Wickenburg AZ. Horsing around in Wickenburg

Horsing around in Wickenburg AZ

WICKENBURG - Jeanie Tazioli and Lew Sowards' home is like a museum of collectibles. Hummel figurines dating from the 1920s and 1930s decorate an antique cabinet. Western gear, from 100-year-old riatas to an antique Remington rifle, hangs on the walls. A menagerie of life-size metal animal statues grabs attention in the yard. See pictures of this cool Wickenburg horse property

The couple dubbed their 6,000-square-foot home, which sits on 18 acres at the edge of town, the L.J. Ranch. But its nickname is "Horse of a Different Color," after their collection of five distinctly colored horses that roam the adjacent pasture.

The home is one of five on today's Wickenburg Tour of Homes. The event, which benefits the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, also offers a holiday market with craft booths and sales of cookbooks, baked goods, jewelry and more.

Tazioli, who had a mineral and rock collection as a child, isn't exclusive in her collecting. All types of things interest her. She's found some items at art fairs and others at antiques shops and estate sales. Still others came from friends.

"I like to look at my stuff," she said.

She has stories about every item. Like the hornet's nest, sans the stinging insects, that rests on a pot shelf in the great room.

"Who would take the time to take it out of a tree and paint it?" she said. Nevertheless, she did. "I've had it for at least 40 years."

It joins other natural items that include a grouping of 8-inch-tall rustic chairs made of twigs hung on the wall and dried vegetation.

Divided into several seating areas, the great room also houses collections of African spears that Tazioli got from a friend, Native American handicrafts (including a painted elk skin) and Western artwork.

Her favorite item is a painting of a horse that she bought at an Illinois art fair. She took one look at it and bought it on the spot.

"The artist said, 'I've never sold anything that fast. What was the attraction?' I said, 'The horse has five legs.' He said, 'I need to buy that back,' " she said.

The painting hangs on the great-room wall, surrounded by other paintings of horses.

If there is one theme, it is horses. The decor includes a rawhide horse statue, wrapped wire horse sculptures and a bronze horse statue. Outside, life-size weathered metal sculptures of horses join other yard art, including a circus elephant and giraffes. And, of course, there are the real horses: the Argentine Thoroughbred, Arabian mustang and others sharing the pasture and the 10-stall barn.

Tazioli enjoys spending time with the horses, all rescues and some with health problems, such as cancer.

She also likes her laid-back lifestyle.

"This is very peaceful, no stress," she said.

When she and Sowards, who used to live in the Valley, decided to move to Wickenburg and build a home, they opted for livable, comfortable styling and an open floor plan. Having had separate formal living areas and family rooms before, they chose the great room because it was more conducive to family gatherings and entertaining.

"This is a used house," Tazioli said. "We entertain a lot. We have parties every five or six weeks for 30 people or more." And they get lots of guests.

"We are booked until March. Our company (even) brings company."

The kitchen, which contains an island, custom-designed alder cabinets, wall ovens and a custom vent hood that has a rock facade, is a perfect gathering space. It opens to the entryway, which contains a built-in hutch that showcases Tazioli's collection of glassware.

The adjacent formal dining area features an ornate Italian chandelier and antique furniture, including a serving cart that is topped by a collection of old Nippon porcelain. Artwork by Jon Reich, who is deceased and had been a friend of Tazioli's, lends color and interest to the walls.

The master bedroom, done in blues and yellows, features a closet anyone would love to have.

"It's 26 feet long," Tazioli said. "I'm a clotheshorse. When we were building the house, the carpenters called this room 'the alley.' They couldn't figure out what it was."

In the next several years, she and Sowards hope to add 1,000 square feet to the house and turn the three-car garage into a game room.

The Wickenburg tour features four other homes, including a mountainside home that sits on 11 acres.
Source: Az Republic

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