Wild western style near Joshua Tree

By David A. Keeps Friends gather by the flowing garden fireplace and outdoor dining table of the pueblo-style residence, whose generous patio spaces easily accommodate two-dozen. The guest house is on the right.

By David A. Keeps
Friends gather by the flowing garden fireplace and outdoor dining table of the pueblo-style residence, whose generous patio spaces easily accommodate two-dozen. The guest house is on the right.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Most may never have heard of Pipes Canyon, a butte-studded piece of high desert north of Joshua Tree National Park. But for Paul Goff and Tony Angelotti, Santa Monica residents who built a second home here, Pipes Canyon is more than an escape from the city. It’s a second life, a place where they sit down with friends for holiday dinners under the desert stars.

Pipes Canyon house

And today: The expanded house and garden can accommodate gatherings large or small.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

Inside, the house is decorated in a Western style that incorporates Arts and Crafts furniture, Mexican Saltillo tile floors and cowboy paintings. Pictured here: A painting by local artist James Colt hangs above a cowboy silhouette lamp.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

A wide view of the living room, which has Mission furniture and more of Colt’s paintings.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

In this photo taken from the living room, Angelotti kicks back in a sitting room lined with the sliding glass doors that he and Goff added.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

Mission meets Arts and Crafts, with a Western hide to boot.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

Also part of the mix: a suzani-style lampshade in a guest room.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

The outdoor fireplace and long dining table are the heart of gatherings with friends.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

A carved wood bench is used as a day bed.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

The raised, level patio areas are surrounded by desert flora.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

The outer wall of the garden, with a mission depicted in tile.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

Under the warm glow of the lights, artists and other ex-urbanites gather for a party.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Pipes Canyon house

Though Goff and Angelotti maintain strong ties to the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, they relish entertaining in a more down-home fashion at their high desert ranch. “We live in a glass high-rise in Santa Monica,” Goff said. “We wanted a place where we could barbecue and just hang out.”

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More profiles: Southern California homes and gardens  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)