Mini-Mod No.3, a mid-century vacation home rental in Sea Ranch, California

A Rare Chance to Experience a Legendary Sea Ranch Chalet

A 1960s Sea Ranch original designed by renowned architect Joseph Esherick to exemplify a clever, affordable, weekend chalet, this property was built as a demonstration home to show to potential buyers in the legendary community. The sweet, natural escape was dubbed the Mini-Mod #3 for its creatively designed, compact spaces.

The cabin for rent in California is one of the few of its kind that remains relatively unchanged today. Artful upgrades have been made at the hands of its new owner, who contributed period furnishings and art, and modernized the space for functionality with respect for the iconic original.

Built to showcase how the legendary, mid-century modern Sea Ranch development could offer affordable designer getaways to homeowners wanting to get back to nature, the Mini-Mod #3 was designed by AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Joseph Esherick, who created the cabin with George Homsey. The latter declared the Mini-Mod the “best version” of the duo’s cleverly designed affordable homes at Sea Ranch, and this property was soon snatched up by one of the community’s original Board of Director members.

Surprisingly unchanged—most of the Mini-Mods were reconfigured and expanded over subsequent decades—this cabin reveals the ingenuity of the original design and features necessary changes made for functionality, preservation and décor, created with great respect for the structure’s integrity, and with Homsey’s blessing.

Virtually abandoned for a decade, the property has been upgraded, insulated, and redecorated. Its 685 square feet now showcase a cool, brightening refurbishment by Framestudio Architects founder Chad DeWitt and husband James Cook. The cabin’s three levels are connected by an open-air staircase for maximum natural light, and feature reclaimed wood from the property, upcycled eco-materials, and the innovative use of space via mid-century-styled built-ins. The tiny house is pure Sea Ranch, with updated wood siding and decks outdoors that blend into the natural environment as well as supergraphics inspired by Barbara Solomon Stauffacher, the creator of the original Sea Ranch logo.

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Tucked under the giant redwood canopy in the coastal forest at Sea Ranch’s south end, this cabin for rent in California has no neighbors in sight, but is only one mile from the community’s Sea Ranch Lodge and Black Point Beach.

Sea Ranch’s Moonraker Recreation Center, with its heated pool, saunas, and tennis/pickleball courts, is also a mile from the cabin, and its architecture is notable, with its wind-blocking wall, flying buttresses and “saddle bag bays" that create its interior. The graphic design work of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, whose art is also on display in the chalet, covers the Center’s interior.

Within the Sea Ranch, there are over 50 miles of hiking trails, forest foraging and beach combing along its 10 miles of coast. Just north, the town of Gualala offers all necessary services, with restaurants, cafes, and bakeries.