Located in the hinterlands of Byron Bay, the Australian seaside hangout and surfing hub, Sun Ranch channels the area’s hang loose vibe. But it does so in surprising, inventive ways: the resort is set on a 55-acre former cattle farm and takes inspiration from 1970s California ranches houses—sunken living room, crushed velvet upholstery, fringed lampshades, and all.
It’s the brainchild of fashion designer Jamie Blakey and travel journalist Julia Ashwood, who got friends in creative fields to invest and worked with sustainability minded design-build firm Balanced Earth to create a splashy, sybaritic retreat. “Like a rock and roll afterparty from the seventies,” is how Ashwood described their vision to Vogue Australia.
Blakey and Ashwood reveled in the details—note the vintage craftsman furnishings and JB Blunk monographs—and Sun Ranch has quickly landed on top travel lists all over. Tag line stitched on the back of the robes: “Hotel of Good Times.” It’s been a profitable venture, too: the place recently sold for more than $15 million (Blakey, Ashwood, and investors paid $3.9 million in 2021 and poured two years of work into it). The new owners are undisclosed but reportedly plan to continue operating the resort as is.
Even if a visit isn’t in the cards, the design is worth seeing: you might consider applying some of these retro ideas in your own good-time quarters.
Photography by Anson Smart, courtesy of Sun Ranch.
Above: In addition to transforming the original ranch house and building six off-grid barns as guest quarters, the Sun Ranch crew regenerated the property by “welcoming” 10,000 native plants and trees. Balanced Earth also added solar panels and rainwater tanks all over.
Above: The original structure is now The Rambler Long House, home to The Lair, the sunken hangout where breakfast is served. Note the built-in lounge in tiger-print velvet. The beaded hanging light is one of several custom pieces artist Lana Launay made for Sun Ranch: see our recent story on her natural material sculptural lamps.
Above: Guest quarters feel like the sort of places, says Ashwood, “where a band would escape to create an album, or perhaps Jack Kerouac would write a novel tucked up by the fire.” The barns have paneled-wood interiors, each with two bedrooms off an open-plan living area.
Above: The barns also have full kitchens with bars of recycled brick and Astra Walker copper faucets—go to our DIY Plumbing Trend Alert to see more.
Above: A barn living room with custom daybed and vintage live-edge burled root table. The resort’s wool rugs are hand-woven in Argentina for Pampa, an Australian line with shops, fittingly, in Byron Bay and Venice Beach, California,
Above: Hand-carved chairs and a claw-footed table on a barn deck. The furnishings throughout are a mix of vintage and artisan made, some of which Blakey and Ashwood picked up on a road trip around the American West.
Above: Shades of terracotta, avocado, and golden yellow in a bedroom. The bedding is French linen. Find similar washed linen sheets and duvet covers at Merci.
Above: Not your grandparents’ ranch bathroom: painted paneling, geometric tiling, and Astra Walker’s copper piping Eden Shower Set and Eden Sink Set.
Above: Shades of red can look restful. Pool Suites have painted headboards and Lana Launay hanging lights.
Above: Pool rooms also have private lounge areas with chaises for two and outdoor showers.
Above: A suite with a wood-burning stove, Lana Launay stitched paper light, and in-room kitchen/bar. Admiring the tapestry? We found a vintage Handwoven Wall Hanging just like this one on Etsy for $175—it was purchased in Scottsdale, Arizona, by the seller’s mother about 45 years ago.
Above: Is it time to reconsider living with combinations of orange, yellow, and red? The tiles throughout are from Artedomus.
Above: The mineral pool is built from basalt gathered on the property. Nearby wood-fired sauna and ice bath included. Yes, there’s also horseback riding at the ranch, as well as a “cosmic cowboy extras” like cacao ceremonies and tarot readings. Go to Sun Ranch for more.
An easy segue to seventies style and color? See Hawkins New York’s Hardware Essentials.
More immersive retreats:
- Les Bain Guardians: White Horses and “Conscious Hedonism” in France’s Camargue
- Hotel Wren in Twentynine Palms
- Quinta do Pinheiro: A Portuguese Farm with Guest Cottages and Nearby Beaches