The Napa Valley ranch of celebrated San Francisco designer Ken Fulk and his husband Kurt Wootton is currently listed for sale. Just 15 minutes from downtown St. Helena, the Durham Ranch spans 76 rolling acres. Once a horse ranch, the property now includes an entertainment barn, a two-bedroom and two-bathroom cottage, two tent-bungalows, a “Cowboy Shack” and a pool. The asking price is $4.5 million.
Oaks draped in lace lichen, a natural spring and rocky streams grace the property. Unique to the Napa ranch is Fulk’s inspired design — rooted in the setting’s history, yet modern and beautiful with witty details.
“The one thing we were certain of when we began was that we did not want to lose the initial feeling that had drawn us to the place,” said Fulk, whose design ethos has been described as cinematic, theatrical and maximalist. “Nothing fancy, no faux Tuscan retreat or Provençal villa. The inspiration in restoring the property was to pay tribute to the classic California ranch with everything white and stark against the ever-changing backdrop.”
With a modern approach, Fulk created cohesion between several distinctly styled buildings: the entertainment barn, with plans by George Bevan (of Sonoma’s Bevan & Associates) to one day become the main home; the year-round tents, which have become a guest favorite; the Cowboy Shack, originally built as an art installation and now serving as an entertainment space; and the 1940s cottage, which had to be completely rebuilt…