Barrel House, Pfeiffer Point Road, Big Sur, California
You've got to admire an architect who can construct a house out of two enormous redwood wine barrels and have it be one of his lesser-known projects. Granted, it's a little hard to find. It sits on the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur. It's so remote that its real estate listing starts off with directions on how to find it: It sounded so alluring that I wanted to virtually drive down the road to the beach to find it. (I also had to because Google Maps has no idea where Pfeiffer Point Road even is.) There aren't street signs or house numbers; just look for the barrels and you'll know you've arrived. It was built in 1980, designed by architect Mickey (born George Kaye) Muennig (1935-2021). The barrels both have winding staircases on the sides of their living rooms: The living rooms are connected on the first floor by the kitchen and a curved half-bathroom. You can't beat the view from the kitchen sink: The living room in the second ba
