Mary Anne Smiley brings contemporary flair to a home paying homage to the frontier past

Published 8:00 am Saturday, September 1, 2018

By Lifestyles Magazine

A 22,000-square-foot ranch house tucked away in the countryside near Gunter, Texas, is anything but ranch-like thanks to a contemporary interior by Mary Anne Smiley featuring custom furnishings.

Smiley, a native of Oklahoma and former 18-year resident of Athens, Texas, is known for her use of avant-garde art, bold colors and pearl finish backgrounds. She collaborates with furniture makers and artists to create pieces for her clients. 

This project challenged Smiley to blend her trademark contemporary style with the homeowners’ large collection paintings and bronze sculptures of cowboys, Native Americans and animals of the Western frontier. The homeowners also were passionate about displaying their beloved Western parade saddles and spurs.

In collaboration with the architect Vernon Berry, Smiley created an “open design focused on the wonders of the outdoors, juxtaposing huge window walls with vast wall space for art display,” she shares on her website.

The large amount of artwork and saddles, which function as eye-catching sculptures, influenced design decisions.



Smiley worked with the homeowners, who are longtime friends and clients, to supplement their art with paintings by artists from Texas, Berlin and New York. 

Many of the pieces of art are showcased in a long hallway gallery that has the feel of a museum. Other pieces are on view in the billiard room which has a unique, custom-made table with deep blue felt. 

The home’s great room has a 20-foot high ceiling, skylight and floor-to-ceiling windows that let the sunlight pour in and frame views of fields and lakes. The large open space seamlessly flows from living room, dining room, kitchen and bar.
 
A neutral palette provides a backdrop for chairs covered in vibrant reds, yellows and oranges, the colors of sunsets. A glass sculpture with cascading blue ribbons hangs high on the wall above cabinets in the kitchen. The counter of the bar is covered by longhorn hides protected by a coat of resin.
 
Smiley designed pillows and rugs throughout the home as well as the bed and its leather upholstered headboard in the master bedroom.
 
The result is a happily-ever-after marriage of Western and contemporary.
 
 

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