Brandon Architects has created a contemporary house that blends into the surrounding Las Vegas desert with stacked stone, disappearing glazing and reflective water features.
The Costa Mesa-based studio completed the contemporary 5,800 square foot (539 square metre) home – known as Cloud Chaser – overlooking Las Vegas in 2022.

The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom house "imports elevated, southern California sophistication into the Vegas lifestyle," said founder Brandon Architects founder Christopher Brandon.

An angled roof caps heavy stone walls that are punctured by glazing set in black metal framing.

The architecture studio was inspired by the earth-toned, stacked-boulder retaining walls that terrace the Ascava community.

"We decided to play off this aesthetic by designing a dry-stacked stone 'feature wall' that runs the length of the main entry sequence," the studio said.

"The intent was to create a feeling as though we had just picked up some of these large boulders found on-site to assemble the home in order to create a true sense of connection with the site."

To juxtapose the rough dry-stacked stone, Brandon Architects used raked-stone panels for an imperfect but refined texture that carries throughout the house.

The home’s sharp angles create dramatic shadows that emphasize the weight of the roofline — particularly out towards the pool.

A glazed enfilade aligns the entry pathway, water features and spa with the centerline of the Vegas Strip.

"Our intent was to create a framed view of the Strip from the moment one opens the front entry gate in the courtyard," the studio noted.

"As you enter the foyer, your eyes immediately turn to the floor-to-ceiling windows capturing the views in the near distance."

Each room flows from interior to exterior through 12-foot-tall (3.6 metre) glass doors. In the living room, the glazing fully pockets into the adjacent wall for 55 feet (16.7 metres) of unobstructed view across the pool and down to the valley.

On the inside, the neutral-toned furnishings designed by Morrison Interiors complement the stone and wood textures to "mirror the raw beauty of the nearby mountains," the studio said.

Sculptural wooden pedestal tables are balanced by delicate metallic details like pendant lights and steel hanging mirrors.

In order to take advantage of the evaporative cooling features of Nevada's desert climate, the studio located water features near the operable windows.

The shallow pond along the entry is on axis with the angular pool accessed by stepping-stones that appear to float in the water.

"At night the lights from the Strip are picked up and reflected off the water from certain angles creating a dramatic effect," the studio said.

Other homes in the western United States include The Ranch Mine's angular house in Scottsdale, Arizona and a home with expAidlin Darling Design's low-slung home in Palm Desert, California.

Photography is by Ryan Garvin.

Project credits:

Architecture: Brandon Architects
Interiors: Morrison Interiors
Builder: Nevada RE, LLC.