This Utah Home Was Inspired by Australia’s Sweeping Desert Landscape

When Andrew and Allison Jolley began renovating Bluebird Ranch, their 7,000-square-foot home three and a half hours from Salt Lake City, they brought two visions to AD PRO Directory designer Susannah Holmberg. After moving their family to coastal Queensland during the pandemic, the pair had come to appreciate Australian design’s relaxed but refined use of natural materials, color, and light; Allison was especially drawn to what Holmberg calls its “super colorful and round and playful” sensibility. Andrew, meanwhile, “wanted a literal Western ranch,” the designer says. “And so it was this sort of fun mash-up.”In the dining room, chairs from 1stdibs surround the custom-made table beneath a pendant from Tigmi Trading. An armoire from Chairish, a candlestick from The Oblist, and a built-in bench finished with Cle’s Argan Brown tile and Kirkby Design velvet are also in the space. Malissa Mabey PhotoFaina Strikha Pendant LampLa Permanente Cantù Tapiovaara Dining Chairs (Set of 4)But as the renovation of the residence, set on 100 acres, unfolded, the landscape began to take the wheel. The interiors were boxy and, as Holmberg puts it, “classic ’90s, with white tile, big grout lines, and white walls,” but the vast desert setting pulled the couple toward something warmer and more grounded. “As we started choosing materials and finishes, it became clear the house and the landscape were steering us in a different direction,” shares Andrew. “Letting go of that initial vision was actually a turning point. It opened the door to something more site-specific, more risky, and ultimately more interesting.”The kitchen features wall tile by Alexander James, a Panton portable lamp, and artwork from The Shop Floor Project. “We had that beam that goes through the island, which is nonnegotiable,” says Holmberg. “But that's where you can see that moment where we wanted to take some of those playful Australian forms and re-translate them into a sort of more organic, ‘Western’ lexicon.” The dining bench is finished with Cle’s Argan Brown tile and Kirkby Design velvet sourced via Town. Malissa Mabey PhotoZ Gallerie Aura Glass BowlVerpan Pantop Portable Table LampFrom the deck, the family can watch thunderstorms roll in across the land below, where it shifts from pale rock near the house to the red formations more commonly associated with southern Utah farther down the road. “You almost want to cry when you stand out there,” says Holmberg of the landscape. “It’s just vast, and you have a sense of the age of the planet.” That sense of scale was brought inside the house. Holmberg sought to mediate between the openness of the setting and the need for refuge from it, using warm paneling, plastered surfaces, tile, layered rugs, vintage furnishings, and saturated tones to soften the architecture. “There’s something special that happens when there’s no drywall,” she says.In the powder room, a sink and vanity sourced from Chairish sit against Black Terracotta wall tile from Riad Tile. The mirror is from Soho Home, the sconces are from Etsy, the faucet is by Graff, and the rug is from Rug Source. Malissa Mabey PhotoThe remoteness of the home posed its own issues, as subcontractors were hard to pin down, and some didn’t grasp the vision right away. “There was a little resistance at first. [Some thought that] good design is anything that comes in square with white drywall: ‘Oh, that’s modern, that’s cool.’ So they were like, ‘Why are we putting paneling back on?’ It felt like a bad Hollywood movie, right?” says Holmberg. “But [being] the City Slicker coming in and trying to figure out a common language was rewarding.”An Interior Define sofa faces a Sun at Six coffee table in the family room, with a CB2 armchair and an ottoman from Chairish nearby. The tiger rug is by Le Mieux et Cie, the floor lamp is from 1stDibs, and the painted ceiling, walls, and girder are in Green Grove by Benjamin Moore. Malissa Mabey PhotoIn the primary bedroom, a vaulted ceiling and walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Deep River canopy a Chris Earle bed with a handmade, multiwood-inlaid feel, set atop the couple’s own rug, a purchase made in Santa Fe. Around the room, Holmberg worked to convey the same collected quality found throughout the rest of the house. “It was important in this particular project to have made a house that feels like there’s a lot of heart in it, a lot of soul in it,” she says. “To have it feel like something that was there forever.”The lower-level powder bath features Oak Moss wall tile by Fireclay and floor tile from Country Floors. A Field & Supply pendant hangs above an Article mirror, with Casson hardware and a Phylrich faucet at the vanity. Malissa Mabey PhotoRevival Karam Hand-Knotted RugArticle Alma Wall MirrorIn the primary bedroom, a Chris Earle bed is flanked by bedside tables and pendants, all sourced via 1stDibs. The bedding is from Parachute Home, the quilt is from The Citizenry, and the embroidered pillow is from Green Row. A South Loop Loft love seat, Slow Roads’ rattan art, the clients’ own rug, and Benjamin Moore’s Deep River wall color complete the room, which Holmberg describes as a space that feels both “expansive and moody.” Malissa Mabey PhotoThe primary bath pairs Fireclay’s Antique backsplash tile with Java Gray floor tile from Tile Bar. The pendant from Lostine hangs above a Josh Greene Design medicine cabinet above a Watermark faucet, while the vanity hardware is by Mi and Gei. Malissa Mabey PhotoIn the primary bedroom, a chair found on 1stdibs sits beside built-in cabinetry fitted with hardware from The Golden Lion. The lamp was found via The Expert. Malissa Mabey PhotoDining Chair by Henning KjærnulfCurtain Lamp by Analuisa CorriganIn the guest suite, an Anthropologie bed with Quince bedding is paired with Schoolhouse Electric side tables, 1stDibs wall sconces, and a Mooie Home light. The walls are painted in Dakota Woods Green by Benjamin Moore. Malissa Mabey PhotoThe guest-suite bath includes a sconce and hardware on the vanity, both from Etsy. The rug is from Rejuvenation, and the floor tile is from Stone Source. Malissa Mabey PhotoThis guest room includes a floor lamp by Hue-Gah Home and a lounge chair sourced from 1stDibs. The overhead light is from West Elm. Malissa Mabey PhotoVintage Kylin Porcelain Orchid PotRhea Pendant LightThe home has an ADU on the property. In the living room, a Maiden Home sofa faces a 1stDibs ottoman on a rug from Etsy. The floor lamp is also from Etsy, while the artwork is from The Shop Floor Project. Malissa Mabey PhotoCais Armchair by Filipe RamosAerin Moresby Floor LampIn the ADU bath, Atlas tile by Cegi Tile forms the backsplash, with Equestrian Gray by Benjamin Moore on the walls. The sconces and mirror are from Etsy, and the vanity hardware is by Nickey Kehoe. Malissa Mabey PhotoFramed by a remote stretch of desert and sweeping views, the renovated home by Klima Architecture draws its warmth from the landscape. “You walk onto their land, and it’s just this quiet that’s hard to describe,” says Holmberg. The desert required its own adjustment for the designer, who is Salt Lake City–based but originally from the East Coast. “It took me a second to deeply appreciate the desert,” she admits. “I equated lush trees as beautiful, and now the desert has gotten under my skin in a new way.” Malissa Mabey Photo