Designer Rita Donahoe
In remaking a California ranch home as a modern-day hacienda, Rita Donahoe of Rita Chan Interiors looked to her client, also named Rita. The two had worked together before and had an easy rapport despite their different design styles. Donahoe leans into neutral colors, while Rita Villa, a former shopkeeper and flamenco dancer, craves all things “fiesta.”
“This was incredibly exciting but also a bit frightening,” Donahoe says.“We pushed and pulled each other in and out of comfort zones, always arriving in this magical, in-between place.”
Together, the two Ritas softened edges and sourced vintage to turn Rancho de Familia into a home fit for grown kids and grandkids that honors Villa’s Mexican roots. Walls were treated in Pueblo-style plaster, and boxy doorways and closets reemerged as archways. A fireplace was built out of bricks saved from the client’s childhood home. Most of the light fixtures are antiques from Mexico, and every room holds heirlooms, from Villa’s grandmother’s mirror to her dad’s sombreros. “Hardly anything is from a mass-manufactured source,” Donahoe says. “This house is full of soul.”
Stairway
The stair risers got a fiesta-worthy upgrade with Alebrije Homewares tile in a fanciful motif, arranged to emphasize the birds in flight. Stair railing: custom, Santa Barbara Forge + Iron.
Living Room
Taking inspiration from historic hacienda-style homes, a stone fireplace was redesigned in this custom plaster form. A vintage painting by Harold Rowan Hughes hearkens back to Rita Villa’s flamenco-dancing days.
Family Room
The sofas came from Villa’s former shop, Hacienda Home; the linen curtains were made in Mexico. Ottoman: Shoppe Amber Interiors. Pendant: 1stDibs. Coffee table: vintage, Habitat Home & Garden.
Kitchen
The hand-painted Tierra y Fuego Talavera tile and Rustica House bar sink were made in Mexico. Pendants: custom, Anacapa Ceramics. Hardware: Ashley Norton. Appliances: Thermador.
Villa’s massive cookbook collection lives in this rounded cabinet in the kitchen. Tile used on the island continues on the backsplash. Villa’s vintage shelf is stocked with handmade Mexican red clay mugs and hand-painted glasses. The café curtain fabric was sourced from Mexico.
Dining Room
The archway is lined with hand-glazed brick from NS Ceramic. Custom Two Trees Cabinetry in stained white oak wraps the arch’s base, creating space for a tequila bar, a coffee bar, and cookbook and serveware storage.
Donahoe moved the wood beams from the kitchen to “honor the home’s soul.” Table and host chair: client’s own. Side chairs: vintage, Miss Daisy’s Consignment & Auction House. Chandelier: vintage, Casa Mexicana Imports.
Powder Room
A mirror from Villa’s grandmother sits above a Casa Mexicana Imports cabinet. A pendant by Villa’s daughter, the ceramist behind Bestow Pottery, hangs beside it. Tile: Walker Zanger.
Playroom
Donahoe opened up a closet to create this nook, defined by a color block in custom blue paint. A hand-painted tile from Mexico hangs over the arched opening. Children’s chairs: vintage.
Pool Vestibule
Vintage saloon doors from Summerland Antique Collective add character to the transition from outdoors to indoors. Pendant: vintage, The Well Summerland. Floor tile: Arto.
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