This home is an example of early adoption of Santa Fe style in the Okanagan Valley without input from pattern books or architects. It has generated considerable interest as a significant departure from dominant domestic house styles diffused from coastal British Columbia and California up to the 1980s.  The inspiration for the renovation of this family home in Santa Fe style was found in the pages of Architectural Digest.  The owners identified a style which was readily visualized and that would be fun to use.  Interior spaces have been reconstructed by means of tapered softly-contoured fireplaces and bancos adorned with Southwestern rugs.  Stepped divider walls are very effective for display of pottery and momentos.  The exterior is dominated by a flat roof and two storey construction which lends itself well to a pueblo-like appearance.  The exterior walls are faced with rough-textured stucco, tinted in pink-orange tones capturing the look of adobe walls in the glow of a Southwest sunset.  In the absence of vigas, a framework of pine logs dominates the open verandah.  Pine trees in the xeriscaped grounds suggest the natural vegetation of New Mexico.  Decorative items on the low parapet walls and verandah (cow skull, plaster campesino, burro, and planters) are associated with Mexico and the Southwest as stereotypical visual elements.  The home presents a Santa Fe style image in its selection of materials, colors, and visual elements with the exception of the large picture windows which are an adaptation to the local environment.  The lakeside environment with its spectacular view was not negotiable in expression of the family's vision and purposes for a Santa Fe style home.

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