Featured Four Unique Homes Decorated for the Holidays
Carolyn and TR Robertson — Hundreds of people spent a beautiful Sunday morning and afternoon visiting 4 beautifully decorated homes in the area as they participated in the 33rd Annual Holiday Home Tour sponsored by the Vista Community Clinic. Proceeds from this event go to supporting Kare for Kids Fund, a program that offers health care services to children.
Along with the home tour participants can enjoy a Holiday Bazaar, this year located in the Vista Civic Center parking lot. Items like Wood Pens, Holiday Jewelry, wall hangings, kitchen supplies, Antique Home Décor, Lip Sense, Origami Succulents, Finger Nail Art Work and others sold items and the Up In Smoke Food Truck provided delicious items for those that needed a bite to eat.
Sponsors for this year’s Holiday Home Tour included Benco Dental, Moore Photography, Ferguson Bath & Kitchen, Modern Builders Supply and Watkins Wellness. Also available for those attending was a chance to purchase tickets to drop in for a shot at an amazing set of prizes and gift baskets. Prizes available ranged from restaurants to jewelry to beauty products to wine and a wonderful array of other items. Tickets were available at all of the homes on the tour.
Photos by Carolyn Robertson
Keely Brewer was the home designer for decorations for the Hughes home. This home sits on 2 acres of land, highlighted by a huge Jacaranda tree. A large front yard and a beautifully landscaped back yard surrounding a large pool gives the family ample room for entertaining and play. The pool can be seen from any room in the home as the kitchen and living room opens to the pool area. Subway tile is featured throughout the house in the living room and dining room and ample lighting highlights each room. A large round table in a well lite side room, just off the living room, provided space for the Hughes children to be home schooled. A large tile fireplace stands out in the living room and dining room. One of the upstairs bathrooms features antique sinks and mirror. This warm family friendly home was a great start to the Holiday Home Tour.
Next on the tour was the Chuck and Tania Yager home, Janet Frerichs was home designer for the home tour. As you enter the front of the home the first thing that stands out is the large Japanese entry arch, the Travertine stone walkway and a custom made speakeasy door designed for the family in New York. The door gives homage to the family’s love of New Orleans. Unusual art pieces is what stands out in this home. Art can be found in every room and on every wall of the home. The art ranges from dragons, gargoyles, weapons, games to Cthulhu art (a fictional monster created in 1928). Tania collects Krampus figurines, beetles, curios, macabre art, Egyptian replicas, puppets, coffee and tea cups. The master bath has a soak tub and more art work on the walls. Another feature of the home is the wine cellar where the Yager’s entertain guests. Outside, in the back yard, the Yagers have constructed a puppet stage, complete with room for 60 people. Tania uses the area for her Twistedheart Puppetworks progressive puppet company, where she runs performances focusing on fantasy, gothic horror and multi-cultural legends. Also in the backyard is additional seating areas, a Yert filled with a lot of the puppetry items, a chicken-coop and other areas for bird sanctuaries.
Leaving this home, the next stop was the Robert E. Westfall home, home tour designer Beppie Mostert. This home went through a bit of a transformation in 2016 when architect Caroline Dooley helped Westfall expand the home with an idea to keep the mid-century design of the home compatible with other homes in the area yet give the home a new and unique look. The result is a home that stands out in its appearance. The entry area of the home features a large concrete block wall that was modified to give the wall’s appearance of a stunning texture, contrasting with the home’s siding. Part of the modification of the home was the addition of a bedroom at the front of the home with a private entrance and garden. The home features a music room. Mr. Westfall has a number of art pieces throughout the home, several pieces completed by his daughter Maren. His favorite piece is an art poster by artist Ben Shahn. Mr. Westfall is the Chairperson of the Vista Community Clinic’s Board of Trustees.
The fourth home is owned by Nate and Mori Johnston. The home sits on a large piece of property, perfect for entertaining for the Johnston’s. The home sits in the center of the property and has a pool in the back yard surrounded by a number of different trees and other plants. You enter the single storied home through a white pillared entry way to get to the one story ranch styled home, featuring a tranquil water feature. A large dining room table is part of the living room area with a fireplace on the back wall. The property is abundant with 16 citrus trees, 2 banana trees, 1 pomegranate tree and a number of exotic palms and birds of paradise plants.
Each year the Vista Community Clinic Holiday Home Tour ends with a chance for participants to visit the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe, all decked out for the holiday season. The Adobe was part of an original land grant deeded in 1845 by Mexico’s governor Pio Pico. The property is now owned by the City of Vista and is the center of numerous events throughout the year. Guests are invited to wander through the gardens and the rooms of the Adobe and visit with the docents in charge. A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers that work in the homes featured each year answering questions about the homes and assisting with the care and maintenance of the homes on the tour.
