El Salon

Yavapai County, AZ

El Salon is the historic homestead cottage at Rancho Almasomos that will revitalized into a gathering space for the new farm-to-table offering. When studying the cottage’s proportions, we discovered that the dimensions of billiards and shuffleboard fit almost perfectly within its frame, as if the building had quietly been designed for play all along.

Size: 800 ft²
Client: Rancho Almasomos
Scope: Architect of Record
Team: Lindsey Wikstrom, Meghan Jones, Manavi Dixit

An existing hearth remains at its center, and will be extended into a warm bench that serves the north and south sides of the structure. It will be a source of radiant comfort, its thermal mass holding and releasing heat throughout the evening.

Large glass sliders connect the interior to the passively conditioned Arizona room, extending the sense of openness into the landscape to the north. Every gesture in the renovation honors the cottage’s original intimacy while making an updated space for memories and laughter.

An existing hearth remains at its center, and will be extended into a warm bench that serves the north and south sides of the structure. It will be a source of radiant comfort, its thermal mass holding and releasing heat throughout the evening.

Large glass sliders connect the interior to the passively conditioned Arizona room, extending the sense of openness into the landscape to the north. Every gesture in the renovation honors the cottage’s original intimacy while making an updated space for memories and laughter.

The Arizona room captures the best of the region’s weather; deep shade, soft light, and cross-breezes that flow through the desert air. From this generous threshold, visitors look north toward the chef’s garden, the basalt rock basin, and the open fields along Spring Creek. Not a multipurpose hall, but a space devoted purely to joy, the Play Cottage celebrates gathering, play, and the simple delight of being together.

The Arizona room captures the best of the region’s weather; deep shade, soft light, and cross-breezes that flow through the desert air. From this generous threshold, visitors look north toward the chef’s garden, the basalt rock basin, and the open fields along Spring Creek. Not a multipurpose hall, but a space devoted purely to joy, the Play Cottage celebrates gathering, play, and the simple delight of being together.

Reach out to start a conversation about your project and how we can bring it to life with thoughtful, sustainable design hello@mattaforma.com

Reach out to start a conversation about your project and how we can bring it to life with thoughtful, sustainable design hello@mattaforma.com