Desert

An artfully updated four-bedroom ranch house, plus a couple of guest casitas, arresting views of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from the infinity-edge pool, and a party barn inspired by a cult-favorite bar in Hollywood, not to mention the potential to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual rental revenue, are just a few of the appealing features of the Know Where Ranch that sprawls over 2.5 acres in the historic High Desert community of Pioneertown, California. The compound, newly on the market at a sliver under $1.4 million, is listed with Shaun Alan-Lee of Carolwood Estates and Keith Markovitz and Clayton Baldwin at Compass.

About 125 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, a 45-minute drive from Palm Springs, and a short hop to Joshua Tree, Pioneertown was established in the 1940s as an 1880s-themed town for use as a set for Western films and TV shows. It remains a working set. Gene Autry filmed his weekly show in Pioneertown in the 1950s, and in 2016, Cyndi Lauper shot her western-themed music video for Funnel of Love at the Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown’s legendary roadhouse, barbeque restaurant, and music venue that has played host to a laundry list of performers, including Lucinda Williams, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Neko Case, and Rufus Wainwright. 

The 2,800-square-foot home features custom murals and artwork throughout.

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Record producer and DJ Aric Christopher acquired the property almost four years ago and has since transformed what was a perfectly ordinary four-bedroom ranch-style home and several unassuming outbuildings into an eclectic retreat for relaxation and recreation, a fashionably funky fusion of artistic élan, western allure, Hollywood glamour, and modern, low-key luxury.

Beyond the cherry-red front door, animal skulls, cowboy hats, and reclaimed wood framing around the windows add rustic pizazz, while bespoke accents such as the dreamcatcher-like light fixture over the massive kitchen island, as well as custom murals and artworks by artists Penelope Misa and Ron The Killer, inject the house with a playful, one-of-a-kind High Desert bohemian vibe.

The kitchen is configured around a huge island that will seat a dozen people.

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Other highlights include the kitchen, with its massive island that seats a dozen people on an array of vintage bar stools. Several more can gather around the built-in dining banquette in the adjoining breakfast nook. The spacious primary bedroom, dubbed The Roy Rogers Suite and clad in reclaimed wooden planks, includes a morning/evening bar, a claw-foot soaking tub that’s open to the bedroom, and a separate, marble-floored bathroom.

Covered patios along the back of the house include one equipped with a large wall-mounted TV. Cool off in the infinity-edge pool, meditate or practice yoga on one of the poolside terraces, and watch the sunset while swaying gently in the hammocks hung around a gas fire pit. Elsewhere are a cowboy tub, a flat, raked area for bocce ball and cornhole, and a detached pool bath and outdoor shower. Considering the climate and location, the property includes a 4,500-gallon water storage tank and solar-powered exterior lighting.

The party barn bar was inspired by the low-key Know Nothing Bar in Hollywood.

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In-the-know Angelenos may have already guessed that The Know Where Ranch takes its name from, and the bar inside the party barn takes its design cues from, The Know Where Bar, a beloved, under-the-radar but now shuttered Hollywood boîte that was long on laid-back charm and short on attitude, with sophisticated cocktails and yummy snacks. 

And finally, the most enticing part of The Know Where Ranch, which has a dedicated Instagram with nearly 15,000 followers, just may be the potential to haul in hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental income. According to marketing materials, between private rental events and vacation rental income, The Know Where Ranch raked in more than $430,000 in total revenue in 2022, with a net income of almost $275,000.

Click here for more photos of The Know Where Ranch.

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