This house built by architect Nat Owings in Big Sur California is the perfect blend of simple modern and cabin hideaway. It is nestled into a rocky cliff overlooking the pacific coastline as described in this 1959 Time magazine article. He built the home for himself and his wife, artist Margaret Wentworth Owings pictured here on Cathy of California'a blog (thx Cathy!).
The greatest thing about this pair is their activism and commitment to protecting the coastline and wildlife in and around Big Sur. They established the Big Sur Land Use Plan to do just that. Margaret Wentworth Owings established Friends of the Sea Otter and did extensive work to protect the sea lion and mountian lion population in that area. The two worked together, along with other conservationists, such as Ansel Adams, to established the notion of the ''scenic corridor'' - therefore no billboards or neon or intrusive decor were allowed and strict limits on roadside building were enforced along the winding road up the coast. California Route 1 was no longer part of the State Freeway and still remains a "Scenic Highway". The pair continued their environmental activism and she went on to write several books, "Voice from the Sea: And Other Reflections on Wildlife & Wilderness" released just weeks before she died.
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