We thought about Patina Farm as a series of experiences. After all, that is what we were really creating—places for things to happen, emotions to be felt, and memories to be made. Our vision of Patina Farm was of a place where we would live with family, friends and animals that was peaceful, relaxed and beautiful. Every design decision we made, from the selection of plant material to the location of every room would need to support our vision. We wanted people to feel the serene emotional tone before arriving. You catch a glimpse of the bell tower through the sycamore trees as you drive down our street; a profusion of white roses covers the front fence, letting you know that you are at the right place. You hear the gentle splash of water and as you peak through the roses to see a rustic fountain fashioned from a galvanized equestrian tub and a tarnished spout.
As you enter the gate, the animals will greet you. Thelma, Louise and Dot, our diminutive African Pygmy goats, position their necks for some gentle rubbing, as Daisy and Buttercup, our miniature Sicilian donkeys, nibble the grass under the limbs of the sycamores that border the gravel drive. The presence of the animals adds to the “country path” air of the meandering driveway.
The color palette for Patina Farm begins in the front garden with gentle soft gray wood, white and blush-colored roses, silvery French lavender and westringea, and the natural varied greens of the sycamore trees and native grasses.
The glass and steel doors allow our visitors to see through the house from the front door to the gardens beyond. The creamy French limestone flooring on the exterior front landing and the interior entry hall makes a seamless transition from outside to indoors.
Like some of our favorite houses, we wanted Patina Farm to feel as if it had been built over time. The “original” main portion of the house has plaster walls and an antique tile roof that reflect the Spanish colonial heritage of Ojai, while the rustic wings of the house, with their weathered gray cedar walls and galvanized metal roofs, recall barn structures from the neighboring farms and might have been added at a later time. With a desire to limit our materials palette and connect the different parts of the house, we constructed all of the shutters on the main house from the same gray-stained cedar boards. Stone veneer washed with soft linen grout covers the entry, tower and fireplace, creating the third, and oldest layer of our story.
The front door, made of steel and glass, invites your eye into the house as well as providing an opportunity to catch sight of the expansive vista beyond. This initial experience reveals the connection of the indoor and outdoor spaces that flows through the entire house. The front door is flanked by large operable shutters, which we close against the west sun in the late summer. On the shutters, a rope and pulley system connects to an antique schoolhouse bell in the tower that guests can ring to let us know of their arrival.
The oversized blooms of our Polka rose vines are beautifully balanced with the muted silver and green foliage in our gardens. During the spring, these vibrant roses frame the entry gate.
Next to the front door, an antique wooden urn mold suspended from a pulley connects to the bell in the tower. Visitors young and old can’t seem to resist ringing the bell.
The front garden is a balance for formal and informal. “Little ollies” (a bush related to the olive tree) shaped into spheres mix with natural flows of lavender and white roses.
A combination of catmint and lamb’s ear grows in the middle of the gravel driveway, giving it the feel of a country lane. A glimpse of the goat garden can be viewed when the doors on both sides of the garage are open.
Photography by Brooke Giannetti and Steve Giannetti.
Starting at the front gate, we wanted to create an emotional response with our design of Patina Farm. The sound of splashing water and the sight of our rose-covered “barn” garage creates a serene atmosphere for our visitors as they begin their journey down our gravel drive. The limited palette continues a feeling of calm through all of the gardens.