The Mendocino coastline is wild and ever-shifting—shrouded in dense fog at one moment, then gleaming under clear sky, only to be swallowed up again. It’s the kind of landscape that not only inspires creativity, it provides the materials to create. All you need is a little resourcefulness and a wide-open imagination.
Welcome to Gardenseal Ranch, where that ingenuity and love of the land converge in one 1,050-square-foot cabin, originally built in the 1880s, and lovingly restored this year. Owner Max Goldstein worked with architect/artists Fritz Haeg and Jeremy Schipper of Salmon Creek Studio to design the space, and Max took his love of tile work to new heights with stunning mosaics made of mixed tile boxes.
Max’s partner, Jay, devised a system for sorting the 2,000 pounds of tile they collected from Sausalito, where mixed tile boxes are sold for $5 as a way to reduce waste and encourage creative reuse of existing material.
Together with family and friends, Max designed and installed gently monochromatic mosaics for the bathrooms, fireplaces, and entryways.
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During my medical residency, I found tile work cathartic, particular mosaics. When I discovered the Heath Tile shed, I felt like I’d struck gold. I’ll never forget looking up the weight restrictions on my car to see how much I could safely take.
A California native with roots in Los Angeles and family all over the state, Max spent time at antique shops and flea markets collecting furniture, art, and useful objects for the house. His brother-in-law connected him to a lumber source in Humboldt County where he sourced majestic redwood slabs to create tables, and whole spruce trunks to provide structural support. The effect is forest-like.
A short distance away and up the hills from the coast, Fritz Haeg lives on another property that has become a working example of resourcefulness, artistry, and community. Salmon Creek Farm was originally a commune of families, raising their kids in the 1970s and 80s among these pathways and redwood clusters. A few years ago, as the last of the commune residents decided to move on, Fritz purchased the land and began reviving it as a communal space where artists could come stay for extended residencies that also include working on the land and helping to restore the tiny cabins scattered around the property.
To visit today, it’s easy to see the deeply creative spirit that has infused each little dwelling, with spaces designed to maximize efficiency in terms of both function and materials. Each cabin has its window frames painted in a different color, unifying the unique structures gently, but keeping their basic shapes true to their original. A large deck—inspired by dancer Anna Halprin’s famed Marin Country dance deck—sits in a central area of the land, with a large pizza oven, a covered dining area, and an outdoor stove clad with a mosaic made from Heath mixed tile.
“Whoever’s here needs to be involved in what it means to be here,” Fritz explains as he tours us around. “You’re not just a passive recipient. If someone is here for a few months, they can see the big arc, experience changes of season.” Currently, Fritz and other residents are working on building what he calls a “laundry pavilion”—a generous structure designed for the community to do their laundry, find shared tools, but also to come together and interact around basic tasks of daily life. “There’s no back-of-house here,” he says, “Tools and laundry are very important, so they’re central and visible.”
Both Gardenseal Ranch and Salmon Creek Farm stand as incredible testaments to the potential of reuse as a powerful creative constraint—the kind that leads to greater ingenuity and surprising beauty.
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Cereal Bowl
$37.00
One of two bowls available in our Coupe line, designed in the 1960s. Boasting the clean, simple lines that have become a hallmark of the iconic collection, it's the perfect complement to your Heath place setting. Use it for cereal and salad but don't stop there—we're sure you'll find a reason to use it every day.
Expect lovely variation in our Moonstone and Redwood glazes.
A stunning still life piece with or without flowers. Display it as a family, mixed and matched, or on its own. We’ll leave that up to you. At once versatile and understated, it makes a beautiful addition to any room.
Our Bulb Vase makes for a stunning still life piece with or without flowers. Display it as a family, mixed and matched, or on its own—we’ll leave that up to you. At once versatile and understated, it makes a beautiful addition to any room.
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