Modern East End Ranch

Ojai Ranch House with Mid-Century-Meets-Modern Vibes

Dating from the 1950s, this California ranch-style family home in Ojai has been updated for the 21st century. The house, with its pool clad in Heath tiles and hot tub, is surrounded by avocado and citrus trees, and insulated by mature oak trees in a quiet neighborhood. A family-friendly spot, the gardens feature an in-ground trampoline, bocci court, play structure and tree swing, in addition to the newly retiled pool and shade structures. Renovated in 2021, its interiors feature angled wood ceilings, generous glass sliders, a living room fireplace and a chef’s kitchen in an open-plan space that opens to the front and back terraces and backyard. There’s outdoor dining on both the front terrace and under a shade tree in the side yard.

There are three bedrooms, two in the main house and one in an attached studio space. The primary bedroom (king, in the main house) has a bathroom equipped with a bathtub and shower, a daybed, and a private terrace. The second bedroom in the main house has a king bed and uses a hallway bathroom.

The third bedroom is an attached studio with an independent entrance (that can also be rented separately). It has a queen-sized bed with a bath, steam shower, bar, chaise sofa, bistro table, and private terrace.

The property features Avocado brand mattresses, Turkish towels, handmade ceramics, and organic Coyuchi linens, plus all-natural cleaning products and eco detergents.

Around

Located in a quiet neighborhood in Ojai, California, an easy 1.5 drive from LA/LAX, the house is about 40 minutes from Santa Barbara, too. But it offers a decidedly quieter, small town atmosphere in a lush valley crossed by dozens of orange orchards and avocado and oak trees. The house itself offers an acre of mature fruit trees and mountain views. Ojai’s East End neighborhood is known for its rural-ish style, where working citrus ranches intermingle with architectural homes and artistic cottages. Hiking trails wend through the area, though it’s only about a five-minute drive to Ojai’s downtown, home to boutique shopping, cafes, markets, and galleries. The sandy beaches of LA and Santa Barbara area are a quick half hour to 45-minute drive from the house.

Set on the sacred indigenous lands of the Chumash People, Ojai has generationally drawn people to it for its energy and sanctity. Ojai’s history as a spiritual sanctuary begins with the Chumash tribe, a group of hunter-gatherers who inhabited this part of Southern California millennia ago, and it continues today, transformed by early European settlers who created the Spanish Colonial Revival styled downtown. A “build it and they will come” dynamic prevailed in the lush valley surrounded by the Topatopa Mountains, and by the late 1920s, Ojai had become a destination for deep thinkers, modern philosophers, theosophists, artists, and Hollywood stars seeking peace and alternative lifestyles. Hippies and healers followed, and the area has expanded to encompass a diverse community of families, artists, outdoorsmen and celebrities woven into its magnetic, spiritual mix.

To the north of Ojai, the Los Padres National Forest offers dozens of trails. Lake Casitas is another local favorite for low-key outdoor recreation, and Ojai is a horseback-riding mecca.

Location

East End, Ojai, California. Nearest airport: Santa Barbara (33 miles); Burbank (70 miles); Los Angeles LAX (85 miles).

Best time to visit

Year round