Mickey Muennig's Owl House restored by Nicole Hollis and Bernard Trainor
The Owl House, a 1970s redwood residence by architect Mickey Muennig in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, has been restored and refreshed. Landscape architect Bernard Trainor of Ground Studio stabilized the structure in 2023, and in 2024 interior designer Nicole Hollis renovated the interiors for empty nesters as a weekend retreat. The house features sculptural geometry, tactile materials like terracotta tiles and redwood, and furnishings by George Smith, Jeff Martin Joinery, KGBL, Flack Studio, and others. Artworks by Kishio Suga and Sheila Hicks are included. The project appears in Wallpaper*'s August 2026 Creative America issue.
Key facts
- Owl House is located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
- Designed by Mickey Muennig in the early 1970s.
- Restored in 2023 by Bernard Trainor of Ground Studio.
- Interiors renovated in 2024 by Nicole Hollis's studio.
- House used as a weekend retreat by empty nesters.
- Furnishings include pieces by George Smith, Jeff Martin Joinery, KGBL, Flack Studio.
- Artworks by Kishio Suga and Sheila Hicks are present.
- Project featured in Wallpaper* August 2026 issue.
Entities
Artists
- Mickey Muennig
- Bernard Trainor
- Nicole Hollis
- Adele Cunningham
- Kishio Suga
- Sheila Hicks
- George Smith
- Jeff Martin
- Carl-Gustaf Hiort Af Ornäs
- Matthew Raw
- Vaheed Taheri
- Mary Zlot
- Sabrina Buell
- Shonquis Moreno
Institutions
- Ground Studio
- Nicole Hollis Design Studio
- Wallpaper*
- Esalen Institute
- Post Ranch Inn
- Hawthorne Gallery
- Holland & Sherry
- KGBL
- Flack Studio
- Volker Haug
- Christopher Farr
Locations
- Carmel-by-the-Sea
- California
- United States
- Big Sur
- Missouri
- Midwest
- Australia
- San Francisco Bay Area