Celebrity Style
May 16, 2023
Tastemaker Jenni Kayne Sells Picture-Perfect Santa Ynez Ranch
L.A. designer and tastemaker Jenni Kayne has made a career from embodying the California spirit with her 20 namesake clothing stores scattered across the U.S., where customers can find the perfect oatmeal linen sweater, or nestle into a bouclé chair from her design store Jenni Kayne Home.
She recently sold her photogenic ranch in California’s Santa Ynez Valley for $5.995M (USD): the ranch figured prominently in her first book, Pacific Natural. According to Dirt.com, Jenni’s company bought the scenic spread out of foreclosure about three years ago for just under a million dollars, and filled the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home with comfortable, tailored furniture. Click through to see how she brought her trademark look to a tired ranch house!
The mid-1970s ranch house was in very rough shape when Jenni bought it. “There was caution tape on sinks and toilets, and animals living inside of it,” she says. But it was beautifully sited, overlooking 19 rolling acres in the exclusive Woodstock Ranch equestrian community. After the two-year overhaul was completed, Jenni used the ranch to host getaway weekends of yoga, spa treatments, wine-tasting and farm-to-table dining.
The nearly 3,900-square-foot home is bathed in warm natural light, and is pared down to its bare essentials with a curated palette of rich textures and earthy neutral colors. Oversized and well-positioned windows frame sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.
The open, single-story floor plan has British Standard by Plain English cabinets and shelves. Jenni installed a new pale oak flooring and raised the ceiling, opening the kitchen to the living room, and adding a long island. Raising the roof creates more flow between rooms, while steel-framed glass maximize views.
Jenni’s kitchen features a sizeable banquette, “which I love for family dinners, breakfasts, or just lounging and working,” she says. There are 360-degree views of the Santa Ynez Mountains through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as private patios accessible from the bedrooms, kitchen and living room.
The great room brings together many of Jenni’s own designs, including the sofa and coffee table — and two vintage Swedish armchairs.
Aside from the bucolic surroundings, the ranch showcases her furniture and lifestyle collections, including this dining table with benches and leather-backed chairs. “The point is to take your shoes off, relax, and feel connected to nature.”
Each of the bedrooms has a private bath and direct access to the outdoors, while the primary suite, with a vaulted ceiling, fitted walk-in closet and mountain-view soaking tub, is a serene sanctuary. “I love linen bedding,” says Jenni, who chose a different color Parachute bedding for each of the four bedrooms.
The formerly choppy primary ensuite was opened up to create a bathroom with two vanities, Moroccan clay tile, and a tub that looks out to a side yard with burbling fountain.
Jenni created multiple comfortable seating areas “where you can sit and gather and have a cocktail or meditate,” to take in views of the ranch’s rolling hills and protected oaks.
An expansive deck, partly shaded by a peaked pergola, spans the width of the house above a newly installed swimming pool and spa.
The pool was the most exciting addition according to Jenni. “It really transformed the property. It’s almost like an infinity pool looking off to this beautiful view,” she says.
Angi Welsch and Amanda Sanford
Dirt.com