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Homepage / Architecture  / How a Love for the Wild West Inspired This Elegant Prescott Home

How a Love for the Wild West Inspired This Elegant Prescott Home

A rustic family retreat makes the most of its pristine setting.

By Nora Burba Trulsson | Photography by Mark Lipczynski

North of Prescott, the landscape gives way to rolling grasslands dotted with juniper, piñon pine and scrub oak. Historic cattle and horse ranches stretch to the horizon, where you can make out the outlines of distant mountain ranges. It was here in this high-desert setting that a Southern California couple chose to build a welcoming getaway where family and friends could gather.

“We had lived in this community for a few years,” explains the wife, referring to Talking Rock, the golf course neighborhood built on part of what was once a ranch. “When my husband spotted this 3-acre property here, we bought it immediately. The views are incredible.”

With a shared love of Prescott’s history, the traditions of the Wild West and an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, the couple sought a rustic look for their new abode, finding a kindred spirit in builder Dan Boylan, who has been constructing homes in the community for more than 20 years. “They wanted the house to be modern, yet to feel old,” says Boylan. “We aimed for truth in materials, using old wood, real stone and steel.”

Boylan, in turn, put together a design team to bring the vision to fruition, which included architect Mark Candelaria, interior designer Shane Mehrer and landscape architect Russell Greey—all frequent collaborators.

Working closely with the couple, the team developed a 5,600-square-foot house that angles around outdoor spaces and includes personal touches, including an underground speakeasy and a second-floor bunkhouse for guests.

“I grew up in Durango, Colorado,” says architect Candelaria, a Phoenix Home & Garden Master of the Southwest, “so this rustic, mountain ranch style is familiar. Here, the property has big, long vistas, so siting the house was important.” Using the palette of rustic materials, Candelaria designed the house to open up front to back, making the great room, with its soaring ceiling, one large space for entertaining. “We designed the house to seem timeless,” Candelaria says, “and to work for big gatherings.”

For the furnishings, the couple started from scratch, save for a few vintage collectibles that were incorporated into the new abode. “The owners came to me with a look book,” says Mehrer, who steered them to a setting that balances the rustic West with sophisticated refinement. “We had to design a lot of spaces for entertaining,” the interior designer says of his suggestion to use neutral tones and a mix of warm fabrics, wood, leather and metals for the furniture. Simple lines also keep the focus on the views out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Greey, also a Master of the Southwest, kept the focus on the expansive vistas, choosing a low-key, native plant palette able to withstand winter snow, high winds and summer drought. “We kept the plantings random to make the landscape look natural,” Greey explains, “and we used a hydro-seed mix to restore the grasses and wildflowers.” Small trees, plants salvaged from the construction area and flagstone pavers blend the new landscape into the existing site.

Now firmly ensconced in their high-desert digs, the owners are rarely alone, often entertaining up to 30 people for the holidays and already hosting two scenic outdoor weddings at their home. They’ve never missed a Prescott Fourth of July, and their speakeasy is often the site of post-golf cocktails with neighbors. Says the husband, “This house is all about making memories.”

North of Prescott, a new home makes the most of its view-grabbing setting at the edge of a bluff. The design team made a point of creating numerous outdoor gathering spots. The flagstone path leads to a patio off the back of the house. “You can’t do an ornamental garden here,” says landscape architect Russell Greey. “Herds of deer will come in and chomp it down.” Indeed, the homeowners’ Ring device doubles as a “crittercam,” tracking visits by not only deer, but also bobcats, mountain lions, wild turkeys, javelinas and even a resident bear.
Architect Mark Candelaria designed a classic ranch elevation for the new home, while builder Dan Boylan sourced rustic materials, such as old barn wood siding, local stone, standing-seam metal roofing and rusted steel details. A bunkhouse for guests is above the garage at right. 
A long table and fireplace create an outdoor dining scene between the main house and the garage and bunkhouse on the right. The metal barn door leads to the garage, which doubles as a dance hall during parties. “To get the house right, we staked the property and brought out ladders to look at the views for the bunkhouse,” says Candelaria. “You can’t do this on paper, in a conference room. You have to do it on site.”
Clerestory windows, a soaring fireplace and a metal chandelier set the tone for the living area of the great room. Interior designer Shane Mehrer used neutral tones in the wood flooring and a subtly patterned area rug to underscore a comfortable, put-your-feet-up conversation area in front of the fireplace. Window walls disappear to open the space to the north patio.
Clerestory windows, a soaring fireplace and a metal chandelier set the tone for the living area of the great room. Interior designer Shane Mehrer used neutral tones in the wood flooring and a subtly patterned area rug to underscore a comfortable, put-your-feet-up conversation area in front of the fireplace. Window walls disappear to open the space to the north patio.
Boylan sourced beams from an old bridge in Utah to create a dramatic ceilingscape. Parts of the beams were used in other details throughout the house. The double islands allow for a better kitchen workflow and don’t block the view of the range from the living room.
The kitchen, dining area and living room flow together. “We used a round, zinc-topped game table between the kitchen and the living room,” says designer Mehrer. “It doubles as a breakfast table and doesn’t block views of the kitchen.” The painting is by Sherri Belassen.
The kitchen, dining area and living room flow together. “We used a round, zinc-topped game table between the kitchen and the living room,” says designer Mehrer. “It doubles as a breakfast table and doesn’t block views of the kitchen.” The painting is by Sherri Belassen.
Stone and reclaimed brick set the tone for the underground speakeasy, accessed from the bar above. Boylan used pea gravel during the troweling of the stained concrete floor to create an aged, pitted texture. Mehrer suggested vintage-style barstools, distressed leather armchairs and a tufted red leather booth to add to the ambiance. The draperies behind the booth screen a bawdy painting, a find from an auction at a Nevada brothel. 
The bar above the speakeasy features deep blue cabinetry and copper-pipe shelving to hold cocktail accoutrements. “The owners didn’t want us to seal the zinc countertop,” says Boylan. “They wanted a memory—a map—of every drink enjoyed here.”
The primary bedroom has a decidedly more refined look, with an empire-influenced bed, luxe bedding and lush draperies. As in other areas of the house, a hallway includes a window. “The art in this house is through the window panes,” says the wife. “We framed the views.”
A marble backdrop and a chandelier above the tub give the primary bath a royal touch. The rustic ceiling beams link the space to the rest of the house.
The two guest bedrooms in the main house offer soft, inviting furnishings, vistas of the surrounding landscape and blackout draperies to block out the bright sun of the nearly mile-high elevation.
A buffalo head—which the owners found at an auction—keeps watch over the bunkhouse, where the walls are clad in wood from old cattle stalls and the ceiling is textured with corrugated metal. The custom bunk beds are grandchild-sized.
“This house is a four-sided design. There really isn’t a front or back. All the rooms open up to an outdoor experience.”

—Dan Boylan, builder

SOURCES

LIVING ROOM

  • Sectional: arudin.com
  • Chairs: vanguardfurniture.com
  • Coffee table, game table and chairs: fourhands.com
  • Area rug: Agora Fine Rugs, Scottsdale, agorafinerugs.com
  • Chandelier: Hinley’s Lighting, Scottsdale, hinkleyslighting.com

KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM

  • Kitchen cabinetry: Copper State Cabinet Company, Phoenix, copperstatecabinet.com
  • Range: lacornueusa.com
  • Barstools: hickorychair.com
  • Dining table: robertjamescollection.com
  • Chairs: arudin.com
  • Chandelier: curreyandcompany.com

SPEAKEASY

  • Cabinetry and millwork: Taber & Company, Tucson, taberandcompany.com
  • Chairs: fourhands.com
  • Barstools: gjstyles.com
  • Red leather booth: Eddie’s Custom Upholstery, Phoenix, eddiesreupholstery.com
  • Drapery fabric: kravet.com

BAR

  • Cabinetry and millwork: Taber & Company, Tucson, taberandcompany.com
  • Zinc bar top: GrayLeaf Studio, Black Canyon City, grayleaf.studio

PRIMARY BEDROOM

  • Bed: bernhardt.com
  • Bench: vanguardfurniture.com
  • Hallway chest: lillianaugust.com

PRIMARY BATHROOM

  • Cabinetry: copperstatecabinet.com
  • Tile: Arizona Tile, Scottsdale, arizonatile.com
  • Area rug: Azadi Fine Rugs, Scottsdale, azadifinerugs.com

GUEST BEDROOMS

  • Beds: robertjamescollection.com
  • Drapery fabric: pierrefrey.com

BUNKHOUSE

  • Chest: fourhands.com
  • Bedding: annieselke.com
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