by Kate Jonuska
highlighting projects that capture the rich history of the American West
RARELY ARE DESIGNERS as specifically linked with one geography as William Peace is with the American West, a place the Kentucky native says “ignited my life in a way I never envisioned” when he visited as a young man. He fell in love with the brilliance and changeability of Western sunlight, how life changes with the seasons, and with the rich history of the place—all passions that shine through in the portfolio of his work collected in “Peace in the West,” written by the designer himself.
Just as life in the West tends to be dictated by the natural world, the book is organized as a journey from dawn to dusk as the reader moves through 10 of Peace’s projects, starting with a property on the Ruby River in Montana. A family fishing retreat, to be specific, in which a 19thcentury schoolhouse became an ideal log cabin.
Peace is known for adding a layer of luxury atop the West’s expected rusticity, and his projects grow more ambitious as the pages turn. Granted, many of the homes in “Peace in the West” are similarly built for outdoor sport and recreation—a hunting retreat near Yellowstone, a slope-side ski chalet for a young family—but they are also built to be retreats from the urban world, cushioned in fine finishes.
That luxury starts with the materials, including plentiful, high-quality wood—much of it reclaimed—as well as soapstone, granite, copper and other materials native to each project, such as a stunning white limestone in the Texas Hill Country. Atop, Peace layers fine art bronzes, Native American textiles and other original art into textural masterpieces.
“Our ethos at Peace Design is that handcrafted, singular pieces of art bring beauty, depth, and interest to homes,” Peace explains. He proves that Western art need not be traditional, depicting landscapes, native animals or scenes from the past. The pages of “Peace in the West” also serve as a guide to some fantastic modern artists whose work breathes fresh life into the Western genre.
In addition to fine materials, Peace’s Western designs avoid feeling cartoonish or flat by recognizing and incorporating elements from a property or area’s rich history. Using antiques and other details that speak to authenticity, he explains that the goal is to create a home that feels collected across countries and centuries. “As though a homesteader may have brought some heirlooms and continued to collect over time,” he writes. “… European antiques, Western art, and Native American elements set the tone that this home belongs to people who have traveled far but settled in this special place.”
Packed with gorgeous photography— not just of Peace’s design work but of the American West at large—coupled with the designer’s own words and explanations, “Peace in the West” is a tribute to a beautiful design career and will surely be the source of inspiration for many future Western designs to come.
