Stay at Sea Ranch modernist cabins in California

Inside Cedar + Skye cabin — Cedar + Skye, a Sea Ranch property originally designed by architect Ralph Matheson and newly renovated as a rental for The Sea Ranch Lodge

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sea Ranch Lodge)

California’s Sonoma County – stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the rugged Coast Range – is a sought-after region to retreat to. For those who would like to immerse themselves in both nature and modernist design, Sea Ranch, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, has just the thing in the form of The Sea Ranch Lodge’s series of renovated local homes.

First developed as a planned community in the 1960s – the vision of architect and developer Al Boeke, and his master planner Lawrence Halprin, who set out to preserve a balanced relationship between the inhabitants and nature – Sea Ranch today comprises more than 2,000 private homes, many boasting distinctive timber façades and designed by notable architects, among them Charles Moore, Joseph Esherick, William Turnbull Jr, Donlyn Lyndon, and Richard Whitaker. (We also recently explored a contemporary addition, The House of Four Ecologies, built by a group of friends.)

Discover Sea Ranch Living's modernist cabins

The Sea Ranch Lodge is one of the oldest properties within the community. It was originally designed to serve as a central community hub, housing a post office, land sales office and information centre for new visitors. Later, it became a hotel and along the way lost its roots and charm – until a recent reimagining.

Exterior Cedar + Skye cabin — Cedar + Skye cabin, designed by architect Ralph Matheson

In 2021, the lodges’ public spaces were restored, followed by a revamp of its North Building in 2023, which now boasts 17 intimate guest rooms. The South Building hosts a dining room, a solarium, a bar, lounge and café, and a general store for visitors and residents.

Meanwhile, the lodge launched its Sea Ranch Living programme in 2022, offering stays in a thoughtfully curated collection of renovated local homes as an immersive way to experience the area’s design legacy. The programme has recently expanded, now boasting 13 modernist residences, which nod to the community’s craftsmanship and connection to the landscape.

Guests can enjoy the history and charm of Sea Ranch, while also having access to the lodge’s services. Tarp House, for example, designed by Obie Bowman, is a forested home with expansive windows framing redwood and Douglas fir forests. It boasts a vintage design housing contemporary art by artists including Analia Saban, Sharon Lockhart and Laura Owens.

Sea Ranch-Tarp House — Tarp House, originally designed by architect Obie Bowman, is a Sea Ranch home that has evolved over the course of 40 years

The programme's most recently renovated properties include another Obie Bowman house, Third Rock, originally completed in 1983, with an array of angled windows looking over a meadow towards the ocean, and a ‘living roof’.

Third Rock exterior — Third Rock, another Obie Bowman design

Shanti House, meanwhile, by Carson Bowler, is an oceanfront retreat with raw and honest materiality. Its cedar-lined living spaces nod to Japanese and Scandinavian interiors.

Cedar + Skye is a Ralph Matheson-designed midcentury modern cabin tucked into the redwoods, featuring glass walls, a lofted sleeping space, and forest-to-ocean views.

A Sea Ranch classic, Compass Close by Bob Hartstock, was also renovated, including the addition of solar power, and has expansive decking that overlooks the rugged coastline.

Inside Third Rock cabin designed by Obie Bowman — Inside Third Rock cabin

These properties offer an opportunity to feel like more than a visitor, to understand a little of what it’s like to be a Sea Ranch resident, in a space that has been expertly and beautifully designed, in a magical location.

thesearanchlodge.com

Tianna Williams is Wallpaper’s staff writer. When she isn’t writing extensively across varying content pillars, ranging from design and architecture to travel and art, she also helps put together the daily newsletter. She enjoys speaking to emerging artists, designers and architects, writing about gorgeously designed houses and restaurants, and day-dreaming about her next travel destination.