{"id":2114653,"date":"2026-08-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2114653"},"modified":"2026-08-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:00:00","slug":"handmade-utopia-relishes-the-architecture-of-californias-back-to-the-land-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2114653","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Handmade Utopia\u2019 Relishes the Architecture of California\u2019s Back-to-the-Land Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a rickety, hand-built treehouse in the Northern California woods\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">All images from \u2018Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California,\u2019 published by D.A.P.\/Edition Patrick Frey. Images courtesy of David Jacob Kramer and Michael Schmelling, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">\u2018Handmade Utopia\u2019 Relishes the Architecture of California\u2019s Back-to-the-Land Movement<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-27T09:49:19-05:00\">August 27, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-books\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/books\/\" rel=\"tag\">Books<\/a><a class=\"category-design\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/design\/\" rel=\"tag\">Design<\/a><a class=\"category-history\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">History<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"colossal-share-buttons\">\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--facebook\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fhandmade-utopia-david-jacob-kramer-michael-schmelling-architecture-california-book%2F&amp;title=%26%238216%3BHandmade%20Utopia%26%238217%3B%20Relishes%20the%20Architecture%20of%20California%26%238217%3Bs%20Back-to-the-Land%20Movement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Share<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--pinterest\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fhandmade-utopia-david-jacob-kramer-michael-schmelling-architecture-california-book%2F&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F08%2Fhandmade-utopia-2-960x640.jpg&amp;description=%26%238216%3BHandmade%20Utopia%26%238217%3B%20Relishes%20the%20Architecture%20of%20California%26%238217%3Bs%20Back-to-the-Land%20Movement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share to Pinterest\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Pin<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--email\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email this article\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Email<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--copy\">\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Copy article link\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link colossal-share-button__copy\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-david-jacob-kramer-michael-schmelling-architecture-california-book\/\" data-label-default=\"Copy\" data-label-copied=\"Copied!\" data-aria-default=\"Copy article link\" data-aria-copied=\"Link copied to clipboard\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-live=\"polite\">Copy<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--bookmark\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"477193\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When I was about 10 years old, my parents organized a vacation to a tiny enclave called Orr Hot Springs just outside of Ukiah, California. Nestled in the mountains with a history dating to 1858 as a stagecoach stop with redwoods shading the trails, the property has a uniquely layered architectural history. We stayed in what my dad called \u201cArt\u2019s cabin,\u201d which turned out to have really been built by a guy named Art in the mid-1970s. A giant tree intersected the middle of the structure.<\/p>\n<p>Art\u2019s cabin is one of few remaining buildings from the property\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebsco.com\/research-starters\/science\/back-land-movement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">back-to-the-land<\/a> era, before it became today\u2019s modern resort. In 1974, my dad and a group of friends from Berkeley teamed up to buy the hot springs. Over time, a small community developed as people purchased \u201cshares\u201d in the property. Attracted by the cooperative nature of the place and the opportunity to escape the city, people came and went, sometimes staying for a couple of weeks and sometimes for a couple of years. To make income, my dad recalls leading week-long carpentry courses, during which visitors and community members alike constructed what he describes as tiny, \u201cvery not-code\u201d cabins, some of which were finished and actually lived in for a time. There was a buzz around building.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-5.jpg\" alt=\"a photography of an octagonal, hand-built home with a dome roof in the woods of Northern California\" class=\"wp-image-477198\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>As my dad and I both paged through my hot-off-the-press copy of <em>Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California, <\/em>I could tell that a lot jogged his memory. I grew up hearing stories about the ups and downs of running an intentional community in the hills during the 1970s, and his experience is but one among many thousands. Having also lived in Humboldt County for a time myself, I enjoy the striking sense of continuity throughout the past five decades that author David Jacob Kramer and photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/michaelschmelling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Schmelling<\/a> capture in this hefty tome. The work represents a counterculture that, though changed, is still alive and well.<\/p>\n<p>The vernacular of Northern California architecture in the late 1960s and 1970s is a result of resourcefulness, timeliness, and a staunch desire to do things one\u2019s own way. Scrounging for discarded redwood left over by the region\u2019s logging industry and salvaging architectural details and appliances from historical homes, the houses cover a broad range of styles. Think triangular windows, diagonal paneling, cylindrical or octagonal footprints, and ad hoc additions.<\/p>\n<p>Often, builders had no plan, constructing their dwellings to whatever standard they were able. They used plastic to cover windows and sometimes innovated with compositing toilet solutions or solar. The buildings were hardly ever up to code, and many lived with the constant anxiety that their homes could be condemned and they\u2019d be evicted by local authorities. But the risk outweighed an alternative that felt too limiting or oppressive. \u201cIn pursuit of something better, back-to-the-landers radically reappraised what a home could and should be\u2014and how it might inform the lives of its inhabitants,\u201d Kramer says in the introductory essay.<\/p>\n<p>Some homes of the era draw their inspiration from Buckminster Fuller\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfi.org\/about-fuller\/geodesic-domes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">geodesic dome<\/a> design, while others take cues from neolithic forms or Indigenous structures around the world. Many examples of these were published contemporaneously in popular books like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shelterpub.com\/lloyd-kahn-hide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lloyd Kahn<\/a>\u2019s <em>Shelter<\/em>, which itself was a spinoff of his editorial contributions to Stewart Brand\u2019s counterculture magazine, <em>Whole Earth Catalog<\/em>. The legendary publication described itself as an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.moma.org\/interactives\/exhibitions\/2011\/AccesstoTools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">access device<\/a>\u201d that served as a kind of ultimate peer-to-peer DIY guide for living and building.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-3.jpg\" alt=\"the interior of a hand-built home in Northern California from the 1970s with Japanese details\" class=\"wp-image-477196\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>My first impression of <em>Handmade Utopia<\/em> was that it felt like a kind of reverent extension of Barry Shapiro and Art Boericke\u2019s seminal 1973 photo book <em>Handmade Houses: A Guide to the Woodbutcher\u2019s Art<\/em>. By comparison, this fresh look at the stylistic movement is a more personal expression of wonder and fondness for not only a particular style of architecture but the societal complexities that spawned it.<\/p>\n<p>Kramer and Schmelling adventured through the NorCal countryside over the course of four years to touch base with people who still make their homes in the woods. Even those who no longer live in their decades-old dwellings can retrace their steps to see what remains. And the foundation of every one is composed of ingenuity and independent spirit. In addition to thoughtful introductory texts, the bulk of the book is chock full of photographs, archival material, and anecdotes by the folks whose structures the authors visit.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than a comprehensive study of hand-built Northern California architecture, <em>Handmade Utopia <\/em>reads more like an homage to what Kramer calls the \u201caudacious hope\u201d of the back-to-the-land movement. And this hope isn\u2019t relegated to its historical roots, as young people today are confronted by the prohibitive cost of both homes and land. \u201cSchmelling and I felt an urgency in capturing these homes before they literally went back-to-the-land, disappearing along with the generation who built them,\u201d Kramer says.<\/p>\n<p><em>Handmade Utopia <\/em>is officially slated for release on September 1. Find your copy in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/products\/handmade-utopia-pre-order\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Colossal Shop<\/a>. You might also enjoy a tour of Ricky Boscarino\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2025\/03\/ricky-boscarino-electric-garden\/\">whimiscal hand-built home<\/a> in New Jersey or Matt Bua\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2025\/02\/matt-bua-b-home\/\">repurposed city<\/a>\u201d in Upstate New York.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-7.jpg\" alt=\"a digital version of a spread of photographs from &apos;Handmade Utopia&apos; featuring a collage of photos of hand-built redwood structures in the Northern California woods\" class=\"wp-image-477201\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-1.jpg\" alt=\"a hand-built home reminiscent of a neolithic tomb\" class=\"wp-image-477194\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-8.jpg\" alt=\"a digital version of a spread of photographs from &apos;Handmade Utopia&apos; featuring a hand-built house that resembles a neolithic structure\" class=\"wp-image-477200\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-6.jpg\" alt=\"a series of concrete face sculptures lined up outside in the Northern California woods\" class=\"wp-image-477199\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-4.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477193\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"748\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/handmade-utopia-4.jpeg\" alt=\"the cover of &apos;Handmade Utopia&apos;\" class=\"wp-image-477197\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-options is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us today!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\">$7\/month<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\">$75\/year<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\">Explore membership options<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<nav class=\"navigation post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"nav-links\">\n<div class=\"nav-previous\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/xanthe-burdett-foliage-portraits\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All images from \u2018Handmade Utopia: Back-to-the-Land Architecture in Northern California,\u2019 published by D.A.P.\/Edition Patrick Frey. Images courtesy of David Jacob Kramer and Michael Schmelling, shared with permission \u2018Handmade Utopia\u2019 Relishes the Architecture of California\u2019s Back-to-the-Land Movement August 27, 2026 BooksDesignHistory Kate Mothes Share Pin Email Copy Bookmark When I was about 10 years old, my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2114653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2114653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2114653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2114653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2114653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2114653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}