harvested from the nearby mountains...
Enchanted Homes: Sustainable Living Issue
In this month’s Homes magazine, we profile a beautiful 5,000 square-foot passive solar homestead sitting on 30 forested acres in Gallina Canyon neighborhood and seven native plants we recommend that reduce water use.
Enchanted Homes
5 reasons to replace your front door in 2019
1 Stunning beauty is the primary reason the people of Taos replace their front door or entryway, says Taos Door & Hardware Company’s Peter Barlow, founder and designer of their all-custom …
Enchanted Homes
A featured home: Simple and spacious
Standing in the great room of the home with its expansive southern views, one of the most striking comments people make is: "This feels really good.”
Enchanted Homes
Move over formica. Modern countertop options for homebuilders and renovators
Modern countertops and vanity trends are calling more and more for stone or stonelike finishes and Taos homeowners are as equally trendy. Traditional stone products, such as marble, natural and …
Enchanted Homes
Dan's Flooring: Healing homes, one job at a time
Dan’s Flooring and interior design business in Ranchos de Taos has kept Taos – and Northern New Mexico in general – warm and stylish for three decades as of last August. The …
Enchanted Homes
Realtor profile: Lisa Cancro of Taos Properties
“We were fortunate to come here more than 22 years ago,” she says. “I love the small town feel of our community. People here are friendly and always ready to talk to you and help out.”
Enchanted Homes
Historic compound renovated in harmony with natural surroundings
Since 1995 it has been owned and lovingly renovated by Chef René Mettler and his wife Kimberly Armstrong, owners of the highly popular Italian restaurant, Trading Post Café.
Enchanted Homes
Carmen Velarde, age 90, and one of the last traditional enjarradoras
Up until she was 88 in 2016, Velarde still helped with the enjarre/mudding of San Francisco de Asís Church in Ranchos de Taos.
Enchanted Homes
9 questions with Bob Bishop, Tierra Wood Stoves
People are thinking about keeping warm with wood stoves. They help reduce the heating costs and after about two years, people find they will likely pay for themselves.
Enchanted Homes
Realtor profile: John Johnston
When John Johnston retired from a long career in business development, sales and marketing, he and his wife spent several years looking for the perfect place to relocate. Taos was their top choice.
Enchanted Homes
Restored grandeur, modern splendor
In 2009 Peggy and John Hamilton bought the property, gutted it and restored the single-family home to its stately grandeur.
Enchanted Homes
Thinking about kitchens and baths
In today's world the range on cost to create a kitchen can be dramatic.
Enchanted Homes
9 questions: Amos Barwick
Today there are so many accessories you can put inside your cabinets, more than shelves and drawers.
Enchanted Homes
Realtor profile: Christine Valvano, Salsa Realty
With 35 years of experience in real estate, Valvano has the knowledge and perseverance to serve her clients.
Golfing at high altitude
Taos Country Club sits at 7,000 feet in elevation, Valle Escondido Golf Club at 8,500 feet and Angel Fire Country Club at 8,400. Most visitors come to Northern New Mexico from much lower elevations …
9 Questions: TurnKey Vacation Rentals
What brought you to New Mexico? My husband and I sold everything we owned -- home, martini & multi-media businesses, including the real estate and a coffee cart -- in the span of one week. We …
Expansive yet private ranch
The Village of Angel Fire is an active, year-found resort town. As a popular destination, the Angel Fire Airport has a jet-capable runway for private aircraft. To the south, about 20 minutes away, …
Joy Junction: Farmers Markets deliver fresh and fun on a weekly basis
We all know how even a moment of pure joy can turn our whole world around, and I suspect that’s one of the main reasons we flock to our Farmers Markets – for the sheer fun of it!Where …
Realtor Profile: Alicia Bomhoff of Taos Sage Real Estate
When Alicia Bomhoff founded Taos Sage Real Estate, she was thinking of the green color and also the wisdom associated with the name sage. Taos Sage symbolizes her dedication to sustainable housing …
New edition of Enchanted Homes this week
In this month’s Mountain Living edition of Enchanted Homes, you will be inspired by an expansive, yet private ranch nestled in beautiful Black Lake. The stunning 11.23-acre horse property has …
Thinking about design
What is design? If you look at any number of sources it boils down to a plan or drawing that shows the look and function …
Taos in five glimpses
There is no image of Taos as characteristic and unmistakable as the summits of Pueblo, Kachina and Wheeler …
Realtor profile: Meet Rachel Singer
A glimpse of a starry sky during a visit to Taos convinced Rachel Singer that this was her true home. She had read about a …
The light is everywhere
"The light here is so incredible. It’s like you’re outside when you’re inside," said homeowner Judith Kendall.
Send your home to school
Imagine driving to your home, the serpentine pathway lights twinkle as you arrive. The garage door opens, and the surrounding …
9 questions for Dan’s Carpet, Tile and Window Coverings
“Old, sad homes … run down and beat up. We beautified the soul of the house, we made someone’s day and bettered their life.” These are the words of Daniel Gonzales who said he fell in love with the flooring business as a young man.
Sustainability: thy name is Taos
Or its nickname, anyway. The way I see it, this isolated part of northern New Mexico has always been a pioneer on the cutting edge of sustainability even if it didn’t know it.
Solar – explained
Enchanted Homes posed the question, “So, you wanna go solar?” to two solar energy companies in Taos County and came away with a primer on the who-what-where-when and how of delivering energy from the sun into your home.
Here’s what Charlie McGarity of PPC Solar and Mark Jackson of Sol Luna had to say about how homeowners can get into solar energy.
Realtor Profile: Amanda Tafoya
Working with Realtor Amanda Tafoya is like having the home field advantage. She was born and raised in Taos and her kids have grown up here, too. She is familiar with the unique aspects of Taos.
A life experience
An earthship is a passive solar house made of natural and recycled materials. Many of these sustainable homes dot the Taos area.
9 questions
Nick & Oliver Collignon of Collignon Roofing
Collignon Roofing has been around since 1975. How did it come to be established?
Planning your home
It wasn’t that many years ago that folks here didn’t give a thought to home planning.
Home planner 2018
Making improvements to your home can add comfort and satisfaction to your life. “If you plan to live in your home for another five or ten years, then it is worth it to make major …
Petree Nursery: making Taos more beautiful for 30 years
A feeling of possibility pervades the greenhouses at Petree Nursery. While it is cold outside, the greenhouses are warm and humid. In the front greenhouse, where the garden supplies are found, …
9 questions with Jim Pollard
I am a design engineer by background. When I first came to Taos I worked in real estate and started Taos Properties. I wanted to be a builder and did …
A haven for explorers
A beautiful, welcoming home brings out the best in people. One such home is available in the Weimer area of Taos.
Enchanted Homes: The Design Issue 2017
In our annual Design issue, you'll find profiles of landscaper Angelika Heikaus and woodworker David Mapes, as well as our feature of the rustic, modern mountain home of Ron and Sylvia Wood in Angel Fire. You can read the full issue at: http://www.taosnews.com/enchantedhomes.
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