Tucumcari, New Mexico

Tucumcari, New Mexico is an isolated little town in the American Southwest.  For this very reason, it serves as a source of fresh design inspiration.  Its homes are wonderfully customized with aesthetic camouflage which, at its best, is both witty and relevant to the landscape of the American Southwest.

Figure 1. Electric blue trim on a simple cottage: subtly devious decorative tactics. 

Figure 2. Experimental use of wood lattice in a desert setting. Here not only are thirsty plants enticed to climb around the entry, the lattice material appears in a more sculptural form along a decorative fence in the owner's front yard. Perhaps this represents the desire of a desert dweller to see vegetation. 

Figure 3. Take note of the decorative lace-patterned iron shutters, which are forced to turn the corner when a double-double hung window was accidentally located too close to an inside corner.

La Cita is what we travelled to Tucumcari for. We learned that this iconic entryway to a local hispanic diner had changed paint schemes multiple times over the past decades. It currently features Mauricio the "taco kid" smoking while a blank cartoon speech bubble floats over his head. Talk about suspense. What is he going to say!? More photos from this Route 66 landmark on Flickr.