A Colorful Secret Awaits at Astonishing Concrete Home in New Mexico Desert

From the exterior, you can catch a glimpse of what’s behind the imposing concrete walls of a remarkable home in Questa, NM.

The boxy home sits on 5 acres of high-desert land and is on the market for $750,000.

Among the dwelling’s most remarkable features are its three outdoor courtyards, splashed with soaring and colorful surprises painted by a local artist.

“I just thought it was so gorgeous and really minimal—I’m a minimalist,” says co-listing agent Sue Hunt. “When I first walked into it, I was even more amazed.”

Hunt is listing the property with her Jones West colleagues Katie Duval and Jolie Jones.

The owner took full advantage of the location and clearly didn’t have to worry about offending a homeowners association.

“It’s not in a subdivision, so there’s a lot of freedom,” Hunt says. “It’s free range in that area.”

The main home measures in at 3,100 square feet and has two bedrooms and a bathroom. An additional one-bedroom guesthouse is 940 square feet.

“A female architect is also the owner, so she really built it to function as a working artist studio slash home,” Hunt notes. “All of the spaces in the home are kind of like working art spaces, and [it is] also very homelike.”

Both the main home and the guesthouse share a rooftop deck and an indoor architectural element, which Hunt says is one of her favorite features at the residence.

“The concrete countertops are consecutive pieces of concrete, and the sinks are actually built into the consecutive piece,” she explains. “I think that’s just really unique, tough to install, and super heavy.”

The listing includes a pair of Airstream trailers, which convey with the sale.

“They’re both shells with queen-sized beds,” Hunt says. “They have had a little bit of restoration, and they’re kind of like little guest suites.”

An additional bathroom in the house has external access for guests staying in the Airstreams.

The current homeowner makes jewelry, does metalwork, paints, and restores hats. She commissioned indigenous artist Lynnette Haozous to paint the home’s brilliant murals. Haozous uses Apache, Dine’, and Pueblo designs as inspiration.

“The murals really sort of represent [indigenous] symbology; and they’re really vibrant in color, and they’re abstract in nature,” Hunt says.

The home’s distinctive design highlights the murals in the protected alcoves.

“There’s a lot of really seamless indoor-outdoor space with glass doors that go to each alcove,” she adds. “You can see the murals when you’re in the home, and you can also see the murals when you’re standing outside of the home. When you’re in bed, you can see the mural out the glass doors at the foot of the bed. You’re always looking at art, no matter where you are in the home.”

The house sits at the base of Ute Mountain, and the ample windows and courtyards maximize the views.

It’s a “very famous mountain in northern New Mexico,” Hunt says. “It kind of stands alone from the Sangre de Cristo chain, and it is known to be a sacred native land. A lot of indigenous prayer and ceremony has happened there over the years.”

Meanwhile, the home’s street address happens to be a fortunate coincidence.

“I think we lucked out with the address being 360 Sunshine Valley Road,” Hunt says. “I just started calling it 360 Sunshine from the moment I saw it because there is a 360-degree view from no matter where you’re standing on the property.”