6 minute read
From West to East
Couple uses their San Francisco experiences to create a unique home in Ligonier.
By Pat McCloskey
Photos courtesy Julie Watkins/Latrobe Bulletin, www.latrobebulletinnews.com
People lead interesting lives. Take Elizabeth Palmer and her husband, Steve Hoza. Steve, who has roots in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, dating back to the late 1800s, would always visit over the summers from his home in San Francisco. His family moved to San Francisco after World War II when his father was decommissioned to the West Coast and eventually ended up working for the US Postal Service. Steve followed in his footsteps and became a postal service employee himself.
Elizabeth grew up in Washington, D.C., and relocated to the West Coast 40 years ago for a career as an environmental industrial designer. Twenty-five years ago she founded and continues as CEO of Fluid Yoga Studio in San Francisco. The couple met in San Francisco and began a relationship that culminated in the marriage of two interesting people.
In early 2020, Steve and Elizabeth began researching retirement possibilities back east and purchased a piece of property in Ligonier, sight unseen. After some soul searching during the COVID pandemic, they began to renovate the existing house on the property. After having the house totally dismantled, Elizabeth oversaw the design and construction of something that is unique for Ligonier and Western Pennsylvania. The old house was torn down to the studs, and Elizabeth began redesigning the house to meet her vision of California aesthetic—clean lines and functional spaces—what she calls a modern farm house design.
Unique Viewpoint
When I first walked into the kitchen, Elizabeth pointed out that the area had originally been the living room; a fireplace was removed to create a gourmet kitchen, a spot she saw as the heart of the home. The couple loves to entertain, and cooking is integral to their lifestyle. She also told me she had totally redesigned the front space into a patio that provides a view of the street and the neighborhood from a comfortable seating space.
One of the first things you notice is the natural lighting. All-white walls and ample window spaces allow plenty of sunlight into the living space. Steve is an avid art collector, and his painting collection of cityscapes is enhanced by the white spacious walls. Elizabeth and Steve also gave a lot of thought to closet and cupboard space by integrating storage into the walls. For instance, they redesigned a root cellar into a media storage room. There are no walk-in closets but rather integrated storage spaces in the walls. In addition to all new plumbing and electricals, Elizabeth included industrial modern design using the concrete and hardwood floors in the floor plan. Most of the flooring is what she calls continuous flooring with simplicity in mind.
Keeping with the modern farm house design, fences in the front of the house are made of hog wire fence panels, popular in local farm landscapes, and the fences behind the house are corrugated metal, which is also common to the Western Pennsylvania area. However, there is another reason for the corrugated fence. When the sun comes up in the east, the metal warms, and the garden on the other side of the fence is heated by the warming metal fence. As Elizabeth pointed out, they have tomatoes before anyone else in Ligonier—often in May!
The backyard space is artificial turf for easy maintenance. Everything in the house and the exterior is well thought out, and the house can even run off a generator should it be necessary. One of the more interesting features of the house are the windows. They use fully retractable screen windows as well as full-sized standard windows that Elizabeth worked on with the builders. When she found the largest standing windows that she could, she designed the walls to accept them. They also have an outdoors shower and a dog run.
In a total redesign, one must be willing to try different scenarios, and Elizabeth and Steve were open to trying new things.
Elizabeth and Steve both say that living in California made them appreciate that land is precious. Like many Californians, they love walking in town and are conveniently located just a minute’s walk from Main Street and two minutes to the “Diamond,” a gazebo that is the central focal point in the downtown circle of Ligonier.
Simple Concepts
Both Steve and Elizabeth stressed that the final aesthetic concept came down to five materials: wood, concrete, metal, glass, and marble. With simplicity in mind, they were able to use materials to their advantage. She said her work experience allowed her to see design elements converted from a two-dimensional view to three dimensions. This helped her with put her thoughts on paper to convey to the contractors who worked closely with the couple.
As I came to the end of my time with the couple, I asked Elizabeth what their philosophy was for leaving the West Coast, buying property in the east sight unseen, and eventually buying a home in Florida where they spend the winters away from Ligonier. As an aside, the Pennsylvania house can be run remotely and has entire sections shut off when they are not in residence.
Elizabeth said, “Do what you love to do at night, until what you love to do at night you can do by day. Don’t have one thing as a career goal, pick two. Chart your own course but don’t limit yourself. Eventually you will love what you do and can be flexible enough to adapt and change as situations develop.” It’s an interesting philosophy that has enabled this capable couple to enjoy life in different parts of the country.
