“Whether exterior or interior, it all says authentic farmhouse."

When you’re moving across the country, you have to decide if you want to keep your hometown’s signature style or make the move complete with décor that reflects your new home. This was the decision designer Maya Williams of Maya Williams Design was called in to help make when a couple was moving from the East Coast to the West.

EAST COAST WESTERN

Maya’s clients wanted to be closer to their children and grandchildren in California. Coming from a large farm in upstate New York, it was important to them to have a home that felt authentically East Coast. They wanted a working farmhouse, not just an aesthetic one.

The clients purchased an old property in Ojai that sits on two acres with a home that was originally built in the 1890s. It would take years of work and dedication to transform this once uninhabitable property into a dream four-acre working hobby farm and farmhouse.

TIMELESS DESIGN

The structure of the original building was kept for authenticity but was completely gutted. Maya added a large master suite to the main building, as well as a fully functioning separate guest house and carriage house on the original two acres. On the additional adjoining two acres the clients purchased, they added a barn with ample space for goats, chickens and other livestock.

To create an authentic farmhouse for her clients, Maya consistently blended originals and antiques with modern pieces. Throughout the home, she incorporated many characteristic farmhouse style designs. “Whether exterior or interior, it all says authentic farmhouse,” she explains. She chose board-and-batten as the exterior siding, while local contractor Supan Builders and landscape designer Paul Hendershot brought in Ojai stone for many features of the property, including the walls around the stream and pool, on the porch and as partial siding on the house. “There’s a lot of cookie-cutter Instagram farmhouses, which are great—I’ve done those—but these clients wanted something that was truly authentic farmhouse,” Maya says.

Another classic farmhouse feature, this porch swing is directly outside the breakfast area. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a sunset on a warm evening with a view of Ojai’s famous Topatopa Mountain range.