Hive of Activity
Written by Anna Ferguson-Sparks | Photography by Lindsey Drewes
Just minutes from downtown Santa Ynez, the Shunem Bread House provides an architectural contrast to the surrounding countryside. Owners and builders Leyla and Brad Williams, proprietors of Solvang’s Good Seed Coffee Boutique, worked with Ulrick Design on the unusual structure. It’s tied to the Williams’s nonprofit, Sky Roots, through which Leyla conducts workshops on homestead arts and Hebraic culture. Named for the biblical woman who sheltered the prophet Elisha, Shunem Bread House is a retreat for visitors and a space to meet, educate, and entertain.
The building’s cantilevered upper level has a beehive form inspired by the healing properties of honey and its importance in the Bible, while the lower level houses a metaphorical hive of activity. Upstairs are two bedrooms with organic Coyuchi bed linens and one full bath with a redwood slab counter and a Stone Forest sink with Brizo brass fixtures. The living space features a wet bar and opens to a covered patio and a sundeck with 360-degree views of mountains and vineyards.
The first floor’s dining area, library, and lounge include an antique drafting desk transformed into a Torah ark by local carpenter Matt Rogers and a table and chairs by Central Coast woodworker Ben Riddering. In the lower-level commercial kitchen—where Leyla bakes Good Seed’s heritage-grain sourdough breads—is a chandelier handcrafted by Brad from an antique threshing sledge and incorporating pendants from Alison Berger Glassworks.
In the future, Shunem Bread House plans a picnic-lunch program and pop-up culinary events. $650/night. Available through airbnb.com.
