Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Former Horse Stable Gets a New Life as a Stately Home
A onetime stable on a historic California estate is transformed into an elegant family home
All of the stable’s original bricks were removed, cleaned and reinstalled. Above the brick is stucco. The existing backyard pool was reshaped and a spa was added. The pavers are poured-in-place concrete with turf in between. A low brick wall provides an edge to the pool area. Landscape architect Jon Pride worked with Coane on this part of the project.
Inside the home’s front entry, the living room is off to the right. Cabinets house glassware above a wet bar, which has an antiqued-mirror backsplash. Below the wet bar are a refrigerator and wine storage behind paneled cabinetry. The stairs to the left of the entry had to be rebuilt because they were too steep.
Furnishings in the formal dining room include a Thomas O’Brien silver leaf chandelier. The design team added wainscoting to create a more finished, period look, Coane says. The wallcovering is Schumacher’s Haruki sisal.
The traditional kitchen has stainless steel floating shelves, a farmhouse sink, cup pull hardware, full-inset maple cabinets, Crema Marfil marble countertops and a stone backsplash. Adjacent is a vaulted-ceiling breakfast nook with a wrought iron lantern chandelier. The tile is a mosaic of mini bricks in beige, tan and brown.
Browse farmhouse sinks
Browse farmhouse sinks
All of the windows in the house, including in the breakfast nook, are a mix of grids, for a traditional aesthetic, and plain panes to provide views to the gardens. The breakfast nook, which was added on to the stable, “has a conical roof with beams that meet at a perfect point,” Coane says.
A family room off the kitchen provides comfortable seating and windows with views to the herb garden, which lies outside the back door.
The layout of the property was designed to enhance the owners’ love of cooking and gardening with private outdoor dining areas and an herb garden with trellises.
Upstairs in the master bedroom, the existing ceilings were too low for comfort. The design team raised the roof, creating a new roofline. This window overlooks the pool area. There’s also a dormer window with a built-in window seat ideal for reading. The wallpaper is Louisa Rose Trail.
The simple master bath continues what Coane calls the home’s “cottagey kind of feel.” Before moving here, the clients lived in a grand Italianate house, and they “wanted this house to be warm and more intimate.”
Browse freestanding tubs
Browse freestanding tubs
The second-level laundry room features stone hexagon tile, Victorian-style wallpaper, white-painted beadboard cabinetry and black pulls and countertops that give the room a modern farmhouse feel. “We found an artisan who makes leaded glass and had these windows created in a few special places throughout the house where they’re a surprise,” Coane says.
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Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters
Size: 4,000 square feet (371.6 square meters)
Location: Pasadena, California
Architect: James V. Coane of James V. Coane & Associates
The original stable was built in 1930 as part of the John S. Cravens estate in Pasadena, California. Over time, the estate was subdivided. The stable was a caretaker’s home for a while, then other owners renovated the structure. After the current owners purchased it, architect James V. Coane was brought in to virtually rebuild it to bring it back to a more authentic historical state. “Many of the original materials were removed, repaired and reused, while modern necessities were seamlessly added in,” Coane says.