HORSE COUNTRY RESIDENCE

Petaluma, California

This overscaled dining room was created from a space originally intended to serve as both living room and dining room - both "formal" in style. Our client loved the idea of having one gracious and warm space based on a Santa Fe aesthetic. All of the millwork in the room is created from some remarkably dramatic Claro Walnut which is a native species in this part of California. Note the use of one antique door in the corner, juxtaposed with a rather contemporary series of floating shelves which are an original design by Michael Merrill. The dining table is massive and it is also crafted from the same wood. Lighting is a mixture of very modern square format recessed fixtures and hand-wrought iron decorative pieces. Candle sleeves are wrapped in beeswax. Walls are layered in plaster. The house includes a dramatic staircase with alternating bands of hand painted clay tiles in the Spanish Revival style popularized almost a century ago. The front door and the living room mantel are also fashioned from the very same wood used throughout the dining room. The client's father cherished the western bronze sculpture which now holds a place of honor in the dining room. (2012-2014)