Latillas, Vigas and Western Style
Star Expert:
Susan Ouren is an assistant professor of interior design at Lone Star College-Kingwood and an Allied Member of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). She teaches Space Planning, Materials and Methods, Portfolio, Internship and the Kitchen and Bath class. Kingwood's program is endorsed by the National Kitchen and Bath Association for teaching the best of kitchen and bath design for future certified kitchen and bath designers.
Most of us have a strong vision of Western homes based on the movies. What are some of these “central casting” ranch styles?
Yes, the homes we see in the great Western movies along with TV shows like Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and the modern day Southfork (from Dallas) reinforce the look we've always attributed to the West and a very unique lifestyle. The Western look derives from many influences beginning with the Native Americans, particularly the ancient Anasazi people who settled in the “Four Corners” area – where the corners of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico come together. The pueblo style had features like flat roofs, adobe, recessed doors and windows, vigas (those rough-hewn wooden roof beams exposed in the interiors and seen projecting out to the exterior). And, of course the kiva fireplaces that we admire for their corner placement and beehive shape.
How did Hispanics and Anglos influence homes in the West?
The Southwest style is heavily influenced by the Mexican culture and the Spanish. The Spanish colonial style is characterized by covered porches (called portals), more spacious rooms, stone or wide plank wood floors, earth colors and latillas (ceilings of unpeeled, rough sticks, supported by vigas). Beautiful furniture was made at this time, well structured by hand because tools and hardware were scarce.
When Anglos from the Eastern U.S. began coming out west in the 1820's they brought some changes. Where once there were adobe, clay and wood structures, hand built -- with hand built furniture inside -- new materials and influences appeared. New tools, the idea of structured windows and doors, were some of the things that began to have an impact on homebuilding and home styles. The Anglo style also brought larger homes, things from the East like windows already made, larger panes of glass, metal hardware, and more decoration on the outside of the home.
The Territorial style was born. Here is where one can really see the merging of styles - adobe walls, with details like wood trim or shutters. Styles keep evolving - the West was influenced by the Victorian style as well as the Arts and Crafts movement. On to Frank Lloyd Wright and the beautiful Taliesin West in Arizona built on 500 acres of wood and rocks - one of the most famous buildings still today.
What about Texas?
Texas contributed to this history with the "prairie ranch" house. Very cowboy. Porches, local materials for construction, one story. Maybe a Territorial influence of practicality with only four rooms, a fireplace on each end of the home, a pitched roof of tin, sited to take advantage of breezes and easy to build.
What influences are currently important in Western home style?
The Hispanic influence is everywhere exemplified today in the Santa Fe style of New Mexico and the "Four Corners" area of the United States. Architectural details like vigas and latillas, adobe, beautiful iron work, carved posts and doors, kiva fireplaces, seating or fireplace hearths shaped from the adobe of the home, beautiful colors and motifs from American Indian blankets and Spanish religious symbols.
If you were going to furnish the ideal “ranch” house, what essentials would you include?
Rodeo time brings out the "cowboy" in all of us. Even non-native Texans and those who don't live in the West get in the mood and adapt to the atmosphere. Not just our clothes, but also our homes take on the best about Western design. Getting the look today is easy and enjoyable. Natural is the best way to describe the concept. "Of the earth" "handmade" are things to look for in furnishing a home in the Western style. Look for ironwork, tinwork, pottery, textiles that are rough and woven, bright and lively patterns like Navajo blankets, and tiles. The naturalness of denim, suede (even in a pillow), weathered wood in flooring and furniture, authentic materials (stone, reclaimed wood, antiques, natural fabrics like cotton and wool) and artwork from local artisans and artists, leather - very worn. A place that may once have been set aside as an altar in the home has been replaced with places set aside for meditation. All materials should have integrity in being used as they were intended, in the best way they can be used. It's about honoring all the influences that helped shaped the West - honoring rugged individuals with a love of the land.
What will the ranch house of the future be like?
The new movement in home styles is toward smaller homes. This is especially true in the West as natural resources are becoming scarce and more valuable. Smaller homes with higher quality details allow for the best use of the natural materials of the West. The naturalness of authentic materials is welcome relief from the high-tech world we are forced to live in. A laptop looks a bit more inviting if resting on a rough-sawn plank of reclaimed wood being used as a desktop. Stretching out on a wide, comfortable denim sofa feels even better after a day at the office behind a desk. A large porch (portal) to watch the beauty of the natural artwork of a Western sunset is a great place to unwind after leaving the freeway. The perfect ranch house of the future will combine the conveniences of technology with the beauty of the traditional in materials, architectural styles and attitudes that make up the Western lifestyle.