Modern East End Studio

Ojai Retreat for Two: An Attached, Independent Studio

Dating from the 1950s, this California ranch-style family home in Ojai has been updated for the 21st century, and this independent studio is rentable on its own as a private retreat for two. It is also available with the full house to sleep a total of six guests.

The studio is attached to the main house but has a separate entrance, accessible from front patio and driveway. It is furnished with a queen bed, chaise sofa and bistro table, and its bathroom comes with a steam shower, wet bar and its own terrace. The house is equipped with Avocado mattresses, organic Coyuchi linens, Turkish towels for the pool, and handmade ceramic dishes.

To see the main house, click here.

Around

Located in a quiet neighborhood in Ojai, California, a 1.5-hour drive from LA, 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