Tim and Alexandra met in St. Louis, Missouri, he in his last year of medical residency and she a pharmacist. They married 20 years ago when he finished his residency, and as he built up his reputation as an anesthesiologist, they focused on their family (Gabrielle is now a 15-year-old student at Las Cruces High School, and son Stephen is a 13-year-old student at Sierra Middle School.)
While the area was new to Alexandra, when they considered the move to Las Cruces, Tim was actually coming home. In fact, he was from Las Cruces, and his family has deep roots in the community. Now here as a family, they continue to build their lives in Las Cruces in a home that is a compilation of their years together and the places they’ve been.
“This is a story of our lives, and a story of where we’ve lived,” says Alexandra of her La Jolla del Monte home. “Our whole life together started in the south, and made us who we are as a couple, so far. This home is a continuation of that life.”
The home is a 7,300-sq.-foot home with four bedrooms, one casita, six bathrooms, a theater room, wine cellar, separate bar, family room, private library, formal dining room and formal living room. The house holds priceless pieces of furniture and a few special blessings – including a cross made from the coffin of Holy Father St. Herman, a Greek Orthodox monk. The cross was blessed and embedded in the foundation of the home while the frame was being built for the home. “The house was raised up on that embedded cross,” Alexandra says.
“Religion is a big part of our lives. It means a lot to put up religious icons and to have our home blessed,” Alexandra says. Much of the artwork throughout the home are pieces picked up along the family’s travels through the Holy Land, and various other trips.
Along with the authentic artifacts are pieces from their home in the South, including collections from New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta and Natchez, Mississippi. Alexandra spent much of her time over the years clipping photos and visiting homes for ideas to use in the family’s future dream home. “I spent time collecting the sophistication and charm of the area and I take that forward in my life,” Alexandra says.
When they started looking for land in Las Cruces, they found the perfect spot, facing the mountains alongside undeveloped state land, but with a view of the city lights as well. The land – 40 acres – was big enough for them and provided an opportunity to develop, leading to the startup of Grabavoy & McComas Designs (Alexandra’s maiden and married names).
Alexandra and Tim knew they wanted to use Desert Sage Building and Development, Inc. after they saw a Desert Sage home owned by friends. “We knew Desert Sage could definitely reproduce our dreams because of the talent that they had exhibited,” Alexandra says.
“We liked their style, and once we met and told them what we wanted, we knew they were willing to work with us,” Tim says of Michelle and David Gordon at Desert Sage. “We had it all planned out. We had a great idea, but we needed their help to turn it into a reality.”
The outcome was everything they hoped for – an Old World style from the iron work on the doors to the concrete columns. Domed arches with faux painting created by Renee McCormick and murals and stenciling perfected by Wayne Hilton add the details that make the home unforgettable.
Along with Desert Sage, Alexandra followed the Southern-style she admired to decorate the home. From creating puddles of long drapes below windows to placing true antique gold mirrors from 1847 above the grand fireplace in the formal living room, she captures the feel of mansions standing as historic sites. “We spent years as a family finding out what we liked,” Alexandra says. “This is our first expression of everything we have done and owned as a family.”
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