staying power
In a tranquil Los Ranchos de Albuquerque setting, Ed Paschich Homes blends authentic Old World design, choice materials, and thoughtful decorative elements into an estate that would make a royal proud.
This classical Spanish estate by Ed Paschich Homes blends seamlessly into its bucolic setting. From the front, no traces of modern technology challenge the illusion of antiquity. The arched windows and entryway reflect the Moors’ historical influence on Spanish architecture.
A double groin vault in the front entry illustrates the tendency of classical architects to borrow liberally from other traditions.
Dennie Paschich employed royal references, such as the crown and drapery above the bed and other details throughout the home, to accurately represent the ornate and massive furnishings typical of Spanish classical traditions.
Considerations of perspective are paramount in classical design.
A decorative fountain overflows into the hot tub.
Ed, Dennie, and Wristen Paschich gather in the home’s refreshing courtyard.
Small cozy spaces temper the home’s grand scale.
Ornate vanities, mirrors, and fixtures—a mix of antiques and reproductions—complement the home’s authentic feel.
This massive kitchen honors the home’s scale and weight. The room is psychologically subdivided into areas for food preparation, eating, and fireside relaxation.
Perspective and proportion dictate the interplay of spaces within the home. A hierarchy of mass, scale, ceiling heights, and adjacent spaces facilitates the graceful progression of one space to another.
A secret bookcase door in the library leads to the wine cellar.
This article first appeared in Summer 2008 Su Casa
Web-exclusive photos
Ed and Dennie Paschich fell in love cycling through the south of Spain. Not with each other—they’ve been happily married for decades—but with classical Spanish architecture. It was more than just a passing fancy. They came back to Albuquerque and set about exploring the Spanish aesthetic through their home-building business, Ed Paschich Homes. Their latest creation, a 6,000-square-foot home in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, is the very embodiment of Old World design.
That’s right, Old World design. The company, which includes the couple’s two grown sons, strives to infuse a project with authenticity from the ground up.
A drive down Rio Grande Boulevard through Los Ranchos and Albuquerque’s North Valley reveals a surprisingly eclectic array of residential styles. Some are successful, while others, according to the Paschiches, fall short. Ed and son Wristen—a full-time designer for Ed Paschich Homes who holds degrees in both architecture and art—seem particularly offended by takeoffs on Tuscan.
“It’s a battle for authenticity,” Ed reiterates. “I believe that people can sense good architecture; it makes them feel good.”
The visitor feels very good indeed as she approaches the home that until recently was occupied by the Paschiches. (Dennie estimates they’ve lived in eight or nine different houses, and this one recently sold.) Although the North Valley is generally quiet, something about this place positively radiates tranquility. You can chalk that up to its bucolic setting—there’s an acre of pasture adjacent to the house—but Ed deserves some of the credit, too, for putting a damper on visual noise. From the front, no trace of modern technological wizardry (AC units, metal vents, etc.) appears. Although a wide gravel path circles a fountain in front of the main entry, there’s neither hide nor hair of family vehicles; they’re parked in the back in a similarly discreet garage. The scene is serene enough to stimulate visions of a Spanish noble dismounting his or her horse for a neighborly call.
It takes more than staging, however, to conjure up the spirit of architectural periods past. Building styles don’t develop in a vacuum; architects, like artists, absorb the vibes of the times. That’s why stage-set housing—scattershot applications of iconic design elements without an understanding of the underlying aesthetic—quickly reveals its vaudevillian roots. The finer points, such as proportion, tend to get lost in the shuffle . . . off to Buffalo.
Classical architecture is all about staying power. Fussy little spaces and wimpy little structures just won’t do. That makes Ed Paschich just the guy for the job, because he’s a builder who’s into solidity.
One of an architect’s or designer’s first concerns after determining a site-compatible footprint is massing, the arrangement of blocks of space and how they interact, both inside and out. The careful consideration of how this arrangement will affect people enables an architect to design a space that will evoke a desired feeling (e.g., pride, security, warmth) or reaction (e.g., relaxation, increased ability to focus on a task, getting well) in the individuals who use it.
Classically speaking, the former Casa Paschich does not disappoint. Snugly fitted to the land, it’s made up of closely massed cubes of space. Offsets and the subtle variation of heights in the one-story home save the husky geometry from any hint of monotony. Don’t look for this house in the land of Oz: the Variance plaster walls, the custom Pella windows, the cast-stone windowsills and coping, and a front door created of salvaged Spanish timbers (with a larger second door for admitting livestock on cold Spanish nights) look heavy enough to withstand Mother Nature’s most extreme mood swings.
But despite its undeniable sense of presence, the house declines to dominate the landscape. No matter the season, the yellowy-gold exterior complements the understated elegance of the natural setting. Ed Paschich knows better than to compete with perfection.
If there were a Good Housekeeping Seal for authenticity, the Paschich family would pass with flying colors. Their vision of Old World architecture reflects not only an understanding of classical massing, but also the decorative influences that crept into Spanish architecture during the nearly 800-year domination of Spain by the Moors. For example, the front windows and entryway sport spare Moorish arches, and both inside and out, trompe l’oeil detailing—a Moorish trick of using one material to look like another—makes more than one appearance. Even the floor plan, built around a central courtyard with the refreshing introduction of water (though the fountain here burbles into a hot tub rather than a reflecting pool) immediately brings to mind the Alhambra, an airy oasis in a similarly hot climate.
Just inside the people door (the Paschiches don’t have livestock and, if they did, would undoubtedly have balked at bringing them inside) lies a pleasantly substantial entryway. Ed points out a double groin vault above the door. It’s made the Gothic way—no cheating here—and it’s an accomplishment on the order of solving the hardest Sudoku ever concocted. The family’s blissful expressions reflect the sheer delight they take in raw architecture, a mindset that positively soars above the humble notion of shelter.
The aesthetic may be lofty, but the well-ordered solidity of this house is a handy metaphor for the Paschich family, all four of whom (Ed, Dennie, and sons Wristen and Millen) participate in design decisions. “If one of us votes ‘no,’ the idea is out,” says Dennie. Millen, who is pursuing a career in finance on the East Coast, emails or calls it in.
As we pass through an archway—this one spanned by another feat of carpentry, a single groin vault—Ed’s grin broadens. “Look at this,” he says. He pulls a painting away from the wall and springs a latch to reveal a bar, behind which an opening passes through to the wine cellar. This setup is pure Ed, although Millen came up with the idea. The wine cellar can be accessed through a secret bookcase door in the adjoining library. Although the design must have posed a technical challenge, it’s first and foremost a feature that tickles our universal inner child.
Not everyone can have his or her own wine cellar, true, but Ed’s applied his ingenuity to other, more universal concerns, as well. Those of us who’ve lived in homes with rumbling HVAC systems or gurgling plumbing can appreciate the extra time and money he’s put into things that can’t be seen to make things that can’t be heard. For example, he’s one of few builders who sound-insulate walls between rooms and has designed large fleur-de-lis HVAC vent covers that simply won’t rattle.
In spite of their focus on detail, the family knows how to keep things in proportion, which is especially important in classical architecture of any stripe. “The public spaces are grander in scale than the more intimate living spaces,” explains Wristen. One obvious delight of the Paschich family is the main hall, the proportions of which are in keeping with the Golden Mean, a numeric ratio Renaissance artists and architects derived from the study of proportions in nature.
Unscientific, undocumented surveys reveal that for most people, the kitchen trumps all other rooms as a place for cozy social interaction (also eating). At first glance, the word intimate doesn’t seem to apply to the massive Paschich kitchen. But the subtle application of spatial psychology divides the room into three discrete areas: the food prep area, which includes an island that spans the width of the capacious space; a large eating area; and a relaxed sitting area consisting of two chairs grouped around the cast-stone fireplace, one of three in the house.
When it comes to interior design and decorating, Dennie has always called the shots. “She has a great eye,” says Ed. “She does a fabulous job of creating an interior to match the spirit of the design.” The furniture and fixtures, many of which are stylistic reproductions from Gertrude Zachary, are sturdy and sometimes ornate. Decorative crowns (yes, crowns) with sheer curtain streamers protrude from walls in lieu of headboards in some of the home’s five bedrooms, a number that includes a more modern casita, or guest wing.
Long before Spanish Classical was a gleam in either Ed or Dennie’s eye, the family was into building as legacy. “I got into this business because I wanted to build quality,” says Ed. “I’m interested in craftsmanship.” A fascination with Old World ideals, however, does not preclude the use of 21st-century materials, many of which have been created with longevity in mind. “The key to sustainability is low maintenance,” he says. Such a proclamation seems obvious after he’s said it, but it’s a lesson that’s not universally practiced.
With careful choice of materials and the thoughtful incorporation of decorative elements that would make a royal proud, the Paschiches have created a timeless, ageless home. The polished travertine floors and stone flourishes may retain their appeal for 500 years—or perhaps they already have. Inside this home, you might imagine a docent appearing shortly to give us a tour.
Their building ethic has been serious, their product world-class, but perhaps the most endearing thing about the people of Ed Paschich Homes is this: behind the professional mask, these people are actually having the time of their lives. If this is work, sign me up.
Janice Myers has been a writer and an editor for 30 years. Especially interested in architecture, art, and the concept of “home,” she regularly
contributes to local and national publications on a wide variety of topics ranging from the mundane to the sublime.