The Cottages at Little Saint are a short walk from the town square in Healdsburg, but when I stepped through the door, I felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole. There were no Cheshire cats, talking rabbits, or Queens of Hearts, but I felt like Alice in Wonderland all the same, with geometric patterns on the floor, whimsical artworks on the wall, and a sense of wonder behind every doorway.
The new four-cottage retreat stays rooted in Sonoma while adding a sense of play and discovery to the entire experience.
What are the Cottages at Little Saint?
The cottages are the latest project from Laurie and Jeff Ubben, the couple behind Little Saint, a plant-forward restaurant, market, and cultural space that has quickly become one of Healdsburg’s most popular gathering spots. Along with director Jenny Hess, they’ve expanded that concept into an overnight experience that feels more like staying in a design-forward home than checking into a hotel.
With only four standalone units, the scale is intentionally small. That allows the team to maintain the same attention to detail found in the restaurant without losing consistency.
Who designed them, and what makes the design stand out?
The interiors come from San Francisco–based designer Ken Fulk, whose portfolio includes projects like The Commodore Perry Estate and the expansion of the restaurant Carbone. His work tends to lean maximalist, layered, and narrative-driven, and the cottages follow that same approach…