House & Garden Tour
Sun, Mar 15, tour departs at noon
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
US$15 or 150 pesos
Breakfast at Café Santa Ana starts at 9am

House & Garden Tour 
By Jennifer Hamilton

Aztec sculpture, glass fountain and tin Guadalupe framed by Xúchile

1. This is one of the first homes to be built in Atascadero over 50 years ago. After many months of remodeling the house and a huge garden, light emanates through every room. Plants, flowers and a cantera fountain border the entry path. The house reflects years of collecting. The master bathroom sports a beveled-glass mirror made locally, as were most of the lighting fixtures and iron work. All bedrooms open onto the garden or a flower-filled front patio. The studio has sculpted concrete walls, exquisitely shaped lamps, golden-hued colors and custom jewelry shelves. An oversized aviary in the garden was designed for many birds and the fountain in the center of the garden was made locally by hand. An Aztec sculpture on the wall of the garden was in the foyer of the original house and was carefully taken apart to be placed outdoors. 

2. This spectacular house, built from scratch, was completed in 2007. One enters through a long open hallway with flower prints on the wall.

Mirrors were added to emulate light from the garden and produce beautiful reflections of flowers. The piéce de resistance is the glass fountain at the far end. Through the stressed wood and glass door are the living, dining and entertainment areas, two stories high and supported by enormous wood posts. The angled wood ceiling is topped by glass, as are most of the rooms, adding light throughout. The huge plate glass windows face north to the rolling hillsides backing up to El Charco. All the glass doors open to the patio with its five circular tables for dining al fresco. The wraparound veranda is filled with daisies, lavender and basil. A lower walled-in area contains an abundant vegetable garden.

3. This homeowner designed a delightful, multihued, vibrant home filled with folk art, religious objects, global collectibles and whimsical artwork.

She purchased it in 2004 as a small Mexican home and her imagination soared with the possibilities of talavera tiles, brilliant color and Mexican style. The end result is extraordinary and astoundingly unconventional and whimsical. On the cactus-filled entrance patio is a tin Virgin de Guadalupe framed by a Xúchile, a large platform used during San Miguel’s Fiestas Patrias and fashioned from corn husks, branches and natural materials. The soaring skylight illuminates the central sala with its purple fireplace. The entire house is filled with folk art (mostly from Michoacán) plus the owner’s own bohemian and eclectic designs. The back garden with its colorful hammock is strung with hand-cut papel picado used for fiestas and religious occasions. Talavera tiles are embedded into the staircase leading to the upper floor with its office, romantic bedroom and tiled bat
h. The rooftop offers 360° big-sky views of the entire town and affords vistas of morning sunrises. 



The House & Garden Tour thanks the following for opening their beautiful homes  On Sunday, March 8, 2009

Barbara Pruzan & Ian Altman
Barbara Guyton

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

2nd Sunday in March for 2008 269 visitors on tour

2nd Sunday in March for 2009 314 visitors on tour 


Year to Date 2008 3,051 visitors on tour

Year to Date 2009 2,585 visitors on tour