Unique Forest House in Sonoma County is one with nature by design. See $3.5M listing
The much-acclaimed Forest House in Sonoma County — a collection of luxury, cedar-clad, one-room cabins with glass walls and stained matte black exteriors — has hit the market for $3.5 million.
The cabins are elevated above the forest floor on a 40-acre lot and connected by boardwalks, all designed to blur the distinction between indoors and outdoors.
“An artful imagination and a desire to create a restorative retreat was the inspiration behind this amazing wine country property,” according to the listing. “The result is a remarkable collection of four architecturally significant pavilions gently placed within a madrone forest, connected by a network of boardwalks and a mindful appreciation of nature’s garden. It is this enduring environment that provides the backdrop for a lifestyle that is transformative and tranquil.
“This unique rural retreat defies description,” it states.
In short, the home in Healdsburg, California, is what you might expect when the architects wondered “what if the forest itself were the house?”
That’s the question posed by Douglas Burnham, an architect with Envelope A+D, who designed the residence in 2015.
A total of four pavilions are set in a madrone forest. Three free-standing sleeping cabins cluster around a central kitchen and dining and lounging lodge that includes built-in sofa and dining tables, a home theater and wood stoves.
“Whether a private campground, ultimate building site, legacy estate or a woodland retreat, there are no words to adequately describe the magic of this very special place,” the listing states.
NanaWall door systems open to exterior decks, and much of the feel of being indoors falls away.
“The WD66 is our all-wood framed folding glass wall,” according to the archtectural site for the Forest House. “The WD66’s superior insulation and weather protection make this system the perfect accompaniment for Forest House. ... As a series of small, one-room cabins, Forest House is made to feel infinitely more spacious by having the additional flexibility afforded to it by a NanaWall system. Upon operation, the WD66 can glide off into a corner, expanding the room to which it is attached by opening it entirely to the outside.”
The glass panels are “so panoramic that it begs one to question whether they are indoors or out,” according to the Envelope A+D site.
The main cabin features a wood stove, and a tranquil bath with soaking tub and rose tinted windows looking out to the madrones. Two additional luxury platform tents on the property can be used for guests. There’s an expansive amphitheater-style recreation patio under a canopy of trees, a glamping tent and a gas firepit.
Outside, there’s a heated, 42-foot saline system pool, lounging deck, a cedar cold-plunge pool and hot tub, outdoor shower, lush lawn and in-ground trampoline.
Sheri Morgensen and Jessica Wynne of Sotheby’s International Realty-San Francisco Brokerage hold the listing.
In 2017, the retreat won design award from the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
