From the moment you step into this richly colorful hacienda, it’s like opening the book to Laurencia’s childhood. Born to a deep-rooted Mexican family (her mother, Billie, was originally from the United States, but embraced the Mexican culture and passed it on to her children), Laurencia grew up among master horsemen. “My grandfather introduced the sport of the charreria in the state of Chihuahua, and built the first lienzo [arena] - The Lienzo Francisco Baca Gallardo - which was named for him, also in Juarez.” Along with her seven brothers and sisters, Laurencia learned the art of the charreada, a festive event that incorporates equestrian competitions and demonstrations, specific costumes and horse trappings, music and food. They practiced on the weekends at the Lienzo and spent the nights at her grandmother’s house near the Campestre Juarez, and would then travel all over Mexico competing. Along the way, Laurencia took careful note of the haciendas she spotted along the road, left abandoned during the Mexican Revolution. “Now,” she notes, “the haciendas are slowly being restored throughout Mexico as museums, dance halls or new homes. They are kept as is, but with contemporary décor. I knew when I was traveling with the charros, one day I would have a hacienda.”
Several years later, a tour inside this little dreamer’s hacienda is like traveling back in time, to the memories of her youth and her travels to relatives’ homes throughout Mexico. “I remember each room was very grand, very ornate, but each room was also very different, and that’s what I tried to do - bring my childhood memories into this house. I wanted to incorporate different colors as well as different textures, so in our house you’ll find a lot of cantera stone, as well as a lot of concrete, slate, wood, brick, rock, granite and marble.”
Aside from the obvious tributes to Laurencia’s family heritage, like the numerous horses found in paintings and statues, the vintage photographs of her family and her mother’s saddle, are the colors that spring from vivid memories of growing up at her grandmother’s home and riding at the Lienzo. The hallway beams bright rays of yellow sunshine. The living room, Laurencia’s favorite, is a traditional shade of pink that can be found in various examples of Mexican architecture. The dining room is a rich gold, and the family room next to it is a regal shade of purple. Directly across is the kitchen, cloaked in a smoky blue with Talavera tile accents tucked into the border along the ceiling. It is not an accidental or haphazard combination. “I just knew exactly what went where. I wanted happy colors; something soothing in the hallway, more Mexican in the kitchen, but most of all, I wanted you to feel like you were somewhere else in Mexico, like Jalisco, or Guanajuato, or Morelia.”
Other nods to the influence of her grandmother’s home are the eclectic variety of lighting fixtures and doorknobs.“ Her house had a lot of European and Victorian influences, as did a lot of the houses I got to visit in Mexico. She had chandeliers in every room, and no two were alike. In our house, you’ll find the same thing.”
When it came to the design of their daughter’s room, Laurencia had also picked the perfect memory. “Her room is very reminiscent of a room in my grandmother’s house. I remember this room with beautiful shades of blue, the walls were deep and the ceiling was turquoise.”
This grand tribute would not have materialized without the careful planning of her husband. “Bryan built the house,” Laurencia credits.“He designed the floor plan, and this was his first hacienda-style house he had built, so all I did was help weave the different influences into the home, like the copulas [domes], the different levels, the colors and various materials.”
“It’s definitely all her,” Bryan credits back. “I found the lot, and I told her to just go for it. Now that we’re in the house, it’s a great place to gather with our friends and family.” Asked if the strong influence of her culture left him feeling a bit isolated, Bryan is firm. “It is a representation of Laurencia’s culture that I embrace and admire.”
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