The Brozeks relocated from the Phoenix area, primarily to be next door to the grandkids at the home of Dr. Paul and Christy Saiz. A walkway meanders through the creosote bushes between the two homes. “We liked many of the features in our son’s house and so we contacted the builder, Robert Sandoval of R. Hines Construction.” Robert visited the Brozek home in Phoenix, which had been designed by Allan and Soledad, to become familiar with their preferred features. “I like Robert’s style. He is young and creative with a lot of original ideas and figures out how to construct what he thinks up. I was involved every step of the way and made a lot of in-process changes, which was tough on Robert, but we ended up with what we wanted.” “I trusted Robert,” adds Soledad. “Building a home is a great, but stressful experience, and trust in your builder is absolutely essential.”

A large contiguous area with few interior walls is certainly one of the attention grabbers upon entering the Brozek home. Soledad was raised in a small ranch house surrounded by miles of endless terrain. She never witnessed the confines of a city until later in life. She told Robert in no uncertain terms that there had to be lots of open space in this house. Mission accomplished! The entry, living room, dining room, family room and kitchen are basically one extended space, differentiated primarily by stunning ceiling designs. Incorporating domes, recycled brick, indirect lighting in the living room, diffused lighting in the kitchen, ceiling panels that are actually wall panels, wrought-iron covered skylights and magnificent hand-carved beams over the family room, your eyes become affixed to the architectural wonders 18 feet overhead and the challenge inherently becomes walking through the house without tripping.

Equally as impressive, five striking and mysteriously provocative pieces of artwork hang throughout the house by Victor Ostrovsky, a former Israeli secret service agent (Mossad) and author of By Way of Deception. He personalized one painting by including the Brozek’s carved initials on a tree and their wedding date on an envelope. That one was an anniversary gift from Allan to Soledad.

The favorite aspect of the house for Soledad is the large kitchen/family room area, which also opens by way of a vanishing glass wall onto a large patio with a grill, television and fireplace. “No matter how large the house, people tend to hang out near the kitchen,” relates Soledad. “I want my friends to be able to gather and relax close to the food, close to the bar and close to the wine room.”

After experiencing Allan’s wine and tasting rooms, it will be difficult to ever accept a mere wine-cooling appliance at the end of a bar. But then, Allan intends to utilize the area as a classroom. I suspect there will be few course completion certificates issued since participants will want to keep repeating the class for the ambiance, the good wine and related conversation.

“Some years back I began indulging in a glass of wine with dinner,” Allan relates, “and discovered that I didn’t understand why I preferred some $15 wines over some $30 or $40 wines. I quickly determined that I needed to learn more. I began reading and soon became passionate about learning the distinguishing characteristics of wine, which led to an all-consuming passion to learn everything there is to know about wine. I have taken several courses and have become a wine educator, sharing the knowledge that I have gained.”

Six months of research was devoted to wine rooms prior to completing the house. Both the practical aspects and the aesthetics are important. The wine room is temperature-controlled at 55 degrees and even the Zenon shelf lighting for display bottles was chosen for low-heat characteristics. A rustic, recycled brick-veneer dome covers the area, which is designed for about 3000 bottles. “Some are investment wines…I have full sets of Marilyn Merlots, spanning the years 1985 to the most recent in 2006. At some point, I will probably market them as individual sets.”

Glass and wrought iron doors and a wall separate the temperature-controlled wine room from the tasting room. The ambiance of each room compliments the other. Wrought-iron gates form a visually appropriate barrier from the main living areas.

Allan and Soledad met while pursuing degrees in Finance & Accounting from California State University at Fullerton. Allan was originally from Chicago and moved around the country frequently due to his work. He earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix and became a Accounting Manager for Boeing – Mesa, where Apache helicopters are built.

Soledad earned her Accounting Degree from Cal State Fullerton and her Master of Science Degree in Organizational Management from University of La Verne. She’s currently a Vice President of Finance for CVS Caremark, the second largest pharmaceutical management company, responsible for managing over $30 billion dollars of the company’s cash flow.

Allan is pursuing the wine education as his retirement career/hobby and when Soledad retires, she plans to start a bedding business, Soledad’s Bedroom Creations. “People probably spend more of their lives in the bedroom than any other room,” Soledad relates, “so why not create a space that fits us as individuals. We plan to travel abroad to gather fabulous fabrics from Europe, India, China and elsewhere for creating elegant and luxurious bed and room dressings. I also plan to fabricate unique lamps and shades that fit a particular buyer’s soul and personality without costing a fortune. It’s all about making people happy with their surroundings.”

Down a short hallway between the living and bedrooms, a media room and a library sit across from each other. Elegantly carved on both sides, heavy wooden doors open to these two escapes from reality, although in this home, there is absolutely no need for anything but reality. The library consists of floor to ceiling dark wood shelving with a rolling ladder to reach the upper levels. The media room has a twinkling star ceiling. During construction, plywood panels were cut, shaped and finished for the opening. Four hundred holes were drilled for the individual lights. The panel was tested and then mounted and the ceiling finished before realizing that the lights in their final position had not been plugged in…what’s one more hole!

The master bedroom includes a curved glass-panel wall with a view toward the Organ Mountains. It could easily have been earmarked for a living or dining room.

A tile wall mosaic over the Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom reflects a scene from a poster that the Brozeks had picked after reviewing hundreds online and working with Connie Hines. A group was then located that created an excellent tile representation of the poster scene. “We are very pleased with the work,” Allen relates.

“This house is unique for Las Cruces,” says builder Robert Sandoval. “It breaks the mold for both techniques and materials. It has very authentic-looking Old World aesthetics, both inside and out, and at the same time is a smart house with IPOD docking throughout and coordinated sights and sounds. A variety of materials were incorporated into the finish, highlighted by both indirect and diffused lighting. There is a lot of detail, with many layers of work for each detail. This quality of home would have been tough to achieve in the past, but local labor has significantly progressed.”

“As the contractor, I try to provide a one-stop service, from the footprint to the finished product. Every house has character and personality and its construction is a work in process. The small windows between the beams in the Brozek family room, for example, were added after the beams were in place and it was determined that more natural light was needed to highlight the woodwork. I closely monitored the construction of the Brozek home to insure that it all came together.”