Bunny Maxim

This remarkable forty-four-acre property is set just beneath the Topatopas in Upper Ojai’s rugged backcountry where the architect owners designed a modern, sustainable, residential compound. Over the last sixteen years they have rewilded the landscape and developed the walking trails that now vein its chaparral, oak meadowland, sage scrub and riparian habitats. Approached from the South, the compound is entirely hidden from the road. The house, guest house, pool & terraces are enfolded in the crook of a dramatic eastern ridge that provides unparalleled privacy, yet affords views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Upper Ojai Valley and Sulphur Mountain Ridge. The property is situated half-way between Ojai and Santa Paula.Surrounded by its gravel precinct, the light-filled, minimalist house sits amidst the trees and shrubs of the chaparral and includes three bedrooms and two baths. The cathedral ceilinged living, dining & kitchen flow into one another flanked by broad passageways and bookended by towering walls that demark the functions. To the North, the house opens to a 12′ X 48′ pool with views of the Topatopa foothills and beyond, to the mountain’s iconic spalled face.Mindful of the heat of summer, the house features shallow covered porches, or loggias, which open to the north and south & provide full summer shade and welcome winter sun. These loggias can be closed behind steel barn doors when there is the threat of wildfire. When not in use they park against the solid stucco walls of the house.The guesthouse/studio and a two-car garage sit below the last curve of the driveway which sweeps up to the house. Its linear design echoes the building above and provides two airy studios linked by an entry hall, a 3/4 bath and an efficiency kitchen.The property comprises two 20+ acre parcels separated by a low ridge dotted with native walnuts, oaks, toyon, and Matilija poppies. The western parcel is bordered by the year-round Bear Creek. Its meadows rise gently to a magnificent oak grove and offer opportunities for both architectural and agricultural development. The residential compound is carefully integrated within a landscape that nurtures the local fauna, birds, bees, hummingbirds and pollinating butterflies, while its buildings are holistically designed to provide serenity, utility & sustainability.Recently certified by Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s ‘Rewild Ojai’ initiative, the estate was featured on their 2025 Native Garden tour.