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My Houzz: Visit an Eco-Minded Yoga Haven
A couple with rock ’n’ roll roots transform a Utah high desert ranch into their dream home and retreat
Artist, freelance writer, home tour contributor for Houzz, designer, actor, mother and author of the blog La Maison Boheme. Greenman lives in a 1970s Texas ranch house, which she has transformed into a bohemian haven and family home. She loves eclectic, boho style but also has a soft spot for Midcentury modern and Swedish design. Learn more at www.sarahgreenman.com.
Artist, freelance writer, home tour contributor for Houzz, designer, actor,... More »
With an open heart, a limited budget and a focus on green technology, Melanie and Omar Abderrahman have created a spiritual oasis in the Utah desert. The Abderrahmans were searching for property close enough to Las Vegas for family visits, yet far enough away to create a serene retreat. They knew the moment they turned onto the dirt drive that the wind-swept, sage brush spotted property before them was the one.
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by Sarah Greenman
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| A floor-to-ceiling bay window frames a large eat-in kitchen. The table is reclaimed wood and the distressed hutch has cabinets faced with chicken wire. Sarah Greenman: Your home is filled with vintage and unique pieces. Where is your favorite place to shop? Melanie Paulk Abderrahman: There is the coolest store in St. George called Urban Renewal. It's a fabulous consignment store, and the owner has an unbelievable eye for design. Wall color: custom from Behr, Home Depot; Kitchen hutch: Urban Renewal, St. George, Utah |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| SG: What inspires your personal style? MPA: Color, light and sound are huge inspirations for me. Lighting is soft and warm, with natural lighting being a big focus. Sacred objects play another big role in our living space. A Medicine Buddha from Bali is the main focal point in our great room. SG: The great room is very spacious. What did you do to make it your own? MPA: I decided on a faux suede finish from Ralph Lauren for the great room. It brought the overall color of the land inside. So right away there was balance and coziness. Wall color: Adobe Suede, Ralph Lauren |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| The den has a very masculine, country western feel. It boasts a deep leather couch, Mexican textiles and denim blue walls. Melanie used red wool blankets — procured during one of her many trips to Mexico — as curtains to divide the great room and the den. Melanie says, “Omar loves country western, as he grew up outside of Dallas, and me, well I'm a rock ’n’ roll Yogi. Our home reflects that in a East meets West fusion.” Bucking Bronco art: Urban Renewal; wall color: Indigo Denim, Ralph Lauren |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| The most unexpected area of the home is a fully appointed outdoor kitchen just off the den. With a gas range, grill, refrigerator and bar, it’s perfect for outdoor entertaining. The glass checkerboard bricks above the range create diffused natural light and visual interest. |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| SG: Tell me about your amazing outdoor kitchen. MPA: We are planning on installing a tankless water heater and pellet stove in the next couple of months. Then we plan to remodel the indoor kitchen, which is sorely lacking in good appliances. In the meantime, I cook outside in my outdoor kitchen. I can’t resist the panoramic view. The outdoor kitchen is part of the amenities I offer campers who stay overnight during weekend retreats. The Abderrahmans have 17 campsites on the property that they rent to visitors for overnight stays. |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| The colorful display of vintage road signs and license plates mark the states the Abderrahmans have called home. They’re still working on finding a license plate from Venezuela to complete the set. Wall color: custom from Behr Paints, Home Depot |
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SG: It seems that you and your husband have very different styles. How does that work as you design your home?
MPA: A great example of this is the flow of his office and my library. His office is very manly with a red accent wall. Directly off of his office is my library, a soft and more feminine space. Energy flows easily between these two rooms, creating a positive balance. Our marriage is like that — independents merging into one through love and soul energy. We’ll be celebrating 17 years together this September.
Wall color: custom red glaze treatment, Behr Paints, Home Depot
MPA: A great example of this is the flow of his office and my library. His office is very manly with a red accent wall. Directly off of his office is my library, a soft and more feminine space. Energy flows easily between these two rooms, creating a positive balance. Our marriage is like that — independents merging into one through love and soul energy. We’ll be celebrating 17 years together this September.
Wall color: custom red glaze treatment, Behr Paints, Home Depot
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by Sarah Greenman
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| Omar spends much of his time on the road as a production manager for bands and musicians. When at home, he needs his own space to work in. Rock memorabilia, family photos and meaningful travel mementos fill his office. |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| The master bedroom is a serene space filled with rich silk textiles and soft light. Melanie strongly believes that the bedroom should be a place that promotes intimacy and romance, clear of clutter and outside influences. SG: Did you work with a designer to create these spaces? MPA: I don’t have a designer. It’s all from me and was a very intuitive process. My daily meditation and yoga practice creates an eternal flow of creative juices. Omar is a big design influence as well. He likes a free and uncluttered space while I like to fill it up. Bedding: Bed Bath and Beyond |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| A small dressing area lies opposite the master bedroom and provides overflow space for Melanie’s closet, which is too small to house her large wardrobe. She admits to being “a clotheshorse” and has created a clever rack to hold her yoga garb and accessories. |
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| A guest room with an adjoining bath just off the front entrance takes inspiration from the couple’s extensive travels. Cultural masks and Haitian art hang above a richly embroidered coverlet from Kashmir, India. |
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A breezeway connects the home with the healing center and yoga studio. Vintage chairs salvaged from a Southern opera house provide a space for clients to remove their shoes before entering the studio.
Folding opera chairs: Urban Renewal
Folding opera chairs: Urban Renewal
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by Sarah Greenman
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| A side entrance welcomes visitors to the Sage Hills Healing Center with a mix of Tibetan prayer flags and twinkle lights, which hang on a wooden pergola. The couple purchased the house in 2005 and, in 2009, broke ground to build their garage. This quickly evolved into a 4,000-square-foot addition that now houses the upstairs yoga studio and downstairs office. |
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| Two whimsical chairs, hands sculpted in the shape of the vitarka mudra, provide seating at the entrance to the yoga center. Chairs: The Wizz, Cedar City, Utah |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| A long staircase connects the Sage Hills Healing Center office and yoga studio. MPA: There is a Saraswati statue at the top of the stairs that greets each person as they ascend the stairs into the yoga studio. She is the goddess of wisdom and music, the perfect inspirational deity for the healing center. |
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| SG: What is your proudest homeowner moment? MPA: Creating a space for my yoga business. It was actually my husband’s idea. The studio has 360-degree windows that provide a breathtaking view of the valley. The ceiling is blue to reflect the sky, and the window treatments are copper to reflect the desert landscape. The lighting is all indirect, as there is a wonderful natural light from east-west exposure. |
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Composite decking provides a low-maintenance space to take in the gorgeous view.
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| Another incredible property feature is a labyrinth with an astounding view of the surrounding mountains. Electricity for the house is underground so that the views are completely unobstructed by power lines. |
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| SG: What is your latest steal? MPA: My greenhouse. I got it at Tuff Greenhouses, a local company out of St. George. I love to create healthy vegetarian meals for events that I host at the center. And now I’ll have fresh organics from the greenhouse! |
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| Melanie’s most recent gardening venture is a beautiful medicine wheel behind her guest cottage. A sitting Buddha is the focal point, and the herb garden hosts four kinds of mint, two kinds of lavender, sage, echinacea, bee balm, thyme and rosemary, among others. |
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| The Abderrahmans are always looking for ways to make their home more energy efficient. They installed solar panels on the roof and a supplemental solar panel near the greenhouse. Melanie says that if they ever need to, their home can go off the grid and be completely self-sustaining. There is also a Memon transformer in the electrical panel. This German technology creates a force field in which man-made energy waves, such as from wireless cell phones, are neutralized. |
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by Sarah Greenman
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| Melanie stands under a pergola at her front entrance near a blooming purple clematis. SG: Do you have any advice for other homeowners? MPA: Create a sanctuary that reflects your personal identity as a family or individual. Houzz call: Is your home a relaxing retreat? Share it with us! |
Ideabook updated on June 28, 2012.
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As an engineer with a Physics degree, I had to check the link for "Memon transformer", as I'd never even heard of such a thing. I'm sorry to say that the linked website describes a business that is clearly a hoax, and would be laughable if not for the fact that someone is successfully bilking people out of their hard-earned money. Check out the links; do a little googling. Not everything should be believed, and unfortunately not everyone can be trusted.
I also noticed that the caption for the last photo misidentifies a clematis as a "passionflower". Unlike advertisement for the "Memon transformer", this is a harmless error.