London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

Inspired by the Blunk House, a Sculptor Transforms a Rustic California Cabin Into an Evolving Work of Art

Inspired by the Blunk House, a Sculptor Transforms a Rustic California Cabin Into an Evolving Work of Art

The handmade cabin owned by Ido Yoshimoto (J.B. Blunk's godson) is featured in the book 'How to Get Away,' alongside retreats that dot remote forests around the world.

If you’ve spent time in and around Inverness, a misty, rustic Marin County enclave most famous for its community of artists, proximity to the Point Reyes Light House, and abundance of oyster farms, you may have heard of J.B. Blunk. Blunk, a Kansas-born sculptor who escaped to the wilds of Northern California to live off the grid, created his famous, organic sculptures out of wood, clay, and stone. His massive sculpture and master work “The Planet” (1969) was carved from the stump of an ancient redwood and is a must-see at the Oakland Museum of Art. His house, known simply as the Blunk House, has been preserved as a museum.

And it’s become a kind of prototype, like George Nakashima’s house in Pennsylvania, or Georgia O’Keeffe’s house in New Mexico, for people who want to live simply and deliberately in nature, surrounded by handmade, carefully curated objects. Blunk’s godson, fellow sculptor Ido Yoshimoto, is one of them. In the book How to Get Away: Cabins, Cottages, Hideouts and the Design of the Retreat by Laura May Todd (Lannoo Publishers), Yoshimoto’s handmade cabin is featured alongside retreats that dot remote forests around the world, from Marrakech to the Stockholm archipelago.

One glance at Yoshimoto’s simple cabin, though, and it’s clear that this house could only exist in California.

Yoshimoto took over a simple cabin at the end of a dirt road and slowly transformed it into a handmade retreat.

Yoshimoto was raised nearby in Marin County and followed in the footsteps of Blunk and his own father, Rick Yoshimoto, a fellow sculptor. He poured his heart and soul into the woodland retreat at the end of a dirt road, about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco but worlds away.

Yoshimoto’s art collection, including ceramics made by his father, Rick, and godfather, J.B. Blunk, is on display throughout the tiny house.

“When I took over, the building was uninhabited for many years and the forest had encroached onto the property,” Yoshimoto says in the book about the existing structure, which was built in the 1980s. “There have been multiple residents and each has added on or modified the design.”

He added to the original structure, from shelves and lights to tables and stools throughout the humble cabin and workshop.

It doesn’t get more rustic than this tiny kitchen, which makes space for essentials in a small corner of the structure.


“My goal was to create something comfortable and liveable while applying my aesthetic and using the materials available, most of which were reused and reclaimed scraps from my art studio,” says Yoshimoto, whose artwork, which is carved from blocks of wood, has been shown in galleries around the world.


“Every plate, cup, and bowl has been made by an artist that I know or collected from travels,” he says. That includes ceramic pieces made by his father and Blunk, and paintings by friend Jessica Niello and Californian artist Raymond Yelland. “I really enjoy having a personal collection. To let things curate themselves by way of connection.”

The sleeping area is separated from the main living space by a curtain.

The home, like Blunk’s, is an ever-changing art exhibit that will continue to evolve and age with Yoshimoto. And it embodies that rustic, time-worn, beautifully weathered aesthetic that Inverness is famous for.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Technology Services Strengthen
Metropolitan Police Continue Investigation Into Reform UK Political Financing
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
×