The Farmhouse at Ojai Valley Inn has debuted in the Ojai Valley of California’s wine country. Led by architect Howard Backen and his locally based Napa firm Backen Gillam Kroeger, the multifunctional, epicurean showplace will be home to an array of large group events.
The 20,000-square-foot venue comprises four distinct spaces—the Kitchen, the Library, the Lawn, and the Great Room, which totals 8,500 square feet. Reminiscent of a barn, each 25-foot-tall space is clad with wood and glass in addition to a natural palette of forest brown and gray, redwood siding, and exposed wooden trusses. The demo-format Kitchen accommodates up to 80 guests, while the adjacent Library and garden courtyard seat up to 20 each in more intimate settings. Staggering sliding doors open to the Lawn, which hosts expanded outdoor seating, a landscaped garden of olive trees and lavender, and a vegetable and herb garden.
“The magical surroundings and natural backdrop of Ojai is the main inspiration for the design of the Farmhouse at Ojai Valley Inn,” Backen says. “The consistently mild weather and expansive space allowed me to open up the center and incorporate a natural aesthetic throughout with rustic, yet clean and simple natural design.”
