“It’s a family affair” is the underlying theme behind the story of this charming home. The house had a shingled house, but it was commandeered from the owners’ children and grandchildren.
So the couple decided to make a household compound. They hired Brooks Walker of Walker Warner Architects to construct them a huge ranch house that could function as their own personal escape, but would nevertheless have rooms big enough for entertaining the entire gang.
Then interior designer Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks stepped in and imbued the interiors with warmth and character. Rock that is and woods indigenous with contemporary furnishings and antiques. And as you’ll see this, Tucker’s layout magic gives the house a sense of relaxation and location typical of one that has been in the family.
at a Glance
Who lives here: A few whose children and grandchildren reside in a different house on the land
Location: Shasta County, Northern California
Size: 6,000 square feet
That’s intriguing: This household chemical is located between the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. California oaks and pines surrounded it, and there are several fishing creeks nearby.
Tucker & Marks
The great room is a 45-foot by 22-foot space using a double-height ceiling created even more dramatic with trussed beams. “The scale and proportion of the enormous fireplace was motivated by the towering landscape outside,” says Tucker.
She had the rotary-sawn barn wood walls and also the wide-plank reclaimed pine and stained flooring waxed to make an timeless feeling. The habit Thomas Molesworth–fashion chandelier of a whimsical rawhide tepee is by Fighting Bear Antiques.
Sofa: custom designed by Tucker & Marks, upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils Samarkand cotton and linen printing; java table: mesquite classic oxen yoke, Jackson Hole Designs; lamps: carved teak, darkened, JRM International; cushions: 2 coated in Travers & Co.. Portland Squares red and khaki windowpane cloth, two kilim cushions Made from carpeting remnants from Isberian Rug Company; rocking chair: Modern Bungalow; drum table: eBay
Tucker & Marks
The dining area floors are manufactured from reclaimed barn wood. “The zebra rug brings a great graphic component, and its white and black pattern breaks up the huge expanses of wood,” says Tucker. The totem pole was bought at an auction in the 1970s.
The custom-made refectory dining table has been modeled after one by the 18th century and contains a 2-inch-thick bleached-walnut board top that has been greatly distressed. Extensions permit the table to be lengthened to 14 feet.
Chairs: seat cushions in Ralph Lauren cloth; bar stools: Old Hickory Furniture; glass Animations: Crate & Barrel
Tucker & Marks
The exterior, shown here in the elevation, features rock indigenous and cedar shingles to the house. Doors on both sides of the fireplace lead into the dining and living rooms.
Tucker & Marks
The walls in the entry hall are rotary-sawn barn wood, and also the floor is slate. The owners’ classic leather boar stands next to an ancient 18th-century English oak gateleg dining table with baluster legs bought at auction.
Antler lamps: Mountain Feathers Sculptures; mirror: Sherwood Classic Ranch Furnishings
Tucker & Marks
The kitchen has a very open layout to permit for simple entertaining. The island makes a central operating space so that multiple people may be cooking and prepping food at precisely the same time.
The butcher block island and reclaimed barn wood cabinets are juxtaposed with fossilized granite counters along with a painted beadboard ceiling.
Pot rack with pendant lights: habit, Paul Ferrante; range: Wolf; hood: habit, cold-rolled steel with classic brass rivets
Tucker & Marks
The second-floor master bedroom overlooks crop areas. “A custom-braided area rug along with classic American pinwheel quilt add color and warmth to the space,” says Tucker. The headboard is covered in a Moroccan silk rug in the 1940s.
Like the fireplace in the great room, this one consists of stones located on the house. The mantel was created from a felled pine tree.
Grass cloth wall covering: Fine Madagascar by Hinson
Tucker & Marks
A Moroccan rug in Isberian Rug Company anchors the master bathroom. The tub surround and counters are a classic, diamond-brushed, oasis yellow rock.
Cabinet paint: Benjamin Moore 977; beadboard wall paint: Benjamin Moore 917
Tucker & Marks
The upstairs guest bedroom features a unique Americana/folk motif. “The significant mismatching of the quilts and bedskirts — which were created from classic American wool blankets — gives the space a casual, homey feel and keep matters graphically interesting,” says Tucker.
French doors lead out to a terrace with Adirondack chairs and a perspective of the crop fields.
The twin-size headboards using a wagon-wheel-style top, exposed hickory sides along with an open weave cane in the center are from Old Hickory Furniture, as would be the footstools.
Wall covering: handwoven raffia, Phillip Jeffries; Hats: circa 1940s or 1950s, East Meets West
Tucker & Marks
A first-floor guest area has a soothing straw color palette, “as expressed in the pure colour of the raffia wall covering, the wood and caning details on the bed and the colors of the classic quilt,” says Tucker.
Bed frame: bark and rattan, Large Ranch, Old Hickory Furniture; table: pine, late 19th or early 20th century, bought in the auction; lamp: black iron using parchment shade: Reborn Antiques; wall covering: handwoven raffia, Phillip Jeffries
Tucker & Marks
A screened-in porch on the back of the house overlooks crop fields.
Table, dining chairs: Kingsley-Bate
Tucker & Marks
The outdoor section of the porch comes with lounge chairs and an ottoman from Old Hickory Furniture upholstered in Sunbrella fabric.