Vintner Tobin James’ home in Paso Robles: ‘Mexican meets John Wayne’

James purchased 60 acres on Vineyard Drive 10 years ago when he was living in Cayucos. He built a cabin on the property and used it as a vacation home.

Not long after, he began yearning to move inland. “I had lived in Paso most of my life,” he said. “I missed living on some acreage.”

Architect Dana Belmonte created the blueprint for the house James would share with wife Ermie and son Michael. Designer Lori Krivacsy “took over from there,” said James, adding detail, choosing finishes and working closely with general contractor Joe Anderton of Fine Line Homes.

Both James and his wife come from large families, so he wanted the house to be a year-round hub for family activities. The resulting residence is a spacious 5,000-square-foot, single-level home with four bedrooms and an open, resort-like feel.

Adding to the resort ambience is a central atrium with soaring 20-foot ceilings and an indoor pool. James chose an indoor pool over outdoor to allow family members to swim even in the coldest days of winter. Embellished with fountain jets and colored LED lights, it doubles as a captivating water feature. A tropical fish tank, viewable from both the pool area and kitchen, brings color and life to the space.

Although the house is large, James wanted it to mesh with its surroundings. “I didn’t want a McMansion,” he said. “I wanted it to look like Paso.”

He came to Krivacsy inspired by old western films. “I wanted ‘Mexican-meets-John Wayne’ — something that can never go out of style,” he said.

The home’s architecture provides the foundation for this style, with thick walls, arched doorways and exposed beams, distressed to look centuries old. Adding to the western ambience is mahogany cabinetry, made partly from reclaimed barn wood, that was custom-built and hand-carved by Colombian artist John Montoya. Several iron lighting fixtures, corbels and window grilles were designed by Krivacsy and custom-made by Paso Robles metal artist Max Randolph in a Spanish “ranch” style.

James is a big fan of color and pattern, so Krivacsy found ways to add variety and vibrancy without creating chaos. Walls are warm and neutral, in shades of cream, tan and gold. For added Spanish character, Krivacsy hand-painted accents around niches and above wainscoting in motifs inspired by churches in Mexico. Heavy glazing on the walls creates a time-worn look.

For a sense of continuity, she used similar materials throughout the house, but applied them in different ways to satisfy James’ craving for variety. For instance, floors are concrete tile in a distressed finish. But she varied the shape and pattern of that tile to differentiate various spaces. Bathrooms feature accents in embossed Malibu tile, but with a different dominant color in each room.

Many of the furniture pieces came from Luna Rustica in San Luis Obispo, a store that specializes in Mexican imports. Key to the western-Spanish style were leather pieces, cowhide, colorful woven rugs and intricately carved yet rustic wood furniture.

Les Toma created a landscape design using natives, edibles and succulents in colors that “complement the deep golden walls of the exterior,” said Krivacsy.

James, who used to be an avid traveler, now finds it hard to leave his hilltop home. “I’ve wanted to live here for years,” he said, “and now we’ve built a house that will probably be here for 500 years more.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Vintner Tobin James’ home in Paso Robles: ‘Mexican meets John Wayne’."