Couchee Gold Canyon showdown

When Diane and Kent Couchee opted for a metal roof, beams and broad expanses of seamless glass, neighbors gasped.

The homes in the Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon are more Tuscan/Old World than sleek and modern. But the Couchees' 4,000-square-foot home of rock and weathered metal on the outside and glass and steel on the inside reflect the dramatic mountainscape of the Superstition Mountains in the distance and the eighth hole outside their back door.

Kent, who's been in the building trades in California, and now in Arizona, brought his sense of design and construction know-how to a home that showcases a wall of recirculated water in the dining room, lighted acrylic stairway to the bedroom/loft area and his signature king-size bed-frame of I-beams.

Entry to the home is through a tall plate-glass door. "It's like a shopping- mall door," Diane says.

The couple wanted a home that showcased Kent's sense of modern design while avoiding a cold, sterile look often found in contemporary homes.

"We wanted to incorporate warmth with the use of color," Diane says. The home's white walls become a backdrop not only for the varying shades of natural light throughout the day but also for rich, bold accent colors of red, blue, tangerine and black.

The home's focal point is the nearly 360-degree mountain view.

There are no small-paned windows in this home.

The living room commands views of the golf course, and the front office has floor-to-ceiling glass walls with a view of the Superstitions.

Off the living room is a dramatic dining area with a shimmering wall of water that splashes into a long, narrow trough filled with smooth rock at the base. "I wanted a moat," Kent explains. A glass-topped dining-room table and chrome chairs sit on a rectangular space, topped with 3/4-inch-thick glass, that also is filled with rocks. Black and white tile border the shallow rock "pond."

"I got the idea at Disneyland," Kent says. "The space is so dramatic that people are reluctant to walk on it," he says, despite its proven strength.

His creative influence also is seen in what he describes as his signature design: aluminum plate he's polished and then etched with a swirling pattern. He's used the material for tables, fireplace hearths and other design elements. The home's spaces are airy, sleek and clean. Curves, lighting and triangular design elements create interest.

Outside, a broad, expansive patio features an infinity-edge pool, a spa, an outdoor grill, misters for summer and heat elements for winter. Most rooms feature seamless, floor-to-ceiling window walls. The family room opens directly onto the outdoor patio, creating more easy, functional outdoor-indoor access.

Although neighbors initially were resistant to the Couchees' designs, the couple say many people warm to the home once they've been inside for a tour. But the couple are unfazed by the response.

Kent, who prefers skyscraper steel-and-glass structures, says the home - which meets the development's design standards - doesn't begin to showcase the modern designs that crowd his mind.

Reach the reporter at susan.felt@arizonarepublic.com and (602) 444-8246.

Diane and Kent Couchee put a modern twist on what are often more Tuscan-style homes in Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club development in Gold Canyon.