As a kid, fashion and home designer Jenni Kayne used to visit the Santa Ynez Valley with her family. “I have such amazing memories of summers and long weekends there,” says Kayne regarding the wine-growing region northwest of the city of Santa Barbara.
In September of 2020, Kayne purchased a 3,860-square-foot home in the valley — where celebrity residents have included Noah Wylie, Bo Derek, tennis great Jimmy Connors and lyricist Bernie Taupin — but the four-bedroom house was not exactly move-in ready.
“I spent time looking for the right property in Santa Ynez, and came across this home that had been abandoned since the 1970s. It was near disrepair, with caution tape across the sinks and toilets and animals living inside,” says Kayne, who nevertheless could see the potential of the space as a showcase for her Jenni Kayne Home collection and as a place for friends and family to visit.
“I took the property down to the studs with my team, opening up rooms, rebuilding and fulfilling its potential.” Renovation of the property took two years and was completed this past March.
Now Kayne is selling the 20-acre property, which the designer has dubbed the Jenni Kayne Ranch and which she describes as a classic “California ranch-style home … optimized for indoor-outdoor living.”
The home slash marketing concept — which she showcases on her brand’s website with a “shop the ranch” buying feature of showcased items including her Pacific Bed and Brentwood Chair — is a study in comfy yet minimalist living done in white and beige tones. “We loved having the ability to showcase the power of our home collection in a living, breathing space,” says the L.A.-based designer.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch Listed with Kayne’s husband, Westside Estate Agency partner Richard Ehrlich, for $5.99 million, the open-floor-plan house, which has 360 degrees views of the surrounding oak-dotted hills, includes a chef’s kitchen by bespoke kitchen designer Plain English and a pool surrounded by items from her outdoor furniture line, the Vista Collection.furniture line, the Vista Collection.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch Over the summer and early fall, Kayne and her brand hosted experiential getaway weekends for guests at the property that included farm-to-table meals, wine tastings, yoga classes and spa treatments. Among those posting on Instagram about their stays were fashion blogger Aimee Song and stylist Brad Goreski.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch Kayne, who published design book “Pacific Natural at Home” with Rizzoli last year, sees the property renovation as her “first big step” into the hospitality sector, with plans for a similar project in New Zealand in 2023. The designer, who last year launched a beauty line, Oak Essentials, is also partnering with the soon-to-open Auberge Resorts Collection property The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern. Located in Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley, the resort will include her beauty line, plus spa treatments curated by Kayne.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch The designer describes how the property was designed with its location in the Santa Ynez Valley mind. “With its rolling hills and focus on California living, the intimacy and the beauty of the Santa Ynez Valley is what draws people in. It’s easy to get to for those who live in California, yet it still feels like a total escape. Plus, there’s so much to do, whether it’s wine tasting, horseback riding, or exploring the incredible restaurants.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch The Ranch encourages the appreciation of surrounding nature and that slower life, really focusing on indoor-outdoor living. I love that this classic ranch is more than just a single-story space, it’s a place that is welcoming, comfortable, and speaks to an effortless way of living,” says Kayne, whose clothing designs have been worn by such stars as Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, Emma Stone and Hailey Bieber. (Kristen Bell wore a number of Jenni Kayne items in “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window”).
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch The house is being sold unfurnished, though according to a spokesperson for the designer, buyers will have the option to purchase furnishings by request.
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Image Credit: Angi Welsch This story first appeared on HollywoodReporter.com.