“It has become the crown jewel of the house for us,” said Luskey. “We wake up and walk down the hall for our coffee, and my mom does the same. The views from these windows are spectacular.

The design features reflect how three generations are using the space now. A glazed alcove extends from the great room. In keeping with their project commitment to use as many local contractors and artisans as possible, White and Luskey traveled to Lakeport to meet Juan Lopez of Lake County Woodcrafters. Working from Luskey’s design, he created a custom white oak family table with enough room for eight people. He also designed a long table with a lightweight Caesarstone quartz top that extends like a peninsula from the kitchen island. It is a cozy place for the grandchildren to dine nearby.

Meaningful design elements

The house is centered around a living space with two wings of parental suites. In the old house, White’s west-facing bedroom was often warm in the afternoon. It now has its own wing, but faces north so it’s cooler. A soft monochrome color palette of creamy white, linen and grays also lowers the visual temperature. To add a touch of interest, Luskey convinced her mother to include a two-tier plaster white lotus chandelier from Julie Neill.

Like most of those whose homes caught fire that night in 2017, the White-Hanahan-Luskey family lost everything from photos to heirlooms and memorabilia. The new house incorporates references to lost treasures through art and design without recreating them.

The White Wing Hallway was designed as a gallery to showcase a series of black-and-white drawings of the Stanford campus – White’s alma mater – by Sonoma County artist Louisa Fraser. The custom frames match the small recessed ceiling sconces forged in aged iron by designer Kelley Wearsteler.

White’s late parents have collected mementos of their many travels across Asia, and all were lost in the Tubbs fire. White’s mother particularly liked the cane and bamboo. Luskey found subtle ways to incorporate reminders, like a set of birdcage-shaped porcelain lamp bases with a bamboo design, reminiscent of a pair of lamps given to White by her mother and lost in the flames.

“We wanted to bring her and my grandfather to space. They were dead and we didn’t have their things. With the furniture and the artwork, we wanted them to be meaningful. We didn’t want to fill the space with stuff. We really looked for things that we found sentimental.

One of their new treasures is an oversized 4ft by 6ft above mantle oil painting in the Great Hall of a Sonoma County Landscape by A3L3XZAND3R, (formerly known as Alex Harris) from the Harris Gallery of Healdsburg. The artist worked little “Easter egg” surprises into the landscape, with hidden initials referring to various family members.

A house for several generations

Luskey, her two brothers and their families frequently visit what she now calls “Ranch 2.0”. The new house has an entire wing for two of the couples and a bedroom with bunk beds for the children. The area can be closed to reduce electricity costs when not in use. John Hanahan, his wife Robin and their two teenage daughters stay in the accessory house a few steps away.

A poorly located family pool, all that was left after the fire, was filled in and a new one with clean, modern lines was built in the space between the main house and the small accessory house.

“The relocation of the swimming pool united the two structures and gave them an outdoor space that they could easily access,” said architect Lorin Hill.

Luskey designed each family’s space to reflect their own tastes with colors, textures and accessories. However, a favorite spot is the bunk room, a playful space with a comfortable sailor-style bunk for each grandchild.

“I used hot pink, orange, navy blue, sky blue, camel brown and white,” she said of the piece, a stark contrast to the more neutral tones. favored by white in the rest of the house.

Kids can sink into a custom made camel brown leather and navy felt sofa from Umphred Furniture in Berkeley. For fun, Luskey added a vinyl vapor-style trunk by Selamat Designers that features ornate details to spark the imagination while also providing storage space for beloved toys and books.

The house is more energy efficient and fire resistant, with high efficiency heating and cooling and reflecting new building codes. A solar-electric system is under development. Heat-sensing vents under eaves and siding flashings will prevent embers from getting inside if there is another forest fire. Over 100 dead trees were removed from the property to reduce the fuel load.

Landscape architect Bowers installed a hybrid drip irrigation system; transmitters at all, but trees can be extinguished in extreme drought. The system, he said, includes high impact sprinkler heads located around the site that can be opened for a large explosion to wet the terrain in the event of a fire. There is also a 10,000 gallon water storage tank.

No landscaping or building material can completely protect against fire. But the White-Hanahan-Luskey clan incorporated everything they could to give the new house the best chance of surviving future wildfires.

“It’s such a special place for all of us,” Luseky said. “And even though it’s different, he holds the same place in our hearts that he always has. We are really lucky to have him.

Writer Meg McConahey at 707-521-5204 or [email protected] On Twitter @megmcconahey.