Home tour: A Santa Fe style pied-à-terre in a former Western movie set town

The Bust'n B Ranch is filled with traditional Indigenous and Latin craftsmanship with a fresh tinge of modernity

Situated about 10 minutes away from Pioneertown, a historic Hollywood western set town established in 1946 by legendary Western actors such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers for their old Western projects like The Range Rider, Cisco Kid, and The Gene Autry Show, The Bust’n B Ranch is a pied-à-terre and sometimes short term vacation rental, acquired by the mother-son development company Wedgar Properties.

“We have been visiting and doing projects in the high desert for six years and always loved this specific area of the high desert. It is one of the only areas outside of the national park that has the same topography as the actual park,” recalls Edgar Langman.

He adds: “The home had great bones and great nature–nestled in the high altitude of Mojave Desert meant spectacular landscapes and sunsets, and when it came for sale we knew we had to buy it and we always drove by admiring it.”

Above The Southwestern style home was much like the traditional pueblo homes or adobe homes, ubiquitous in the American Southwest

Located about 30 minutes from the west entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, it was a Santa Fe style home in New Mexico, much like the traditional pueblo homes or adobe homes with its flat roofs and rounded exterior corners made of mud puddles, ubiquitous in the American Southwest where Native Americans lived.

The 2,700 sq ft home, however, was finished with stucco on the exterior when it was custom built in 2003 for the San Bernardino County Sheriff. He raised his children in the abode with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a three-car garage; he even hosted amateur rodeos in the large horse arena.

Above Traditionally built with flat roofs and rounded exterior corners made of mud puddles, the residence had a stucco exterior instead

When Langman and his mother Wendy, a former fashion merchandising executive in New York City, remodelled the place in 2023, they added a 36-foot saltwater pool and spa, a western red cedar sauna, and other luxury amenities.

The mother-son duo also commissioned Sydney Ballesteros, the Editor-in-Chief of Territory Magazine, for the interior designing and styling.

“The Bust’n B Ranch project felt like an extension of home for me in many ways. It resonated with a familiar ethos of the environment, childhood homes, cultures and traditions celebrated in the southwest region I grew up with,” recalls Ballesteros, a multidisciplinary creative with creative direction and fashion styling driven by her Mexican American heritage.

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Above The 36-foot saltwater pool with the Joshua Tree National Park as a backdrop

Surrounded by mountain ranges, an open sky, and an appreciation for the simple landscape, The Bust’n B Ranch project aimed to “return to the authentic, natural essence of the space–which was once an operating ranchland–by using earthy materials and elements that reflect its original character,” Ballesteros explains.

“The biggest challenge was picking materials that were authentic to the concept, how to use them in a fresh way to push the design language forward, and finding tradesmen who could execute such a high quality job with details and precision,” says Langman in regards to pushing the envelope further with a contemporary take on both Southwestern and Mexican design elements.

Above The smooth, sun-kissed exterior of Native American origin

Above Local artist Dan John Anderson's black wood sculpture at the front entry

The interior spaces had an understated warmth emulated through soft and calm tones that echoed the Joshua Tree National Park nearby while staying away from the predictable beige aesthetic that had been trending the last few years.

Meanwhile, organic materials were sourced with sustainability in mind from the Southwestern region or Mexico that would last a long time and look good with aged patina overtime, providing residents with a place of refuge to honour rituals and nature uninterrupted, as well as a platform for filmmakers to do location shoots in like Pioneertown once did.

Above Smooth and calm tones echoed the aesthetic of the National Park

“I wanted to provide a balanced mix of storytelling through Indigenous and Latin culture and an appreciation of traditional techniques crafted from Mexico to New Mexico,” Ballesteros clarifies.

“There is a strong lineage and connection in the hand work of multi-generational artisan objects, and it was important to incorporate those touches in the design because they are such a part of the region's cultural design characteristics.”

While the dialogue needed to feel fresh and modern, through a curated selection of design objects and materials, Ballesteros cemented in the narrative the historical effects that spanned the Southwest region, showcasing traditional savoir-faire with a contemporary twist amidst the pared down desert theme of the residence.

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Mexican Butaque chairs next to the Tadelakt-made fireplace

Photo 1 of 2 Built-in banco seating made from organic plaster forms called Tadelakt

Photo 2 of 2 Mexican Butaque chairs next to the Tadelakt fireplace

Dan John Anderson, a local artist who lives and works some 15 minutes away from the property, with his black wood sculpture at the front entryway welcomed guests into The Bust’n B Ranch peppered with rugs of Native American and Native Mexican origins.

In the living room, a coffee table carved from natural stone recalled the rock formations in the distance through the paned windows, while a pair of Clara Porset-style Mexican Butaque chairs of wood and patinated leather from the 1940s sat snugly next to a built-in banco seating, like the fireplace, crafted by a local artisan from organic plaster forms called Tadelakt.

Photo 1 of 2 The kitchen cabinetry was made from California pine and hand forged iron hardware

Photo 2 of 2 The moody darks and blacks of the open kitchen area

Above A mix of old-world characters in the dining area

Above Tiles handmade and hand painted in Mexico

The use of the organic material extended into moody darks and blacks of the kitchen for its hood, wall and framing for the cabinet, made from California pine and iron hardware hand forged in Southern California; complementing the backsplash tiles handmade and hand painted in Mexico, which were also seen in the bathrooms.

Underneath a custom iron chandelier, Equipale chairs, traditional Mexican decor staples, were constructed in black leather and brown to accompany the vintage sourced wood dining table.

Whereas a white textile wall hangs, custom made from recycled cotton fibres by the Queretaro-based textile and art studio Caralarga, wrapped up the mix of old-world characters in the space with glass doors that overlooked the desert landscape in the backyard.

Above The influence of Spanish designs and iconography were apparent in the bedrooms

A Spanish birthing chair in the Green Room

Above A vintage altar piece in the Blue Room

Above A Spanish birthing chair in the Green Room

The influence of Spanish designs and iconography were also apparent in the bedrooms, crafted to exude different experiences from the next via the varied colours, themes and textures chosen.

“For the master bedroom, I worked with artists to design some pieces that felt like updated versions of old world designs,” says Ballesteros. “The stainless steel four poster bed was welded on site in Tucson, and the mesquite wood chandelier by Carolina Del Dago of La Yuma Taller is inspired by the primitive wood candle ceiling fixtures found in the old adobe haciendas of New Mexico.”

A Spanish birthing chair reupholstered in sage green velvet and wall textile by Mexico City artist Mely Avila of Studio M.A. decorated the Green Room; while in the Blue Room a vintage altar piece obtained from a flea market in Mexico City hung above the velvet oxblood regency headboard.

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Credits

Photography

Yoshihiro Makino

Topics

pied-à-terre Santa Fe Old West Native American Native Mexican Southwestern

Tatler Asia

Home tour: A Santa Fe style pied-à-terre in a former Western movie set town