HIGH WEST
HOW THE WEST WAS FUN
RENOVATIONS + FURNISHINGS | PIONEERTOWN, CA
Published in the Spring 24 issue of Country Home. Our latest project is located just outside Pioneertown at the end of a two-mile gravel road in the rock outcrops of Gamma Gulch. The previous owner was only the second, and the original horse ranch vibes were fully intact. The new owners has assembled some great vintage pieces with a strong cowboy streak; our job was to temper them with additions.
The bar(n) sets the mood. Wood-cladding the interior married it to the main house. A more-or-less free pool table was coupled with vintage lighting and barstools. Hardwearing rugs and materials were used throughout the project. And a flea market painting tells the bar-room story better than we ever could.
We love the west. The two-tone exterior treatment was a love letter to Santa Fe. Other exterior materials— galvi and stucco—were chosen to be as honest as possible. Inside, we all wrestled with the decision to paint the wood— all, some or none. In the end, we embraced it, and used it as a connector throughout.
Keeping the existing layout in the front of the house allowed for two living spaces; we dubbed them the ‘day’ room—big views, a round table for coffee and games— and the ‘night’ room with its cushy denim sofa and workbench-turned-bar. We mixed clean graphic furniture profiles with the folksy western icons in both spaces to keep the balance in check.
The primary bedroom and bath continue the wood cladding with a break for the new plaster shower conceived by Don. Mixing old-west classics like braided rugs with less expected pieces— the vintage Takeshi Nii folding chairs— avoids design cliche.
The setting for High West is what makes it so special. Furnishings shouldn’t upstage those remarkable outdoor spaces, so we stuck with western classics that are great supporting players— painted Adirondack chairs, wrought iron rockers, plaids and stripes.
Photography by Lance Gerber Studio
BEFORE AND AFTER
