New Homes & Lifestyles

At Home With the Phoenix Coyotes’ Derek Morris - For Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris and his wife Jodie, home life centers around three energetic boys.

For Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris and his wife Jodie, home life centers around three energetic boys. The tow-headed darlings are Traiten, 8, Presley, 6, and Asher, 1. The couple, both Canada natives, moved to the Valley in 2003 when Derek was traded to the Phoenix team from Colorado.

“We love it here,” Derek says, noting that his family lives in the Valley even in the summer. “It takes a little getting used to, but I’d take this over mosquitoes and rain any day.” The couple purchased their north Scottsdale, Tuscan-style home in 2006.

At 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, Derek is pure brawn and muscle at first glance. Soon, however, his soft-spoken manner, intense blue eyes and affection for his family become his most memorable traits. When questioned about the award he received from Coyotes management this year for his community service efforts, Derek brushes off praise:

“Our PR department does a good job getting us to do charity stuff with kids,” he says. “All of us help out. Everyone on our team could have won that award but I was off in the summer and had the chance to do a little bit more. I think every single person on the team does an equal amount of charity work.”

This year, Derek and several team members participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in Glendale. “Mostly, we do whatever we can to help around the community,” he says. After suffering from grand mal epileptic seizures as a child, he is most interested in helping children with epilepsy as he did in Canada.

Vintage Charisma
After a couple of years in Arizona, the Morrises knew the Valley was a place they’d like to settle in and they set out to find a house that would fit their needs. “We were looking for a home that was kid-friendly with the boys’ bedrooms and a large play area on one side of the house, so they can go in there and make noise or do whatever they want,” Derek says. “And we wanted a big backyard for the boys to play in.”

“It was hard to find a good floor plan with five bedrooms that was kid friendly,” Jodie adds. “A lot of houses we looked at were beautiful but they were set up more for adult entertaining—like beautiful second homes where you would have adult parties. It’s hard to find a really good family floor plan.”

Fortunately, the Morrises found a family-friendly home with a traditional floor plan in a gated community. Although Derek enjoys many aspects of the spacious single-story house, this home is definitely Jodie’s domain. In fact, she has directed much of her energy and unique creativity toward making the house a beautiful haven that blends Old World elegance with casual warmth.

“This is what my wife envisioned,” Derek says. “We wanted hardwood floors, and we used neutral colors because of our furniture.” For floors that can stand up to the challenge of three active boys, the Morrises chose seven-inch walnut planks with a rustic finish. Jodie’s design choices have created a warm, comfortable tone for the home without sacrificing style and sophistication. To generate the right atmosphere with furniture and accessories, she visited many local stores. “There are so many nice furniture stores and beautiful homes here,” Jodie says. “I love vintage, beat-up things mixed with nice, beautiful fabrics and color. I love the whole Arizona feel.”

The home’s grand foyer, with its towering coffered ceilings, offers a view into a spacious formal living room. The room features two generously sized sofas covered with a colorful patchwork of luxurious prints, created by a designer from L.A. and purchased locally. “You’d never think to put all these fabrics together,” Jodie says, “but it makes it interesting.” The room also features one of the home’s three fireplaces—this one with a surround stretching 10 feet high. A 1930s radio, once owned by Jodie’s aunt, blends with the home’s eclectic mix of antique odds and ends. Draperies in rich tapestry complete the room’s vintage appeal and Old World character.

Adding to the home’s ambience is custom wall paint with the look of water-stained plaster, which was created by a local married couple who spent countless hours on the project. “They practically lived here for four to six months,” Derek says.

Unique Spaces
Jodie’s collection of vintage items incorporated into the home’s décor include an early 1900s sewing machine that belonged to her great-grandmother, an antique spinning wheel and dozens of other intriguing artifacts that make visitors want to browse and examine each special item. “I love beautiful old things and beautiful new things,” Jodie says. One of her favorite pieces is found in the kitchen—an enormous, authentic antique butcher block she found in Calgary that requires three men to lift it.

There are plenty of places to display Jodie’s vintage treasures in bonus niches found throughout the home. The walls, decked with framed family photos in black and white and sepia tones, add a personal touch and a perfect accent to a home centered on family life.

The Morrises spend most of their time gathered in the center and heart of the home, which includes the kitchen, dining and family room with doors leading to the patio. “We try to turn the TV off and get together around the kitchen table for dinner,” Derek says.

The family also spends a great deal of time in the home’s terrific outdoor living area, which features a heated pool with a waterfall feature and a spa. An extended granite-topped bar, stone fire pit, comfortable outdoor seating and large rectangular table with a massive stone top make it easy to take indoor activities outdoors.

The home also features an office, a guest room with a private bath and dressing area, and an imaginative boys’ room decorated to resemble a tree house. Traiten and Presley share bunk beds in the room. “We’ve tried separating them but at this age, they really like sharing a room,” Derek says. The boys’ room shares a bathroom with baby Asher’s room, and at the entry to the wing is a wall painted with a chalkboard surface where the family leaves notes to one another.

With his busy career, Derek is on the road with the Coyotes 180 days each year during the hockey season, although he spends most of the summer at home. ”I never go with him on the road,” Jodie says. “I don’t have a travel bug.” What Jodie does have the bug for, however, is decorating. “I love furniture and fabrics,” she says. “Every time I go somewhere, I find a new store and think, ‘Too bad I don’t have room for that!’”

The Morrises enjoy their family-friendly home not only because of its great floor plan and handsome design but also because of its location. Although traveling and relocating are part of the deal for professional athletes, the couple says the Arizona desert lifestyle suits their family well. Derek adds, “This is where we want to set our roots when we’re done.”