MacMurray Ranch Farmhouse Landscape

He bought the Sonoma County spread, now called MacMurray Estate Vineyards, in 1941 and remodeled the existing farmhouse in a charming period style that has endured for more than 70 years. Today the property is owned by the Gallo family and produces lush pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay wines, but the house remains much as it did when MacMurray rode the 1,500 acres on horseback and raised prize-winning black Angus cattle. WATCH: See more of this ranch home on Houzz TVMost of the time, the ranch is closed to the general public. But for the past several years, the crisp white gates of the grounds have been open during Taste of Sonoma, a summer event that is part of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and features hundreds of wines and food from some of the region’s best chefs. In advance of the happening in 2014 year, Kate MacMurray took us on a tour of the land her parents loved.In Love With the Rolling LandKate says her father became acquainted with the area after years of fly-fishing in the Russian River. He became friendly with several locals, and through one of them, he met the Porter family. The Porters had been working the ranch since 1850, when their ancestors came west in a covered wagon. MacMurray, who was raised on the outskirts of agrarian activity in Illinois and Wisconsin, fell in love with the rolling land and magnificent vistas and bought it from the owners, who were retiring and wanted to move closer to town.“Although Dad grew up in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, his family had Scottish roots,” says Kate. “I think the landscape, with the haunting fog that often creeps over the hills, reminded him of Scotland. Although we lived in Los Angeles, this was the place my parents considered home.”The original house (seen on the right in the photo) was a simple homestead built before the Civil War; shortly after the war, a more substantial two-story farmhouse was built (left). Fred MacMurray had the two structures joined by a hallway, which was later modified to become an open breezeway.

“My parents were children of the Depression. They bought things with the intention that they would last. … They simply did not have a throwaway mentality.” — Kate MacMurray, daughter of the late actor Fred MacMurray, as told to Mary Jo BowlingThis statement made me long for my grandparents and made me smile, remembering their thrifty ways (there’s a big difference between thrifty and cheap, by the way). This story of MacMurray’s vineyard and farmhouse really touched my heart. The fact that they didn’t have a throwaway mentality means the home has had the same simple, comfortable feeling for decades.Full story: Houzz Tour: Fred MacMurray’s Enduring Farmhouse Retreat

22. Fred MacMurray’s Enduring Farmhouse RetreatThe My Three Sons and Double Indemnity actor’s farmhouse home on a Sonoma, California, vineyard is something worth toasting to. Inside, the house looks much the same as it did when the MacMurrays lived here. “My parents were children of the Depression,” says MacMurray’s daughter Kate. “They bought things with the intention that they would last. There was no thought of redecorating for style reasons.”The fact that almost all of the furniture and accessories are original to the house creates an authenticity that would be nearly impossible to duplicate.Location: Sonoma County, CaliforniaSize: This home sits on 1,500 acres of land.See the full tour

like this style of ranch farmhouse just without the grapes and horses and pasture in it's place

white farmhouse look and setting

Perfect harmony with nature. Family warmth at this home