Designer Ken Fulk has made dreams come true for the global elite, from staging Sean Parker’s elaborate “Game of Thrones” wedding to creating Carbone eateries — and from outfitting Felix Roasting Co. coffee shops to his current work as creative director of the Beverly Hills Hotel’s new food and beverage spaces.
Now, Fulk is listing his personal dream retreat: Durham Ranch, a 76-acre Napa Valley estate that he created with his husband and business partner Kurt Wootton, for $4.5 million.
And the sale comes with everything in it, from the furniture to the art, Fulk’s personal blanket collection — even the Land Rover.
“Everything comes with the sale except our dogs,” Fulk told Gimme Shelter. There are five of them.
“It does sort of feel like the end of an era,” Fulk said.
“I get to work for a really small group of people and the ranch is such a personal expression, it feels like it is my gift to whoever is steward of the land next. It felt like the right thing to do. It should stay intact, and comes fully ready to occupy.”
Durham Ranch was named for the couple’s first Golden Retriever, who never made it to the 1940s cattle ranch, which the couple purchased for $750,000 in 2005. The pair then spent millions to create a retreat of their dreams that is just 90 minutes from their home base in San Francisco. They also have homes back east in New York City and in Provincetown, Mass.
But it’s at the ranch where the couple — and lucky friends, family and staff — get to disconnect.
“We didn’t have Wi-Fi until COVID and cell phones don’t work here, so you are forced to disconnect,” Fulk said. “I’d have to drive into town to check email in the coffee shop and work for an hour or two before coming home.”
“For 20 years, that’s what we did,” Fulk added. “We spent more time at the Ranch during COVID and thanks to Starlink, we now have internet and we are attached to the world. But it’s still very old-fashioned here. We cook. We have friends come … It’s just an hour and a half away from San Francisco and just 15 minutes from The French Laundry [Thomas Keller’s famed restaurant] and yet it feels like it is from centuries ago. And it’s not just us. So many people have made memories here.”
Fulk doesn’t really want to leave, but, he said, it’s time to move on to the next chapter — a nearby “untouched” 1871 homestead that’s in need of restoration.
The ranch comes with a pool, seasonal streams, and hiking and cycling paths — all over 76 acres.
There’s a restored 1,250-square-foot cottage with two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, plus details that include bluestone floors and open rafter ceilings. There’s also a 4,500-square-foot steel barn with dramatic 33-foot ceilings where many weddings have been held over the years. The barn comes with plans to transform it into a residence.
The property also features two safari-style tent cabins with valley views, and a “cowyboy shack” turned into a “hideaway or bar,” along with a pool, a bocce court, terraces and boardwalks.
The listing broker is Hilary Ryan of Sotheby’s International Realty.
