Set in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains in Montecito, San Ysidro Ranch has welcomed guests for more than 130 years. The land was part of a 1769 Spanish land grant and served as a way station for Franciscan monks before becoming a working citrus ranch in the 1800s. Its 1889 sandstone packing house now holds the Stonehouse restaurant. The ranch took its first paying guests in 1893 and became a private retreat for writers, statesmen, and Hollywood stars. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh married on the grounds in 1940, and John and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned here in 1953 in the cottage that now bears their name.

Ty Warner bought the ranch in 2000 and began a restoration led by architect Marc Appleton of Appleton & Associates, now Appleton Partners. Much of the property had to be rebuilt. The work kept the character of the original California ranch cottages, with their stone, timber, and private gardens, while updating every cottage inside. The restoration was largely complete by 2007.

Matt Walla photographed the ranch across multiple seasons, returning many times to follow the changing light over the cottages, interiors, and gardens. The photographs show the craftsmanship and materials of the buildings and how they sit within the mountain landscape around them.