The Ranch House

Designer Cabin in Iconic Sea Ranch Architectural Community

With its 1970s-era, award-winning floorplan by notable Sea Ranch architect Don Jacobs, its classic Douglas fir-lined interiors and its picture windows offering views of the fern-blanketed redwood forest, this recently refreshed house has won design awards and magazine mentions for its late mid-century styling and iconic Sea Ranch sensibilities.

A one-bedroom retreat, it sleeps four with its queen-sized sleeper sofa in the living room. A Mørso wood-burning stove gives the cathedral ceilinged living area its cozy vibes, and the bathroom was recently updated and has a shower space that’s brightened by a skylight. The wifi is fast and reliable, making this a great, inspiring remote work spot.

Wraparound decks outside and a U-shaped kitchen prep area combine with the home’s clean-lined geometry and wood finishes to create a cabin that’s distinctly modernist in the spirit of the era’s A-frames. One patio features a hot tub and lounge seating, the other a fire pit with ample seating and views into the woods, where a hiking trail leads to the Gualala River and a picnic area known as The Hot Spot.

Around

As The New York Times put it, Sea Ranch is “a cluster of homes on the California coast …that lifts the souls of design aficionados with its style forged by A-list architects and its deference to nature."

All of Sea Ranch is connected by Route 1, and the area offers miles of beach, dozens of hiking trails, and access to a pool/tennis/recreation club within minutes by car. The area’s hiking trails access a fern- and redwood-filled wilderness area crossed by streams and covered with rolling hills. Sea Ranch chapel is one famed local landmark, as is the Sea Ranch Lodge, and Gualala is the closest town for local food and retail options, situated just a 10-minute drive north.

Developed in the 1960s, Sea Ranch is known for its distinctive timber-frame structures designed from weathered local redwood by noted American architects, including Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker, Al Boeke, Don Jacobs, and Joseph Escherick. It rises organically from the rugged coastal landscape of California’s Sonoma County, capturing the drama of this wild natural area. Sea Ranch’s renowned Moonraker Recreation Center, a 1960s structure with a wind-blocking wall, flying buttresses and “saddle bag bays,” features the graphic design work of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon covering its interiors.

Location

Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California, US. Nearest airport: Santa Rosa (1.5 hours)

Best time to visit

Year round