Bluebird Day Cottage

Pollinators' Paradise: A Country Cottage Near San Francisco

A sunny cottage of homespun and handpicked furnishings that shines with a classic Californian happy-go-lucky look, this sweet 1940s-era outpost is a welcoming base for exploring Marin County, San Francisco’s outdoorsy playground of redwood forests and hiking trails, surf breaks and wild beaches at the door of Napa Valley’s vineyards.

Built by a beekeeper and cherished as a weekend hikers’ getaway for decades, this storybook cottage oozes cross-stitch sampler charms, a simple home sweet home, only 10 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, with views over the National Recreation Area of the same name. Timeless without being prim or Pollyanna, the pretty space features modern canvases and assorted rugs, a library of coffee-table books and unique objets d’art. A soothing color palette surrounds sleek, modern amenities in the kitchen and baths, and wrap-around decks both shaded and sun-drenched overlook the woodsy knoll garden, with more space for unwinding and taking in the views.

AROUND

Located in Mill Valley, a Marin County community in the hills of the Tamalpais Valley, a short distance from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the cottage is a quick five-minute drive to the village’s center, a well-loved destination for artisanal groceries, coffee shops, just-caught seafood and a handful of independent, locally-owned boutiques. A crossroads between hills and sea, the area is crisscrossed by hiking and biking trails, dense with towering redwood forests, and miles of beaches loved by surfers. Stinson Beach is 25 minutes away, and Muir Beach only 10. The Coyote Ridge Trailhead can be reached out the front door after a five-minute walk, and another favorite nearby trek follows the Dipsea Trail through Muir Woods to Stinson Beach, after a 5-10 minute drive from the cottage. The cottage’s immediate back yard is alive with birds, bees, and the occasional passing wildlife (deer, rabbit, turkey). Its greater “backyard” is an outdoor lover’s playground, encompassing the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a rural zone of picturesque winding country roads and paths, the Tennessee Valley headland area with dozens of oceanview trails, and the vineyard-covered Napa Valley, less than an hour north of the cottage.

LOCATION

Mill Valley, California, United States. Nearest airport: San Francisco (30 miles); Oakland (40 miles)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Year round