Very little has changed architecturally about the house since it was built in 1894 by local architects Hermann Anlauf and Franklin Ward. As in any home that has been used over many years, carpeting, wallpaper, and other decorative details have changed. For example, the ceilings in the downstairs rooms were originally stenciled and painted with geometric and floral designs. All of them but the dining room were painted over in the 1920s and 1930s.
Some of the changes to the house were caused by earthquakes. The 1924 Santa Barbara earthquake badly damaged the iron railing or cresting that adorned the roof. They were removed and are still stored at the farm. An earthquake in the 1950s also damaged the fireplaces.
The house has four levels - a full half basement, first and second floors, and an attic with access to a finished room in the tower. The house features several distinctive built-in features, including a roll top desk and bookshelves in the living room, and bookcases in the upstairs hallway. Different woods are featured in the downstairs rooms. At the time of construction, two bathrooms were included in the house - one on each floor. This was before most homes had indoor plumbing. When built, the house was wired for both gas and electricity in anticipation of the arrival of electricity to the area. Lastly, windows and skylights are placed throughout the house to create a light and airy atmosphere.
Front Entry
As a guest, you would have entered through the double front doors. The leaded glass windows and transom are estimated to contain over 250 pieces of glass.
The vestibule in the house is highly decorated with plaster reliefs of classical figure of a young woman. The parquet flooring contains twelve different woods in an intricate design. It is said that the wood in the vestibule came from trees on the farm.
Some of the characteristics of the house are evident in the entry hall. It is immediately noticeable that the woods are natural colored, in contrast with darkly stained woods popular at the time. Evidently G.W. Faulkner preferred the look of natural wood and, as a result, the natural colors and graining of the woods can be seen throughout the house. Birch is featured in this room and in the staircase leading to the second floor. The walls are covered by what appears to be plaster reliefs but are actually lincrusta-a type of embossed wallpaper made of wood pulp and linseed oil. The plaster reliefs echo those in the vestibule. In the 19th century, a reed organ sat in this room. The musical theme is further carried out by the depiction of musical instruments in the medallion surrounding the light fixture.
Outside the Master Bedroom in the entry hall is a 19th century version of an intercom - a speaking tube with bell. A second speaker tube is located in the second floor hallway, and additional bells in each of the rooms on that floor. Someone on one floor could ring a bell on the other floor and they could then communicate via the speaker tubes in the hallways.
Front Parlor
The Front Parlor was the most formal room of the house. It was where visitors were received and entertained. George Washington Faulkner's two daughters, Stella and Alpha, were married in this room in front of the bay windows. For the weddings, swags of greenery hung over the archway in the bay window. At Christmas time, a Christmas tree sat in the same bay window area.
Currently the room contains some piece belonging to the Faulkner family, although they were not necessarily used in this room or at the same time. The wallpaper is reminiscent of 19th century wallpaper.
The wood in this room is teak. Lincrusta in an elaborate foliate design adorns the upper part of the walls.
There are wood pocket doors between this room and the living room or back parlor. These doors, which disappear into the walls when opened, would have allowed for a flow between the two rooms for large social events.
Living Room
The back parlor or sitting room was considered more informal than the front parlor. This would have been the room most often used by the family.
Lincrusta covers the lower portion of the walls, and is colored to resemble tooled leather. The wood in this room is Honduran mahogany. This room is unusual in that it contains a built in roll-top desk and bookcase. The imposing fireplace has a beveled mirror above the mantel and is laid with glazed ceramic tiles.
Dinning Room
Both family and guests would have enjoyed meals in this room. Again, pocket doors between the dining room and back parlor would have allowed the family to move between rooms without having to walk out into the hallway. A built-in cabinet with glass fronts runs along one wall for the display of the family's best china and glassware. A second built-in cabinet opens in this room as well as the kitchen-allowing for the table to be set without having to walk between the rooms. Clean dishes could be placed into the cabinet from the kitchen. Originally, a food pass-through was also on this wall but it has been sealed.
The agricultural location of the house is most evident in this room. The corner designs on the ceiling depict lima beans, oranges and a horn of plenty. The lincrusta in this room resembles tooled copper. The light fixture has been replaced but is also a design that uses both gas and electricity.
Kitchen
This room would have been the focus of the women's activities of food preparation and preservation. Rhoda Faulkner's sister, Louisa, lived with the family for many years and probably assisted Rhoda in the kitchen. It is also likely that day help would have helped with the laundry and other household tasks.
The kitchen has been remodeled, but the original cabinet designs were duplicated as much as possible, including the use of brass hinges.
A cold storage cabinet (sometimes called a cooling area) still remains on one wall. This built-in cabinet, vented to the basement, allowed cool air from there to keep foods like eggs and dairy from spoiling.
To the back of the kitchen is the pantry, with built-in drawers and shelves for food storage. The dumb waiter in this room could be lowered to the basement for firewood. According to the Faulkner grandchildren, they loved to ride the elevator between floors -- if their grandmother did not discover them.
The laundry room is also located off the kitchen. Soiled clothes from upstairs arrived via a laundry chute in the closet in this room. Laundry tubs, with sliding wood windows on the both the house and porch sides are still in place. With this feature, wet laundry did not need to be carried through the kitchen, but was available from the porch to be carried outside for drying. Laundry was the task dreaded by most women, because it required heavy lifting and was hot and steamy work.
A back stairway, although narrow and steeper than the front stairway, allowed easy access between this area of the first floor and the second floor.
Master Bedroom
This room is now used as a library for the UC Hansen Trust, but the architectural features are still intact.
Curly redwood is used throughout the room and its patterning can easily be seen in the wood. The room features an ornately carved fireplace, thought to have been carved by Anlauf, the architect. It also has glazed tiles with one depicting the head of a young girl. The floor is patterned with alternating cherry and tiger striped oak. The walk-in closet has a small window so that it is easy to see the contents of the closet without additional lighting the room also has a private outside entrance.
Bathroom
The downstairs bathroom is divided into three parts. A room off the entry hall contains the bathtub and a large built-in linen closet. A small room, near an outside entrance, contains the commode. The sink was located outside these rooms in the hallway.
Upstairs
The upstairs is not available for public viewing as it currently serves as office space for the UC Hansen Trust. However, there are an additional six chambers and a bathroom (configured in the same manner as the first floor one). The hallway is flooded with light from many windows and a skylight. Built-in bookcases are also located in the hallway. As a result, the family referred to this area as the library. G.W. was known to sit in this area and read.