Cottagecore Meets Cali at This Ken Fulk Retreat

Photography by Brendan Mainini

There’s a new hideaway in Healdsburg, a city in Sonoma County, California—and it’s groovy in the best possible way.

Tucked just behind Little Saint—a beloved 100% plant-based restaurant, coffee bar, wine lounge, cocktail bar, and events venue—the newly opened The Cottages at Little Saint feel less like a hotel and more like you’ve been handed the keys to a very stylish friend’s private retreat. The Little Saint team has expanded its world with four standalone cottages, designed by Ken Fulk, that hum with the creative energy of 1960s and ’70s Laurel Canyon. Think: Joni on the turntable, checkerboard floors underfoot, and a porch made for late-night philosophizing over Sonoma Pinot.

Founder Laurie Ubben calls the project “a natural extension of the Little Saint family,” noting that guests can “take in the full rhythm of Healdsburg by gathering for dinner and drinks, catching live music upstairs … while always having a charming retreat to return to at the end of the day.”

Translation? Dinner downstairs, vinyl upstairs, cottagecore dreams after midnight.

Of course, with Ken Fulk as the design mastermind behind the project, the maximalist magic is real. Known for theatrical, story-driven spaces (from private estates to high-concept hospitality projects), Ken approached the cottages with the same philosophy he brought to Little Saint itself.

“Our goal for the design of The Cottages was the same as when we designed Little Saint: Create a space that fosters community,” Ken says. “The Cottages are a natural extension of the Little Saint universe—full of whimsy and nostalgia while still evoking a sense of freshness and originality.”

Once Ken got going, the vision became clear: color-drenched walls, vintage-inspired wallpaper, painted checkerboard floors, aged brass fixtures, custom patchwork upholstery, and hand-painted armoires with trompe l’oeil touches by painter Rafael Arana.

Each of the four cottages—Gimme Shelter, Court, Spark, and Déjà Vu—has its own personality and soundtrack. Yes, soundtrack. Every space comes with a record player and a curated vinyl collection. (If you’re not spinning Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark, then are you even on vacation?)

Originally built in the 1980s and now fully reimagined, the cottages sit just steps from downtown Healdsburg—one of Sonoma County’s most charming town squares. Guests get the best of both worlds: walkability to tasting rooms and boutiques, plus a leafy enclave with landscaped paths, private porches, and a heated pool.

And because this is the Little Saint universe, the experience goes deeper than good looks. The team collaborated with local makers to create custom hydrosols, shrubs, teas, soaps, and bath salts—many of which incorporate ingredients grown at Little Saint Farm. It’s a hyper-local ecosystem disguised as a weekend getaway. Direct bookings even come with a Little Saint gift card upon arrival and 15% off retail purchases. Dangerous? Possibly. Worth it? Absolutely.

The Cottages were conceived as a creative haven for artists, musicians, and design obsessives who prefer their luxury with a side of storytelling. Every porch invites conversation. Every patterned tile dares you to look closer. Every room feels like it has a backstory.

And perhaps that’s the magic trick here. The Cottages aren’t trying to be a sleek, anonymous wine country hotel. They’re intentionally intimate. Slightly nostalgic. A little theatrical. Very soulful.

In a region known for polished resorts and vineyard views, this project offers something different—a technicolor, vinyl-spinning, plant-forward love letter to the community.

Frankly, we’re packing our bell-bottoms.

—Murrye Bernard