Home

At Home, Spring 2007

• Artists at Work
• Crossing Borders
• All in a day's work
• Capture nature's beauty in photos
• Take a trip off the beaten path
• More in At Home

The extensive remodel of Randy and Gail White's home in Strawberry Park began with a single area rug they jokingly refer to as "the million dollar rug."

Traci Clark of Finial Design said that after Gail brought the rug home, nothing in the house seemed to match its elegance. It was that single rug in their great room that galvanized the Whites into action.

The Whites have owned a modest ranch-style home on a spectacular lot in Strawberry Park for many years. Many clients might have demolished the older structure to build the new home they aspired to, Clark said. But the Whites couldn't let go of the many memories housed in the existing structure.

"They spent years trying to make the decision of whether to tear this house down. But it has a great personal meaning for them, and they decided to remodel," Clark said. "We're finding more and more people doing that."

Clark said she was pleased that Gail White became her full partner in transforming the home, which is surrounded by aspen groves and overlooks a large pond.

They agreed to meet somewhere between Western and multi-cultural themes, and give in to some of Randy's preferences for a rustic look. A critical partner in the process was Gary Cogswell of Cogswell Construction, Clark said.

"We moved an entire staircase and took out interior walls," she said. "We're fortunate to have a wonderful working relationship with Gary."

Clark incorporated diverse pieces from Europe and Asia without giving an impression of eclecticism. Her secret is to pull all the elements together through the use of a tight color palette.

Asian picture frames, European side tables, a hand-hewn pecan floor, a copper seashell, travertine shower surrounded with glass tiles, and a marble bar top with a brushed rain forest texture all share a golden glow that unifies the design.

Downstairs, in a room devoted to grandchildren, the cowboy look is back in the saddle with bunk beds, swinging closet doors that evoke a saloon entrance, a brass rail mirror frame and an old pony saddle mounted on a tree that invites fantasies of riding the range.

The nod to Western tradition isn't out of place - there is a corral right outside the window.

"Randy and Gail have always liked the West," Clark said. "After all, they have horses out in the yard."

Welcome home to the New West.