Sunday, February 21, 2010

Tent Living - A Unique Wine Country Retreat


Our neighbors, Gerry and Glen in the wine country have plans to build a home on their 160 acres of land. In the meantime though, they live in tents! This is their vacation retreat, where they have created a beautiful compound consisting of three tents and an outdoor kitchen.

We met Gerry and Glen at another neighbor's annual luncheon, and I was intrigued by their story. The guys drive the 8 hours nearly every weekend from their home in Los Angeles to this upper Sonoma County magical retreat! Metropolitan Home even featured this couple in their July 2009 issue.

This is their living room tent decorated with an old 70's stove and matching sofa upholstered in outdoor fabric. The stove is in front of a large window so they can sit and be warmed while watching nature outside.

The outdoor kitchen under the California Oaks. The refrigerator and stove are powered by propane, electricity is solar generated. A leaf blower works well for clean up! What began as a temporary housing, now is their passion. They even planted 1200 olive trees on the property! They plan to keep the compound for guests when their permanent home is constructed in 2011.

This is their view overlooking their pond stocked with Koi.
All four photos above from July 2009 issue of Metropolitan Home.

These tent cabins are made by Sweetwater Bungalows in Truckee, California. They have been around for over ten years. Their cabins are used as guest houses, art studios, resorts; Yosemite National Park even uses them for camping guests.

Here are a few more photos from Sweetwater Bungalows:





How much fun would it be to decorate one of these tent cabins?! I have plans to someday have three of these on our wine country property for guests. I can just see them lined up with a gravel path connecting them all. Each one would have a different theme. The "Out of Africa" theme, the "Fisherman" theme and the "Shabby Chic" theme!

The images above from El Capitan Canyon Resort, near Santa Barbara featuring Sweetwater Bungalow tent cabins. Read about it here.
Read more about Gerry and Glen's tent compound in Metropolitan Home here.
Sweetwater Bungalows has a beautiful website here.

Pin It!

33 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Delores! Wow... I would stay and ANY one of those fantastic places! Great post!

Oh and you mentioned you are going to use that nickel spray paint on that "Rusty silverware" you got on Ebay... Just don't use the "satin" its kinda of rough... use the gloss...

~Rainey~

Carol said...

Wow, those are the coolest tents I ever saw! I wouldn't mind living in a tent like that! Enjoyed your post!

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

I have never seen tent cabins before. Great idea for your guests on your property. I love how those are decorated.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Astounding...what a wonderful way to live...except for the commute!!!

The Charm of Home said...

Oh, that is chic! It reminds me of British Colonial tent with the furniture in it.

A Runner's Mind said...

There is a whole other world out there!!!! How can you make tent living and an outdoor kitchen seem as enticing as a night at the Ritz? (well, maybe not the Ritz, but you know what I mean!) What a unique getaway!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What fabulous tents! They look so roomy and comfortable. CA certainly has the perfect weather to be able to use them year round.

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

What a beautiful post! I love the pics! Out tents in Wisconsin sure look different than these! I had a totally different pic in my head. I could live in a tent like this. Cindy

Kifus said...

I certainly wouldn't complain if my hubby invited me to camp out in one of those tents! Now, I'm sure he would sleep on the floor and complain about lack of the good ol' camping spirit!

Christine said...

This is amazing! Talk about vacationing in style, just beautiful, thank you for sharing! Happy MM!

Lori E said...

These are great spaces. Of course one would have to watch the wine consumption while walking near the koi pond.

Kathysue said...

this is so cool, I remember watching Sarah Richardson design the insides of a Yurt, which is tent -like. This is such a great idea, these guys sound like they are great planner's I like that!! Good for them. How fun for you to plan the same idea for your property. I love this!! Thankyou for sharing,Kathysue

Mary said...

Can I have first dibs on your 'Out of Africa' tent..............I'll be practicing come May when I'm on my safari!!!

These are so neat. Can't wait to see what kind of house these guys are planning to build!

Snap said...

Wow and Wow again! How cool is that? I think I could live in a tent like these!

Anonymous said...

Yeah...I thought I knew how to luxury camp. There's a state campground at Lake Shasta that has a few Yurts, but I doubt they are decorated like those. Love the kitchen...Diana

my home sanctuary said...

Wow what a cool post. I enjoyed visiting.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a Blessed Week,
Sherry

Pat@BPM said...

Delores, this looks like a wonderful place!

xinex said...

Those are pretty cool, Delores. I have never seen anything like them and they are so cute....Christine

GardenOfDaisies said...

Those are pretty amazing,fancy tents! NOT like the tents we used when our family went camping ... no sleeping bags and air matress that you have to fill with a little foot pump. :-)

French-Kissed said...

I want one too!!! When my sister got married a few years ago we gave them a weekend at El Capitan in one of those gorgeous tents. They loved it. How fun that will be for you to use them as guest quarters at your home. ~jermaine~

Acanthus and Acorn said...

Really wonderful post. The images were fantastic. Who knew "tent" could be a good thing! And, yes to spending down time in this sort of environment and to decorating them. Fun indeed!!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! Redefining the term "camping"! I love it. Really beautiful photos! Marcia

Kelley said...

I love the tent idea Delores! And yes I would like to decorate a tent too.

xo kelley

Debbiedoos said...

Now that is a tent I can stay in wow!!~ What a tricked up place that is, I love it!~ Thanks for sharing Delores....oh and CHarleston is a super place too!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

If that's tent living, sign me up! They're gorgeous!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

I have always wanted one of these! I just think they would add so much to the feeling of being on vacation. They are so charming, and what fun to decorate. If you get 3 of them, I can just imagine how wonderfully they would be decorated! laurie

Barbara said...

Wow, I have never seen these tents, will have to investigate them. What a beautiful place, I have been to the wine country and hope to come this fall or next spring....beautiful, just beautiful.

Barbara

Ms. Bake-it said...

Definitely not your ordinary tent and camping experience! What a fabulous retreat!

~ Tracy

Mary @ Framed and Tagged said...

OMGossssh!! What else would you need! Just beautiful!!

Happy OW!!

Jeanne said...

Wow, what a unique idea. I love it all. A fun couple to know. Lets tent like that.
Hugs, Jeanne

Marsha said...

How very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing, I never knew you could make something like this from tents :)

Diann @ The Thrifty Groove said...

Wow! Those are just amazing! Thanks for all the awesome photos to show us the insides on these!

Mary said...

Oh how wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing at MM. :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails