Bastiens' Home A Rama showcase achieves eclectic goal

After leaving a previous home of Southwestern decor, Tom and Gloria Bastien knew they wanted something different.

Their do-it-yourself approach turned their new house into an elegant part of the Yuma Reading Council's Home A Rama home tour on Feb. 24.

"'Babe, it's got to be eclectic,'" Gloria recalled her husband insisting. "Everything was dark wood and antiques. So my husband said, 'We're going totally contemporary.' And it was very challenging to find contemporary furnishings that were different."

While much of their 3,885-square-foot home at 1275 S. 28th Drive says modern, the foyer still tethers guests to old world charm. Some parts of the single-story remind visitors of ancient flourishes. Surrounding the circular foyer are copper-colored Roman columns rising to elevated ceilings reminiscent of the Acropolis.

The foyer also features a 700-pound safe made in 1832, with gold leaf trim securing a cache of treasured Pay Day candy bars.

"Each room has its own identity," Gloria said. "We wanted something open and airy."

Indeed, the architecture by Tom Bastien and Jim Hall assured no connecting passages between rooms contain doors. The only rooms with doors are the master bedroom and the doors to the "Cinderella bathroom" that connects the bedrooms of the Bastiens' teenage daughters.

Some modern accessories to pamper include a living room with stainless steel waterfall, a kitchen with a custom stainless steel nook stand and table, stainless steel entertainment shelves in the family room and a surround-sound system in the master bedroom.

Other eye-catching touches are: the dining table's cobalt blue glass placemats, red "alligator skin" walls, created by lifting a fishnet mask over wet plaster, and an L-shaped kitchen bar surrounded by conga bar stools.

Gloria said her husband's favorite "peaceful spot" is the living room. "This is thinking-tank room. His mind is on 24/7."

But her favorite is the "scrapping room." It is a cozy alcove off the foyer where sleek carved bookshelves and cabinets discreetly conceal a desktop computer. A library of scrapbooks archives family and school events. All the cabinets were done by Tom Lawrence of The Woodshop LLC.

"I loved all the work he did - the hideaway spaces," she said. "I like everything in order. I spend most of my time in the scrapping room. I can see the TV, I can see the front or the patio."

When temperatures are cool, the Bastiens prefer to pass the evenings there. But for the scorching summer weather, they have a mesh canopy to screen out the sun. And a flat stone fountain cascades to a pond stocked with Japanese koi fish.

"But we do a lot of entertaining," Gloria noted. "We're ready to go for any type of gathering."

And for those parties, the Bastiens converge on their second favorite room: the game room. Since Tom loved to watch the 1980s hit comedy series "Cheers," he designed a bar similar to it. The ebony bar has a stone top with speckled pattern.

And since they love jazz, murals of musicians getting in the groove adorn the walls, along with sculptures of a saxophone and a trumpet. Bastien said they gravitate toward the soulful sounds of Ray Charles and with the surround-sound on, guests could almost picture "Brother Ray" tickling the ivories at their upright Suzuki piano in the corner.

"When people enter our home, we want them to get an ambient feeling. I love the way things came together, like the mailbox Tom built. If people can't find our street, I tell them to look for the stainless steel, green leaf mailbox."