Everyone had something strongly in mind. David wanted a great room: “I didn’t want any closing off. I do a lot of the cooking and I like to be in the middle of things.” The plans included a radial design, as seen in the 16-foot circular living area ceiling with radiating vigas and a barrel vaulted archway linking kitchen and living areas. Christine wanted the two parts of the house to be interchangeably private and communal, and rooms that would grow with the family. The Bacas desired “something small, not too much to take care of.”
It’s all there, and everyone is delighted. The great room contains kitchen, living and dining areas focused on an impressive corner fireplace and a wall of windows overlooking the mountains and sky. (Outside those windows is the place where David will build a patio with an horno. He has plans for “perfecting horno pizza.”) Kitchen counters, cooking island and meal bar are tiled on soft blue selected, says Christine, to complement their dishware. Her brilliant idea of facing the islands with corrugated galvanized steel, originally meant as a way to eliminate scuff marks, gives a one-of-a-kind- look to this area. Everything is kid-proof and maintenance-free. And David definitely will be in the middle of things as he cooks.
Furnishings are simple, made of handsome woods and chosen to blend with the carved woodwork throughout the house, created by cabinetmaker Max Tesellas. The wood blinds in the sunny office are of the same dark honey tone.