Sunset Holiday 2021

When I travel for Sunset, I try to work in an early morning run to get grounded in the here and now of wherever I am in the West. Over the past year, I’ve conducted rolling case studies of midcentury modern architecture on the sidewalks of Palm Springs, trotted with cattle in pastures above Solvang, sprinted past pricey dew-covered Pinot Noir in Sebastopol, and studied the shifting blue of the Pacific at a slow jog in foggy Cambria. Out there on the roads and trails, you get to see things you wouldn’t otherwise. At the halfway point of an out-and-back run down Dillon Beach to Lawson’s Landing—a 1950s campground and fishing spot on Tomales Bay—something clicked. Not mentally. But physically. In my heel. I ignored it, mesmerized as I was by…

Go Organic Modern Modern design’s clean lines can feel austere without other elements to soften and counterbalance its elegant minimalism. This great room gets even greater with a floor to ceiling stone fireplace made with Eldorado Stone’s Vantage30 stone veneer in White Elm. The fireplace leans into the space’s soaring volumes, simultaneously enhancing the height while also literally and figuratively warming it up with its earth tones, tactile surface, and cozy fire. The planklike 30-inch long pieces are scaled just right for the space and set the tone for other organic flourishes like wooden pendant lamps, exposed timber, and a double-height firewood nook. Together these elements add a welcome touch of hygge to this Scandinavian-inspired project. Design a Cooler Kitchen There’s a reason TundraBrick is one of Eldorado Stone’s best selling lines: it…

‘TIS THE SEASON Gather around Wolfum’s handmade board games this holiday season, from dominoes to checkerboards that double as stylish serving trays. DOMINOES, $68; CHECKERS, $80; WOLFUM.COM Sitting on land farmed by four generations of the Clark family, each silo is appointed with a loft bedroom and firepit perfect for s’mores. Winter stays mean acres of cross-country skiing and end-of-day sessions in two onsite barrel saunas. CLARKFARMSILOS.COM Versatile Vessels KEEP YOUR COFFEE WARM AND YOUR WHISKEY COLD THIS SEASON WITH CUPS AND CONTAINERS THAT ARE DECIDEDLY CHIC. Made in Oregon, each hand-blown North Drinkware glass features an iconic Western mountain, from Mt. Hood to the Tetons. $48; NORTHDRINKWARE.COM Portland artist Martina Thornhill’s Okay Cups are in high demand, so watch for pre-order dates to snag one of these reusable mugs. $52; MARTINATHORNHILL.COM This 6-oz. hip flask from the Idaho…

HOLIDAY SPRUCE-UP Need to elevate your sofa for entertaining? Lauren Meichtry makes it easy with her growing pillow business Elsie Home. For Southern California clients, she’ll come to your house with every piece in her collection and style your sofa. If you send photos through elsiehome.co, she can do it remotely and put together options. NEW YEAR, NEW SIPS CHAMPAGNE? THINK TWICE. SIP THE WEST’S BEST SPARKLING WINE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE. SUPERIOR SPARKLES You can taste the precision in Caraccioli Cellars 2015 Brut Cuvée, the winery’s first vintage made entirely with estate fruit from the Santa Lucia Highlands. CARACCIOLICELLARS.COM BUBBLES TO BOOT Josh Hammerling used grapes from myriad cool-climate California sites for Hammerling Co. 2019 Sunflower Sutra, which is exactly what we want on a breezy winter night—ideally with fresh oysters. HAMMERLINGWINES.CO PLAYFUL TOAST Look for the octopus on Carboniste’s…

While new technology and construction methods are the hot topic in sustainability and energy savings, simply upgrading your windows is one of the best and easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows in the winter. In warmer months, three-quarters of the sunlight that shines through standard, double-pane windows enters the house to become heat. This year round energy issue can be solved stylishly with JELD-WEN windows. Here’s how. Retrofit If you’re struggling with older sash windows—the popular 1920s design in which window panels are balanced by counterweights hidden inside the frame—the window experts at JELD-WEN have a solution: Replace the inner workings to get them to function properly, while preserving the traditional…

Embroidery and home textile artist Stephanie Housley made her first trip to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park and the Teton mountains on a family vacation from her native Ohio when she was 5. She has only a couple of photos to mark the journey. But her eyes were opened to the possibility of living in an awe-inspiring landscape, and the impression the mountains left on her young mind was as big as the state itself. It was huge. “You know when you have certain photos from your past that you love, and looking at them makes the memory feel more tangible?” says Housley. “You see them and you can remember how the sun felt. That’s how I felt about those Wyoming pictures.” Later in life, after graduating from the Rhode Island…