
A World of Style

Photo by Thomas J. Story; styling by Miranda Jones
With Amanda Jones spending four months of the year traveling the world, you might expect her to live in a spare space that serves simply as home base between gigs. But Amanda, originally from New Zealand, prefers returning from destinations like Ethiopia, Vietnam, Chile, and the Philippines with as much as she can carry. “I arrive home looking like a refugee with all of my boxes and baggage,” says Amanda, whose husband and two daughters often travel with her.
“I collect things—and their stories—wherever I go.”
Slide show: See more of this home’s global style
And where many of these stories end up is Redgate Ranch, the family’s weekend retreat in Northern California. The “shackteau,” as Amanda refers to the less-than-1,000-square-foot house, is her space to experiment with the finds she brings back from many of the countries (more than 100 so far) she has visited. “Here, I feel I can do things imperfectly and a little funky. The house seems to welcome the imprecise,” she says of the interior and its blend of textiles, feathers, and tribal jewelry, as well as random DIY projects like the Mexican tiles she glued on the kitchen wall.
Go for foldable textiles and small objects. The tile-topped armoire isn’t practical. Instead, buy tiles and plan a DIY project that incorporates them.
In the shackteau are silk fabrics from Vietnam, textiles made by Hmong people, Rajasthani saris (turned bedspread), and tiles from Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico.