Luxurious, inviting, rejuvenating: these aren’t
adjectives ordinarily used to describe a barn, unless, of course, you happen to be a spoiled thoroughbred. But the Bar-N is no ordinary ranch. True, the main floor of the barn, which sits on an 8,000-acre Turner Valley-area cattle ranch, houses several horses, a few farm cats and the operation’s office. But the second floor—a space traditionally used to store feed and equipment—is more plush Manhattan loft than rural Alberta outbuilding. Constructed three years ago by Victoria builder/designer Bill Weber with the fastidious input of the ranch owner, maverick (and oft times controversial) oilman Greg Noval, the barn’s near 5,000-square-foot second-floor serves as party central, guest quarters and hangout for his teenage daughters. Nobody lives in the barn, but, thanks to a design focused squarely on sociability, it’s the heart and soul of the Bar-N. The space is often used by Noval’s four barrel-racing daughters and their 4H-club friends for meetings, and by Noval’s buddies as a base for their hunting expeditions. Once a year, the barn is taken over by a raucous posse of cowboys and other guests taking part in Noval’s private, Professional Bull Riders-sanctioned rodeo, which is held on the ranch every July and raises thousands of dollars for such local charities as the Alberta Children’s Hospital cancer ward. In the middle of all this hubbub, adjacent to a working hayloft and overlooking the rodeo arena, is a not-so-private spa that offers the loft’s best view of life on the range.

By Dawn Galbraith | Photos by Robert Lemermeyer | Styling by J. Paul Jaras

Open House
Separated from the sprawling
kitchen/dining area by a bunk-
room, the 540-square-foot spa
bathroom was built to take
advantage not only of mountain views to the west but, more immediately, the barn’s hayloft to the north. Though Noval initially wanted to put a solid wall between the spa and the hayloft, Weber convinced him to open it up to allow those in the spa to get an intimate look at the inner workings of the barn. “I’ve learned that ranching types are indifferent to the interesting things about a real ranch—they take them for granted,” says Weber. “Those of us parachuted into the situation are blown away by that stuff and want to expose it.” To that end, Weber installed windows between the two rooms, punctuated by a long bar and stools on the spa side.

The Soaker
The commercial-size 12-seat hot tub is nestled in the southwest corner of the spa room and is raised up several feet from the floor—bathers must climb a tiny curved staircase to gain access. The placement gives the tub prominence and allows bathers
to see and be seen when there’s a party going on in and around the room. Homeowner Noval admits he’s never used the tub himself, but encourages bruised and battered rodeo cowboys to take advantage of its therapeutic jets: “You get bucked off a horse or a bull, and you get really beat up.
We have a full-scale spa to help them get out of it.”

History Channelled
Despite all the levity of spirit at the ranch and rodeo, Noval wanted to honour the history of the area. So, for instance, the newel post at the base of the staircase leading up to the hot tub features a poignant bronze sculpture of a young First Nations man in traditional hunting garb slumped despondently on his horse. “I chose that piece because it’s reflective of the heritage of this area around the Sheep River,” says Noval. Weber adds that the statue sets a tone for the spa area, reminding guests to think of family and our connection
to First Nations history. “It gives a spiritual, reflective quality to the space.”

Letting off Steam
A bunkroom separates the
communal steam shower room
from the main spa area. According to Noval, it was designed this way so that the spa’s million-dollar views wouldn’t be blotted out by steamy windows. The shower
features four oversize shower-heads and limestone-tile bench seating.

Room with a View
The 12-seat hot-rock sauna
features a window much larger
than the usual claustrophobic
porthole; it looks out onto the
hot tub and beyond to the Rockies, and directly down onto a wet bar built just below the window’s frame. Placing a large window in what is traditionally a dark, cave-like room prevents sauna-dwellers from being cut off from the outdoors or from the party that might be happening right
outside the space.