New Mexico Modern Haven

Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

New Build Interior Design and Furnishings by Living with Lolo

LOS RANCHOS, NM | NEW HOME BUILD + FURNISHINGS | UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Albuquerque interior designer rendering of a plaster fireplace in a Los Ranchos living room with travertine floors, fluted oak consoles, and driftwood wall art

Design Renderings

The images on this page are design renderings Living with Lolo created for this home. They show the approved design while the house is under construction. Photography of the finished home will replace them when the build is complete.

Design rendering of a family room fireplace with a sculpted plaster tile surround, an oak mantel, and lit floating oak shelves

PROJECT OVERVIEW

New Mexico Modern Haven is a custom new build in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, in the city’s North Valley, where Living with Lolo is leading the full interior design and furnishings. Every design selection for the home is made and approved, and construction is underway with a licensed New Mexico builder. The project is personal for Lauren Lerner, who grew up in Albuquerque’s Tanoan community before founding Living with Lolo in Scottsdale.

The design is warm and modern, rooted in the high desert. White oak, hand-troweled plaster, travertine, honed stone, and blackened iron carry through every room. In addition, the palette stays quiet so the North Valley light and the Sandia views do the work. Living with Lolo is an interior designer in Scottsdale that also designs homes across the Southwest, and you can see how we work in the state on our New Mexico interior design page.

Scope: Full interior design and whole-home furnishings for a custom new build
Lead designer: Lauren Lerner
Construction: Licensed New Mexico builder. Living with Lolo coordinates design intent with the builder throughout the build.
Status: All selections approved; construction in progress
Location: Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, North Valley

Key Materials

White oak: Flat-panel cabinetry, floating shelves, and fluted consoles in a warm natural finish
Hand-troweled plaster: The living room fireplace and the charcoal primary bath wall
Travertine and honed stone: Travertine floors, a quartzite waterfall island, and honed stone vanity tops
Blackened iron and bronze: Cabinet pulls, plumbing fixtures, and a linear bronze chandelier over the island

The Project Details

Project: New Mexico Modern Haven
Type: New Home Build + Furnishings
Location: Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

See more of our work in the full Living with Lolo portfolio.

PROJECT STATUS

Design selections: complete and approved
Construction: in progress with a licensed New Mexico builder
Photography: coming when the home is complete

DESIGN GOALS

Lauren Lerner set the direction for this home around four goals.

A modern home that still feels like New Mexico: Plaster, stone, and warm wood give the house a regional character, while clean lines keep it from reading as a Santa Fe revival. Our guide to Pueblo Revival vs. Territorial style explains the traditions this design borrows from and where it departs.
Quiet, high-desert materials: White oak cabinetry, travertine floors, and honed stone counters hold up to dry air and strong light, and they get better with age.
Contrast with restraint: Blackened iron hardware, a charcoal range wall, and dark powder room finishes add depth without making the home feel heavy.
Rooms built for daily life: A five-seat island, deep built-ins, and a study with real storage are planned around how the clients actually live.

DESIGN CHALLENGES

Designing a North Valley new build from Scottsdale brings its own set of problems. Living with Lolo planned for each of these during design, not during construction.

Selections locked before the builder needs them: On a new build, late design decisions stall the job. Therefore every finish, fixture, and furnishing selection was made and approved before construction reached those phases.
High-desert light: Albuquerque sits at roughly 5,000 feet, and the sun there is bright and direct. As a result, the palette leans on warm whites, honed and matte surfaces, and natural textures that stay soft in strong light instead of glaring.
Dry air and wood movement: Low humidity is hard on wood. For that reason, cabinetry, shelving, and wood surfaces were specified to stay stable through dry seasons and heating months.
Design across state lines: Living with Lolo is based in Scottsdale, so the design was run with clear presentations, renderings like the ones on this page, and close coordination with the local builder. Our guide to building a home in New Mexico from out of state covers how that works.

Room by Room

A floor-to-ceiling plaster fireplace anchors the living room, flanked by fluted oak consoles on travertine floors. It is the clearest nod to New Mexico in the house: a modern take on the plaster fireplaces found across the region.

The kitchen centers on a quartzite waterfall island with seating for five, set against white oak cabinetry and a charcoal range wall with a full-height stone backsplash. A long bronze linear chandelier runs the length of the island.

Design rendering of a primary bathroom vanity in Albuquerque with white oak cabinetry, a charcoal plaster wall, and twin glass pendants — Design rendering, primary bathroom

Design rendering of a powder room with dark textured wallcovering, a floating oak vanity, and brushed brass hardware — Design rendering, powder room

Design rendering of a study with deep olive built-in cabinetry, grasscloth walls, a fabric-wrapped desk, and two boucle swivel chairs — Design rendering, study

In the family room, a sculpted tile fireplace wall sits beside lit floating oak shelves and a low built-in cabinet, shown in the project overview above.

Why Living with Lolo in New Mexico

Living with Lolo was voted PHOENIX magazine’s Readers’ Choice winner for Interior Design in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Lauren Lerner’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, and House Beautiful. The firm holds an active Arizona General Contractor license, ROC #347577, which covers its Arizona work. In New Mexico, Living with Lolo leads design and furnishings and works alongside licensed local builders. For budgets, our New Mexico luxury build cost guide breaks down what custom homes in the state cost in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Is there a luxury interior designer in Albuquerque who also designs new builds?

Yes, Living with Lolo designs luxury new builds in the Albuquerque area, including New Mexico Modern Haven, a custom home now under construction in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Founder Lauren Lerner grew up in Albuquerque and leads the interior design and furnishings while a licensed New Mexico builder handles construction. Every design selection on this home was made and approved before construction reached those phases, which keeps the build on schedule. Living with Lolo also serves Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, and Taos.

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Does Living with Lolo work in Los Ranchos and the North Valley?

Yes, Living with Lolo is currently designing and furnishing New Mexico Modern Haven, a custom new build in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque in the North Valley. Lauren Lerner knows the area firsthand because she grew up in Albuquerque, and the firm also works across North Albuquerque Acres, Corrales, and Placitas. Our New Mexico interior design page covers the full service area.

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Who builds the home when Living with Lolo designs a project in New Mexico?

A licensed New Mexico builder handles construction and permits on Living with Lolo's New Mexico projects, while Living with Lolo leads the full interior design and whole-home furnishings. Living with Lolo holds an active Arizona General Contractor license, ROC #347577, which covers Arizona work only. On New Mexico projects like New Mexico Modern Haven, the team coordinates design intent with the builder so what gets built matches what the clients approved.

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How much does it cost to build a luxury home in Albuquerque?

A luxury custom home in New Mexico typically costs $300 to $600 or more per square foot to build, before land. According to CostToBuildHouse, the 2026 statewide average for standard construction is about $149 to $160 per square foot, and Houzeo puts the typical New Mexico build at $150 to $250 per square foot. High-end Albuquerque builds can reach $570 or more per square foot. Full interior design and furnishings are a separate budget, and our New Mexico cost guide breaks down the tiers.

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Can Living with Lolo design my New Mexico home if they are based in Scottsdale?

Yes, Living with Lolo designs New Mexico homes from its Scottsdale studio, using detailed design presentations, renderings like the ones on this page, and close coordination with the local builder. On New Mexico Modern Haven, the clients approved every selection through that process. Lauren Lerner is an Albuquerque native, so the design reflects real knowledge of the region's architecture and light.

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When will photos of New Mexico Modern Haven be available?

Photography of New Mexico Modern Haven, the Los Ranchos new build Living with Lolo is designing and furnishing, will be added to this page once construction is complete and the home is installed. Until then, the images here are design renderings of the approved design, not photos of the finished home. Living with Lolo will update this page as the build progresses.

Related Resources

Lauren Lerner

Principal Designer, Living with Lolo

Lauren Lerner is a luxury interior designer based in Scottsdale, AZ and the founder of Living with Lolo. Voted PHOENIX magazine's Readers' Choice winner for Interior Design in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue Living (Australia), Martha Stewart, and The Wall Street Journal. She holds an active Arizona General Contractor license (ROC #347577) and designs high-end residential projects in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, the greater Phoenix metro, and her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.