It's been years since I started this little blog, and somehow I haven't given you all what you really, truly want - a tour of Linda's house... Well - today is finally the day - and I think you might agree that it's been worth the wait!

Mind you, these images are mere snapshots taken by me in passing recently - but you are all in for a treat soon when this beautiful 1930s adobe home of our dear founders, (yes, my parents!) Linda and Jerry Van Lith, will be in Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine yet again this November 2024. The images that Len Loria and Melissa Valladares captured for the upcoming issue are stunning. I have only seen them from Melissa's computer screen as she was expertly snapping away - but they are pure magic! I can't wait to see them in print!

Also - Linda's home will also be on the Phoenix Home and Garden Home Tour this November - so do plan accordingly and get yourself tickets!

Old doors sourced on one of our buying trips in Rajasthan, India grace the primary bedroom.

Bulit in the 1930s, Linda and Jerry's home was originally a sheep ranch with a simple adobe structure with a bedroom, kitchen, living space, and of course, a sleeping porch - remember, this was long before air conditioning. Nestled in the Phoenix Mountains with a spectacular view of Camelback, the original sheep rancher owners sure knew what they were doing when they picked this spot!

The bones of the 90 year old building still remain today, with thick mud and straw adobe walls over a foot thick, and high wood-beamed ceilings. Fortunately additions over the years have retained the look and feel of this classic desert dwelling, and the Saltillo tile and stucco walls still remain throughout.    

A daybed made from an antique bed we found in India anchors a sitting room. A vintage Moroccan screen, a collection of lost wax cast leopards, and pillows from all over the world create the rich, worldly mood.

Upon entry to the Van Lith home today, however, you quickly realize that this is no simple sheep ranch. These people have been places...

A Moroccan moucharabie coffee table and screen, an antique camel from Rajasthan, Afghan ottomans and a sisal rug bordered with a vintage Turkish kilim tent border.

When Linda and Jerry started Tierra Del Lagarto in 1991 they opened an eclectic, interesting furniture store that was different from the Southwestern howling coyote establishments that were scattered all over Scottsdale at the time. It started out unique, but it got even more interesting as the global buying trips began in 1995.

Another view of the long and narrow original living space in this old adobe home - the kitchen is tucked away behind the wall at left. Old homes rarely had the open plan that is so popular in modern architecture today.

Indonesia was the first trip in August of 1995 - then we added Thailand, Morocco, Mexico, the Philippines, finally all important to us now - India! - then Turkey, Guatemala, Hungary... the list goes on!

Converting what was once a tiny closet sized room off the original primary bedroom into this chic gathering spot is one of Linda's genius aha moments. The tile trimmed fireplace was original to the home. Linda made it into a breakfast nook, perfect for newspaper and coffee, with a round table made from old camel saddle staves from Morocco, and a set of moucharabieh benches.  

The once simple adobe house is now a treasure trove of finds sourced from all over the globe, something exotic and spellbinding at every turn.

Another favorite change up in this home was opening up what was once an extra bedroom to create a TV lounge for the grandkids. My three teens have cozied up in here during many a long dinner party while the adults gab away into the night.

This is no museum, however. Yearly big family holidays, countless parties, and five weddings, (and counting???) - with hundreds of guests, have all graced these walls with carousing and chaos!  

The dining table expands to seat a crowd, the Peruvian leather dining chairs have held up fabulously for decades, and the trio of lanterms from San Miguel de Allende cast a flattering light. Linda's sweet Orson looks on from his dog bed.  

Whoever doesn't fit at the twelve top dining table overflows to the even larger dining table outside - and we all pile into the various living rooms and seaing areas out on the patios.

Linda often jokes that she has the smallest kitchen in Paradise Valley. She kept the original footprint of the galley kitchen and merely created an open return at the left to allow better flow into the adjoining hall and breakfast nook. You should see the feasts she turns out of this bitty kitchen!

And yes - Linda makes delicious food for 30 to 50 family members for every major holiday in this little kitchen every year!  

The current primary bedroom was an addition done 25 years ago. It has great light and a beautiful headboard made from a custom Moroccan ceiling panel we had made in Marrakech.

This home has been a haven - a beautiful place for four generations of our family to gather. During all the changes of three and a half decades - it's remained a real center around which every thing else has swirled...

A guest bedroom with colorful textiles from India and Uzbekistan.

I feel so lucky to have laid my head down here - along with so many I love most in life. I was a teenager when we moved into this house - and now my kids are all older than I was when we came back to AZ. How times change - but the beauty of this home remains.

Nora and Orson are both rescue pups Linda adopted years ago - they live their very best lives draped on all the most luxurious pillows from around the world!

Including thse two! Nora and Orson - what sweeties!

Moroccan doors hide the tucked away, yet amazingly practical laundry room. the big window at left looks out onto the gorgeous front courtyard.

There are magic hidden nooks everywhere you look. From the practical - like the laundry room hidden behind hand painted Moroccan riad doors, to the whimsical - an old vegetable cart piled with lanterns ready to light for the next party.

Linda in her element - among all the treasures she's collected over 34 years of Tierra Del Lagarto travels.

But Linda is the real magic - crafting a life of travel and creativity out of a very different first act in life. Making an exotic adventure of a house out of a simple desert dwelling. Mixing cultures, craft, old and new, generations of design, decor - and our crazy family too - all into this beautiful place that is home to all of us.  

For a video tour head over to our Instagram - I made a Reel showing the flow through Linda's amazing home!

Also - if you are in Arizona this November 2024 - Linda's home will be on the Phoenix Home and Garden annual Home Tour where you can visit stunning homes hand picked by the editors.

Get your tickets on the PH&G website now!