Table of contents for September 2018 in Sunset

1. TILE The big fall reveal from Sunset fave Fireclay Tile comes in 24 stunning color-ways and mix-and-match matte and polished finishes. The inspiration for this glasstile collection came from John James Audubon’s 1821 painting Great Blue Heron. From $35/sq. ft.; fireclaytile.com. 2. STONE Caesarstone’s versatile new quartz marries casual sophistication with earthy elements. Excava 4046, $25/sq. ft.; caesarstone.com. 3. WALLPAPER The latest pattern from Half Moon Bay designer Kate Miller—a painterly take on the California poppy—is a lovely motif for a contemporary dressing room. Botanica wallpaper in ink, $65/yard; elworthystudio.com.…

“You know that person who talks about quitting their safe corporate career to follow their crazy dream? That’s me.” So writes Meredith Bell (below) on her Instagram for Autonomy Farms, her 20-acre environmentally friendly operation in Bakersfield, California. Turns out, her leap of faith paid off. Despite having to overcome many challenges, from personal health problems to devastating floods, Bell and her four-year-old farm now supply some of Southern California’s buzziest restaurants. Customers like Rustic Canyon and Kismet turn to Autonomy Farms for natural and humanely raised meat, such as pastured chickens and grass-fed Angus beef. You can too: A monthly meat CSA delivery (from $83) ships to states west of Texas. Bell, who still works the farmers’ market circuit with her staff, also hosts special events on her property,…

ROCK STAR Embrace your inner ’90s guitar hero with bed-side tunes, just as you would at the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco (from $224; phoenixsf.com). Amp maker Marshall’s Stockwell portable speaker looks like something you’d connect to a Fender Strat, but it’s more suited to USB cords, rechargeable batteries, and taking calls through a Bluetooth connection. $219; marshallheadphones.com. SOUTHWEST DREAM MACHINE At El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas (from $85; elcosmico.com), where the mood is Tex-Mex with a dose of bohemian camping, a bookable apartment in a nearby annex features beds draped in a limited-edition cotton duvet. You can pick up a similar pattern at the hotel’s online store. From $200; ecprovisionco.com. BAJA BEAUTY Borrow a fresh take on bathroom finishes—and the colors of Mexico’s magic-hour sky—from Todos Santos’ Hotel San…

Before wine took off, Sonoma County’s western hills were known for orchards, not vineyards. Plenty of lichen-draped trees remain around the town of Sebastopol, where a morning of apple plucking can lead to a day of action-packed fun. 10:30 A.M. Start at family-owned Apple-A-Day Ratzlaff Ranch (707/823-0538; closed Thursdays and Saturdays), hunting the rows before biting into one of their prepicked Gravensteins, a popular local cultivar noted for its hints of cinnamon. 12 P.M. At Handline (handline.com), tuck into calamari tostadas and rockfish tacos on the patio; the greatest-hits kids’ menu and a new handmade wooden-toy kitchen will keep the cubs happy. 1:30 P.M. Take a self-guided tour of the 3-acre Luther Burbank Experiment Farm (707/829-6711), where Sonoma County’s inventive plant breeder created many of the more than 800 varieties of fruit and…

When 39-year-old attorney Renée DuPree moved into her modern Oakland bungalow in the fall of 2016, the 1,700-square-foot garden was nothing special. There were a few raised beds, lots of mulch, and a simple path leading to a wooden bench. Winter rains sprouted a surprise: Everything, including the footway, was overrun with wild alliums. “When you walked through,” remembers DuPree, “it smelled like you had just cut onions in the kitchen.” Later that season, she decided it was time for a remodel. A friend recommended Beth Mullins, the owner of San Francisco’s Growsgreen Landscape Design and a specialist in hardscape—best defined as the bones of any yard, including decks, fences, patios, and steppingstones. “It’s basically anything that isn’t planted or movable,” explains Mullins. “You can design different areas or rooms…

Growing up in the city of Homs, in central Syria, Noor Al Mousa learned to bake supremely crunchy, buttery baklava alongside her mother and grandmother when company was expected. “Almost everyone made it,” says Al Mousa. “Guests are very important. We like to make them welcome.” Al Mousa and her family were forced from their home by war, but when they arrived in Phoenix two-plus years ago, that tradition of hospitable baking stayed strong. She joined the Syrian Sweets Exchange, started by Americans to help refugees introduce their treats to a wider community and support their families by doing so. Now, thanks to her delicious and generous sample plate, Al Mousa has earned a regular following at the Scottsdale farmers’ market, where she sells October through May. Lighter and less…

SERVES 4 / 2 ½ HOURS 2 rotisserie chickens½ celery stalk1 quartered carrot¼ onion1 bay leaf¼ cup lime juice Kosher salt½ cup finely chopped onion1 ½ cups each diced zucchini and yellow corn kernels1⅓ cups cooked rice8 squash blossoms (optional) 1. Make stock: Pull meat off bones and dice enough to make 2 cups; set aside. Put bones in a 6-qt. pot and pour in 9 cups water (to just cover bones). Add celery, carrot, onion quarter, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, lid barely ajar, 2 hours. Strain stock and return to cleaned pot. 2. Add lime juice, salt to taste, chopped onion, zucchini, and corn. Bring to a simmer, then add 2 cups diced reserved chicken. Simmer until vegetables are just cooked,…

COLOR THEORY Modern Hawaiiana is the name of the game at Oahu’s most eye-catching new lodging. Your phone may die before you can capture every gorgeous detail. The refreshed Shoreline Hotel Waikiki—the first Aloha State project of Dan Mazzarini’s BHDM Design—deftly straddles tropical exuberance and tongue-in-cheek interiors. Island flora painted by DJ Neff adorn a stair-well leading to the rooftop pool; faux ‘i‘iwi and other native birds descend on rattan-cage light fixtures in the open-air lobby above custom furnishings. “We said, ‘What if our space was kind of an eternal sunset?’” notes Mazzarini, whose hand is evident throughout. He even captioned a 3-D map of Hawaii affixed to a wall in each of the 135 guest rooms. “It’s like my signature on the place—a fun wink,” he says. This design…

For Naz Deravian, who fled the Iranian Revolution with her family at age 8, Persian cooking always delivers on its promise to draw friends and family around a table to laugh and share memories. In her first book, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories (Flatiron Books; $35), Deravian—an actress and writer now living in Los Angeles—adapts Iranian home cooking to American kitchens with clarity, zest, and joy. “What does Persian food taste like?” she writes. “Fragrant, flavorful, fresh, elegant, cozy, unfussy … certainly never shy.” But it’s her particular take, influenced by years in the West, that we admire: “My cooking … simmers with its own multicultural accent.” PERSIAN EGGPLANT and TOMATO FRITTATA (VARAGHEH) SERVES 6 TO 8/50 MINUTES Varagheh means “layers,” which, says Deravian, perfectly describes this…

IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S NAPA VALLEY, ornate tasting rooms with $50 Cabernet flights are the norm. But things tend to be more down-to-earth west of the Mayacamas Mountains, where Sonoma County’s mix of organic farms, neat vineyard rows, and gently curving backroads can infuse even the most keyed-up of clans with a sunny form of Zen. While little hands are best kept at arm’s length from the stemware, the apple orchards present another equally juicy way for minors and their parents to experience the countryside. Heck, there’s even a whole museum devoted to Charlie Brown and friends. The cusp of autumn—when workers begin cutting grapes from vines and produce stands overflow with fruit—is the best time to go. Just about any stop along the way offers an intimate peek at where…

When a late-summer heat wave bronzes the interior, hightail it for the coast for refreshing sea breezes and cold water. Guide and naturalist Margaret Lindgren leads tidepooling excursions at locales like Salt Point State Park through her Unbeaten Path Tours ($50/person, age 7 and up only; unbeatenpathtours.com). Heads angled down at the rocky pools, little ones (and their minders too!) can spy giant chartreuse sea anemones, purple and orange sea stars, shy hermit crabs, and darting sculpins. Lindgren preaches an eyes-only philosophy; to handle some of these creatures yourself, visit the touch tanks at the Bodega Marine Laboratory (bml.ucdavis.edu) in Bodega Bay on Friday afternoons.…

Whether you’re adding finishing touches to your hardscape or want to perk up a small porch or patio, your first stop should be the Sunset Western Garden Collection (find a distributor near you at sunsetwesterngardencollection.com). We have specimens of all shapes and sizes that can handle the season’s first chilly nights without losing their vibrant color. Look to these eye-catching container combos for fall foliage and flowers, each meant to thrive in a specific region of the West. Use them as inspiration for your next weekend planting project and follow these simple tips to get started: LOOK FOR HOLES. Use containers with drainage openings on the bottom. Most plants don’t like soggy conditions, especially as cold temps approach. DON’T OVERCROWD. Less is more from a design and health perspective. Crammed…

ROCKY MOUNTAINS Your CHECKLIST PLANT As you harvest and remove summer vegetables, sow annual ryegrass into bare patches for a cover crop. Ensure moist conditions until the seeds germinate; turn mature plants into the soil early next spring. Add ‘Tom Thumb’ cranberry cotoneaster to your landscape. A spreading, low-growing shrub, it has glossy, dark green foliage that turns crimson in autumn and occasionally features shiny red fruit. Site in full sun where it has room to grow to 6 feet wide and cascade over rocks or a wall. Try a new fall-planted bulb—Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii ‘Twinkling Yellow’—for a golden miniature daffodil that is heat- and drought-tolerant. Look for blooms in early spring and don’t worry: It’s pest-proof. MAINTAIN Cover tender annual flowers and vegetables—such as ageratum, impatiens, marigolds, peppers,…

TENT CAMPING You’ll find 30-plus campgrounds scattered throughout the Canadian Rockies’ three adjacent national parks, Yoho, Jasper, and Banff. They range from easily accessible sites with showers, fire pits, and restrooms to bare-bones hike-in locations with room for just a few dozen tents. Interested in backcountry camping? Reserve a permit through the Parks Canada online system, which began serving Jasper two years ago and launched for Yoho and Banff National Parks this past March. Whenever and wherever you go, bring layers and a warm sleeping bag—even at the height of summer, it can get mighty cold up here. From $7.45 U.S./night; parkscanada.gc.ca. GLAMPING If you don’t want to lug a ton of gear around, consider an Otentik. A recent addition to Canada’s national parks, these large, wood-framed canvas tents are…

FILO DOUGH Check packages of the frozen, paper-thin dough carefully for size (you want sheets about 12 by 17 in.), and buy more than 1 box, as the quantity of sheets per pound varies by brand. To help prevent cracking, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, not on a counter. CLARIFIED BUTTER (called ghee in Hindi—it’s a common ingredient in India—and samneh in Arabic). Cooked to remove water and milk solids, it develops a subtle nuttiness. The most economical option is a blend of butter and oil, but all-butter tastes better. Making your own is easy; see the method on page 79. ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER Al Mousa uses just a splash to perfume her sugar syrup and nut fillings. “It’s a beautiful smell—it reminds me of the jasmine in Syria.” WALNUTS…

SERVES 4 / 30 MINUTES ½ cup frozen edamame8 oz. shell or macaroni pasta1 lb. peeled diced butternut squash1½ cups (3 oz.) finely shredded cheddar cheese1 tbsp. butter¾ to 1 cup whole milk1 tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. freshly ground pepper 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add edamame and cook until tender, 3 or 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop into a bowl. Add pasta to water and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. 2. While pasta cooks, steam squash in a separate pot in a steamer basket set over boiling water, covered, until very soft and cooked through, 12 to 13 minutes. Scoop squash straight into a blender or food processor. Add cheese, butter, and ¾ cup milk; blitz into a smooth,…

High style, low fuss—that was Rachel and Michael Graves’s goal for the exterior of the 1951 ranch house they purchased last summer in Ojai, California. “We needed to bring it back to its roots with clean lines, modernist color, and a general midcentury vibe,” Michael says. The couple—who owns the home-goods store Summer Camp (shopsummercamp.com)—shares their budget-minded formula. PAINT “Choose a color that’s noticeably different than the previous hue for maximum impact,” suggests Michael. The couple opted to treat the trim in the same moody shade for consistency and easy application. Benjamin Moore Aura in Soot 2129-20, $75; benjaminmoore.com. DOOR “Nothing drags down a house like a tired front door,” says Michael. In keeping with their streamlined sensibility, the couple picked a mahogany one with slats of frosted glass and…

Last year, after California passed new legislation cutting down the red tape around building in-law units, cottages, and other so-called “accessory dwellings,” the architects at Santa Monica’s Minarc devised a way to make adding one to a single-family lot more efficient too. Husband-and-wife team Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir tapped into their Nordic roots to create a minimal prefab they dubbed Plús Hús. It eschews the conventional construction route for a method that’s cost-effective, quick, and environmentally sound. Starting at $37,000, the units—which take only a week to assemble—are made of a wood-free prefab panel system manufactured at Minarc’s sustainable fabrication facility in Downtown Los Angeles. The 16-by 20-foot structures are mold- and termite-resistant, available in 23 VOC-free exterior finishes, and come in three models with an optional bathroom…

The neighborhood was rough, the koi pond was disintegrating, the rooms looked like they’d been outfitted by a mishmash of designers, and the renovation budget was small. But to Liz Lambert, San Francisco’s 44-room Phoenix Hotel was all rock ’n’ roll. Bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and The Stone Foxes stayed there when they played in town; sometimes, they even hung out in the courtyard after shows. So last year the 54-year-old hotelier got to work, giving the 1956-built lobby the air of a recording studio. She eliminated the pond and pasted band posters on the guest-room walls. “To me, the most interesting hotels are ones that are part of the fabric of a place,” Lambert says with a Southern drawl. “So we peeled away the…

With its colorful rocket sign reaching for the sky like a Disneyland ride, The Astro (from $160; theastro.com) in Santa Rosa instantly dazzles the un der-8 set; adults will appreciate the chic midcentury furniture and bold art collection. Less than a year old, the upcycled motor lodge has 32 rooms (plus two suites with kitchenettes) and welcomes young ’uns, who can borrow books from a children’s library in the lobby. Parents can sign out vintage tricycles or Shinola bikes for a ride through Juilliard Park. Final destination? Railroad Square for ice cream, of course.…

PERFECT DAY Pull off the Pacific Coast Highway, pick your spot, and spend the day on the sand: That used to be the MO for this stretch of Orange County. With almost 10 miles of coastline, it’s still a magnet for pro surfers and wading toddlers alike. The difference? The once-dingy (by O.C. standards, anyway) Huntington Beach has become as inviting as those sparkly Pacific waves. In fact, there’s a lot more to the water-front than, well, water—like restaurants that put the average sea-shack burger to shame, miles of bike lanes, and a shopping center that serves as an open-air town square. Sure, you could still spend all afternoon on a towel, but bring a coverup that’ll let you hit the streets in style. 9 A.M. Start off at Portola…

SUMMER BLOOMS MAY BE EPHEMERAL, but that’s what gives us such great appreciation for their bursts of color. To extend this much-loved moment in the garden, we tackled DIY pressed flowers, with a few sculptural leaves thrown in for good measure. The tools we used are simple: a heavy book, glue, paper, rubber bands, and a simple frame. Just follow these instructions from Alethea Harampolis—co-owner of San Francisco’s—to create a quick and easy showpiece that will preserve your favorite blossoms for months or even years to come. Cool tool If you’d like your blooms to be paper thin for easy gluing and a flawless finished product, use a wooden flower press. They’re inexpensive and can easily be found at a craft store or online at BestNest (from $19; bestnest.com). The…

We drew inspiration from the city’s collective consciousness about Old Hollywood—notions of grandeur achieved through planted form.—Jenny Jones, Terremoto Landscape James Roncal and Stuart Marks had a lot to be happy about: After five years together, they decided to get married this past spring in front of 30 of their closest friends and family. They’d also just completed an 18-month remodel of their Spanish revival home and garden in Hollywood’s Whitley Heights neighborhood. So they decided to simultaneously debut both—their nuptials and their refreshed space—by holding the ceremony outside in their jungle-like backyard. “The fact that we were able to share the moment of committing to each other, but also our home and garden, was just an unbelievable feeling,” says Marks, a building developer by trade. It’s likely not the…

Alyson and Michael Jones made their first visit to Jackson, Wyoming, during Christmas 2012. “It was calling us all along,” says Alyson of the resort town steeped in cowboy culture. The rugged alpine community was an off-the-beaten-path curiosity, with a mythic landscape that spread out before them in every direction. “Wyoming was kind of like the North American version of the African safari—all these big animals roaming wild,” says Michael, a native of Ottawa, Canada. Following that inaugural trip, the Los Angeles–based couple (who both work in creative advertising for film studios) continued to return, bringing along their sons Casey, now 5, and Dylan, 7. “After we saw the kids responding to it the way we did, it was a done deal,” says Alyson. So when they found a 2,400-square-foot,…

RAINBOW PINWHEELS MAKES 5 (LAVASH) TO 8 (TORTILLAS) /20 MINUTES Pretty and fun to eat with your fingers, these are also genuinely tasty—even to grown-ups. Make them the day before, and pop them into a lunch box in the morning. Use any leftover vegetables in a salad for dinner. ¼ red bell pepper1-in. wedge of purple cabbage1 medium carrot½ avocado½ cup sunflower sprouts8-by 10-in. spinach lavash or 2 large spinach flour tortillasAbout ¼ cup hummus 1. Slice bell pepper and cabbage into wisps and coarsely shred carrot on a box grater. Slice avocado thinly lengthwise. Rinse sprouts and roll them up in a clean kitchen towel to dry. 2. Thinly spread lavash with hummus, spreading almost but not quite to the edges. Arrange each vegetable on top in adjoining rows.…

SERVES 10 TO 12 / 1 HOUR Leaves from 6 to 8 sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano4 thick slices rustic-style bread½ cup whole milk2 large eggs2 lbs. ground beef½ tsp. coarse salt¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper2 garlic cloves, peeled1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, plus more for serving2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 recipe Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce (sunset.com/easytomatosauce), warmed; or 7 cups store-bought marinara10 to 12 lightly toasted and partly split hoagie or sub rolls 1. Preheat oven to 425°. Roughly chop marjoram leaves (if larger than a ladybug), enough to make a heaping tablespoon. 2. Remove crusts from bread, then break bread into bite-size pieces. Measure 3 cups (loosely packed) into a bowl. Pour milk over bread and stir so it gets soaked. Crack eggs into a…

TRAVEL DESTINATION: PACIFIC NORTHWEST 101 Arts Downtown: Puyallup’s Outdoor Gallery 102 Cannon Beach History Center & Museum 103 Explore Fairbanks 104 Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce 105 Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce 106 Rosario Resort and Spa 107 Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center 108 Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat 109 Tualatin Valley 110 Visit Spokane ARIZONA 111 Tempe Tourism CALIFORNIA 112 Alpine County Chamber of Commerce 113 Black Oak Casino Resort 114 BW PLUS Stovall’s Hotels of Anaheim 115 Calaveras Visitors Bureau 116 Fairfield—Gateway to the Napa Valley 117 Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau 118 Huntington Beach, California—Surf City USA 119 Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau 120 Redding CVB 121 Stockton Visitors Bureau 122 Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite 123 Visit California 124 Visit Lompoc LLC 125 Visit…

Smaller crowds, lighter traffic, cooler temperatures—autumn is the perfect time to plan a rollicking road trip to the Sierra Nevada, where you can walk among the giant sequoias at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. To herald our October issue about unforgettable fall escapes, we partnered with Tuolumne County, the gateway to Yosemite, to offer one lucky winner and a guest the region’s best hotel and glamping stays. The prize package (a $2,400 value) includes overnights at Evergreen Lodge, Lazy Z Resort, Red Tail Ranch, Rush Creek Lodge, and soon-to-open AutoCamp Yosemite. Get the details and official rules at sunset.com/fallescapecontest and enter the contest on Instagram (August 17–September 17).…