When friends get together, magic happens. Especially when those friends are Alison Pickart, California-based designer and serial creative collaborator, and Katy Polsby, owner of the heritage wallpaper and textiles company CW Stockwell, known for its iconic Martinique print. (If it looks familiar, yes, it's that banana-leaf pattern from Blanche Devereaux’s bedding).
While catching up in L.A., the pair dreamed up a fun collaboration that would honor the spirit of that wallpaper and the women—excuse us, the Golden Girls, who loved it. Pickart and Polsby teamed up to create the Baywood Guest House, a short-term rental property conceived as the ultimate getaway pad for a group of girlfriends in sun-soaked Marin County, California.
Pickart and her husband had originally purchased the 1920s craftsman-style bungalow as a guest house, and rented it to a family who had lost their home in the 2020 Santa Cruz fires. Once the hillside home was vacant, Pickart was ready to take on a new challenge. "The idea was to create a place where women, i.e. Golden Girls wannabes, can get together for little vacations, staycations, or reunions," she says of the inspiration behind the Baywood collaboration.
The layout was critical to that purpose: kitchen, dining room, and living room needed to flow in a way that maximized hang time. "Because, as we all know, the FOMO is extreme!" says Pickart. During the three-month renovation process, the floors were replaced and leveled, and the kitchen opened up to enhance the overall connectivity of the common area. "You couldn’t really do anything fun until that part was out of the way," Pickart explains.
Then commenced the pattern party—layering classic CW Stockwell motifs with playful selections from the new collection to showcase the full breadth of the line. "Each of the bedrooms has its own personality," says Polsby, "kind of like a great hotel, where each room has its own unique identity and hidden surprises." After relaunching the iconic CW Stockwell brand in 2019 with a collection of archival patterns, Polsby has brought the brand firmly into the present—and made use of the lively colors and patterns in the space that the collaborators affectionately refer to as "the Golden Girls house." As Pickart says, "The intention was to infuse the house with a sense of fun, playfulness, and a delightful unpredictability—a place where visitors would feel inspired by how the design elements work together."
How did the design team celebrate when the Baywood project was finished? A clink of wine and a silk pajama party, of course, in true girls weekend fashion.
Living Room
A sunny space to relax and reconnect.
Sectional: Jayson Home & Garden. Pillows: CW Stockwell Canyon in Seadrift, A Midi-Mini in Sun, Jules in Coral. Art: The Bather by Elizabeth Gorek. Chairs: Coup d’Etat custom upholstered in Christopher Farr’s Lost And Found.
Custom-upholstered chairs invite a game night.
Chairs: Coup d’Etat in Christopher Farr’s Lost And Found. Ottoman: Jens Rinsom upholstered in blush cotton velvet through PUCCI. Pillows: CW Stockwell Martinique Belgian Linen in Seadrift. Floorcovering: Architectural Design Carpets.
Kitchen
Meticulously cut-out banana leaves creep onto the ceiling, the same technique used in the original installation of the CW Stockwell print in the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Wallcovering: CW Stockwell Martinique® in Seadrift.
Dining Room
The open plan allows guests to dine at the table without missing a word of what's going on in the living room.
Table and Barrel Chairs: Restoration Hardware. Lighting: Umage, Eos XL Feather Chandelier. Curtains: Custom featuring Schumacher's Greek Key.
Primary Bedroom
"We wanted a crisp and clean yellow and white palette, a fun encore interpretation of the Martinique pattern and a nod to the original, my personal favorite!" says Pickart. "The bed faces a wall of windows which let in the massive view of Mt. Tamalpais and the tree canopy of the canyon below. The beds in the view-facing rooms are all low slung, which makes the view to feel even more massive."
Wallcovering: CW Stockwell Martinique® Encore in Sun. Lamp and night tables: Serena & Lily. Shams: CW Stockwell Belgian Linen Martinique® in Green. Lumbar pillow: CW Stockwell A Midi-Mini in Sun. Table Cover: CW Stockwell Belgian Linen Martinique® in Green. Sculpture: Jeremy Holmes.
The Blue & Green Bedroom
Pictured above.
While the primary bedroom is on the first floor, the other bedrooms are on the second. This bedroom is Pickart's "personal favorite," she says. "With the big sky view from this bedroom, the Seadrift colorway of CW Stockwell ‘Cabana’ seemed the perfect shade."
Wallcovering: CW Stockwell Cabana in Seadrift. Sham: CW Stockwell Kan-Shie in Emerald. Lumbar pillow: CW Stockwell Canyon in Seadrift. Drapes: CW Stockwell Kan-Shie in Emerald. Chair: Cane back porter's chair. Chair Pillows: CW Stockwell Ocelot in Seadrift, Kan-Shie in Emerald. Art: Vintage, Lost Art Salon.
The Yellow Bedroom
"I love a jaunty unexpected piece of art," says Pickart of the "Yellow Room."
Wallpaper: CW Stockwell A Midi - Mini in Sun. Curtains: CW Stockwell Million Flowers Belgian Linen in Tangerine. Pillows: CW Stockwell Million Flowers in Tangerine, A Midi-Mini in Sun, A Midi-Moyen in Sun. Art: Lost Art Salon.
The Phone Closet
Natural light from the window gave this hallway closet space potential, reimagined as a private room to give guests a quick reprieve away from the crowd. A cantelevered shelf serves as a little writing desk, spanning the total width of the room under the window, paired with a seagrass side chair. "I love to use pattern and color in small spaces, and hiding art as a special surprise!"
Wallcovering: CW Stockwell, Ocelot Collection in Seadrift.
Deck
The house had to have a deck, if only so guests could ask each other, "Can I see you out on the lanai?"
Chaise lounge: Terra Outdoor in Perrenials. Sham: CW Stockwell Sunbrella® Martinique® in Green. Bolster: CW Stockwell Sunbrella® Jules in Coral.
The Baywood Guest House is now available to rent through Airbnb.
