A sanctuary was the intention, says Jennifer Burgess, the developer, designer and co-listing agent behind this oasis of calm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Scottsdale. “Our lives are so fast-paced and connected to the screen that we rarely have the opportunity to look up and appreciate beauty, even in our immediate surroundings,” she observes. So she created a property that would immediately put a resident at ease with everything from the architecture to the interiors and the landscape. All, says Burgess, “designed in perfect harmony.”

Indeed, there’s plenty of beauty to admire at the Paradise Valley home—which at first glance appears like a mirage from the sand and mountains as a contemporary build of cubic forms infused with aged character. Antique doors, mortar-washed stone, limestone troughs, old-growth trees and Venetian plaster, among other soulful touches. It’s like your very own Borgo Egnazia—that effortlessly elegant hotel in the rolling Puglian countryside—that you never need to check out of.

Burgess explains: “I wanted to give it a slightly Mediterranean flair inspired by climates similar to Arizona—like Italy, Portugal or Greece—while honoring the desert. We didn’t want it to have an identity crisis, though, so we leaned into local species and used the architecture as the backdrop so the landscaping could really shine.”

It’s like your very own Borgo Egnazia—that effortlessly elegant hotel in the rolling Puglian countryside—that you never need to check out of. 

Like an invite-only wellness retreat, the home at 8717 N Avenida Del Sol has a collection of alfresco features that certainly feel more European than American, including an outside staircase, indoor-outdoor living spaces, roof deck, two-way fireplace and private courtyard. “In the summer, we’re up to 100 degrees here in Arizona, but in the mornings and evenings you can still be in the yard or on the terrace, so the outdoor space can be used year-round,” Burgess explains.

The developer wasn’t a lone wolf in her vision for what she describes as a “desert organic home”—a kind of Myconian villa without the mayhem, a trullo house without the tradition. In a star-studded line-up, she collaborated with Stratton Architects—the Phoenix-based practice founded by wunderkind Stratton Andrews, who brought young-gun energy and award-winning talent—and The Green Room Landscape Architecture, whose deft hand at ‘desertscaping’ is coveted statewide. Tinker Development, a family building firm that specializes in custom builds in the Phoenix area, was entrusted with the construction.

It took the crack team three years from start to finish—an angular new-build that feels like it’s been softened by sand and time over years. “I showed the team a myriad of pictures from Puglia where limestone farmhouses are reimagined into modern homes, which is the essence of what I wanted this property to be,” Burgess explains. “We had to work hard to create aged characteristics such as deep, recessed windows not typically found in modern buildings. Outside, we incorporated a layer of mature trees and desert plants that don’t just lend a sense of mystery by concealing the house from the street, but mean there’s no need to worry about watering or cutting the grass or plants if you want to lock up and leave.”

It took the crack team three years from start to finish—an angular new-build that feels like it’s been softened by sand and time over years.

Efficiency doesn’t just extend to the landscaping, either. Tech has been seamlessly integrated behind the scenes to offer a fully automated home that doesn’t compromise on rustic aesthetics. The quietest of luxuries, if you will. Says Burgess: “People want their homes to almost operate on their own. We used a system that means that everything can be controlled via your phone. With the tap of an app, you can turn on lights, program the pool and adjust the music that plays in each room, whether you’re at home or across the pond. There’s a space that’s specifically built to house all the wires behind closed doors.”

On paper, this Mediterranean-via-Arizona masterpiece is impressive even by the elevated standards of this upscale enclave—five en suite bedrooms, plus an owner’s suite, detached guest house, four-car garage, swimming pool and cold plunge (of course).

But it’s how the structure feels, and the soulful design, that are the real sells. The seamless cohesion as you walk through each space. The natural palette and organic materials—muted terracotta and neutral stone—that emulate the untamed landscape. And the sense of calm embedded into everything that seems to whisper “and breathe.”

8717 N Avenida del Sol is on the market with RETSY listing agents Jennifer Burgess and Siena Koppelman. RETSY is a member of Forbes Global Properties, the invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.