Color can come in the form of texture! Instead of drawing on the traditional color wheel, this designer explored her world for textures. Chunky. Craggy. Splintery. Smoothe. Woven. Wrinkled. Translucent. Rusty. Peely……and etcetera. There is so much to take in that I dare say I might fall over in a faint if she had added actual color. By the way, I’ll bet you think this is a dining room. Actually it’s a free standing structure! A dining house, so to speak. Isn’t that brilliant? The interior was designed by Wendy Owen for her family in Sonoma. California. Fieldstone was collected locally for the walls, and the floor is poured concrete. Those unique paper light fixtures were found at local designer Erin Martin‘s St. Helena shop.

The dinnerware from Astier de Villatte is rustic yet curved and feminine providing a nice contrast to the table made of enormous reclaimed Douglas fir boards and flat backed plank chairs.

The theme is Natural-Materials-With-Muted Palette… in a very big way. Owens was rigorous about sticking to her core idea without getting side tracked by anything that does not fit. “I wanted to keep everything oversize and use texture as color.” The circular piece on the mantel is a salvaged well top.

An antique pine island stands in the middle of the kitchen with chunky antique Brazilian wood bar stools. The breakfast area features unexpectedly two crystal chandeliers hanging over an old baker’s table and two stone benches. This designer really pays attention to continuity. “It makes the space look larger when you use the same materials all the way through.” she says. And I would add to that, it createsvisual flow. As I walk through this house I am both inspired by the remarkable selection of furniture and materials and soothed by the repetition of color and materials. Inspired and soothed.

You’ve never seen this bed before, and I guarantee you will never see it again. Chunky railroad ties make up the frame and antique sugar molds make up the headboard. The splash of color amongst the bed linens is a fun statement and can be changed out so easily.

The master bath has a pair of sinks made out of old horse troughs. The mirrors above each sink have been created out of ceiling tin showing off the texture of peeling paint.

This designer has been very much inspired by the work of legendary designer Michael Taylor (1927-1986) who broke new groundwith his California Look by using overscale furnishings  and natural elements. He also championed the idea of making the interior and the exterior interchangeable.

The free standing dining house with its other structures and the surrounding fields.

Designer Wendy Owen. As you can see the chartreuse used in the master bedroom is a color she wears very well. This is always a great way to develop a color palette for your home. Select colors that flatter your complexion and hair color. It works!

Photos courtesy of Western Interiors October/November 2007

All I can say is….I want to be here. The hand made rocker and soft pillows beckon to me. The dark primitive shelves of books speak my name. The lampshades made of string charm me.

A rumpled daybed by a cozy fire calls me, especially during a chilly summer thunderstorm. But enough poetry! Rustic interiors are not for everyone. Personally, I love the feel of it for a vacation home. If you want to bring this flavor into your own space, there are simple ways to do it. You will notice that almost every piece of furniture is made from sticks, branches and split tree trunks. The homeowners created this retreat on the shores of Saranac Lake in upper New York State and called it Tapawingo.

Indeed, their veins must be infused with “pioneer” blood. ?By that I mean they actually made most of the furniture themselves. I don’t know about you but I am not so ambitious. If I were creating a rustic cabin look my first stop would be antique stores, especially ones out in the country. But we can also shop for twig furniture online. There are many resources.

I have also seen wonderful rustic pieces made from reclaimed wood in www.wisteria.com and www.sundance.com.??Notice that the all of the fabrics are cotton or linen, soft and worn looking and kinda rumpled. Prewashed fabric is available from dealers. The pillows themselves are not to be filled very tight. I would definitely use down and feather and leave a lot of space inside the pillow cover for squashing.

This dining room captures my imagination. ?Fabric draped over the beams is a great touch.

Two birch four-poster beds are hung with nubby linen canopies.

The welcoming front porch gives us a closer look at the texture of the log exterior walls. When the bark is left on like this, it takes rustic to a new level. To recreate this type of cabin look, you will want to pay attention to your walls and trim. If you don’t have paneling,paint the walls a dark color. Recycled wood anywhere (the mantel, for example) will really make ?that charming rough hewn statement you are going for. Stay away from polished finishes of any sort. Zinc and iron, pewter and tin are best.

I can’t resist showing you a photo of the A-frame chapel, the scene of many a wedding, baptism and ceremony (the owner is a minister). Rustic spaces certainly have their place in the world and in our culture. The extreme informality gives us permission to be ourselves….which is the most relaxing thing of all.

Photographs from Homestyle Magazine