A couple of years ago my friends Christa and Eric and their two kids moved from LA up to the Central Coast where Christa grew up. Christa dreamed of moving back up to the Central coast with her family by the time she turned 40, and they did it!

Christa washing herbs from the garden. Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Christa and Eric renovated their entire house after moving in.

They did the design work themselves using Pinterest for inspiration.

Oscar and Wesley getting ready for school, copyright Christa Renee

They have two kids that they are home schooling, lots of guests coming and going, and tons of projects happening all the time.

Lonely Palm Ranch sheep, copyright Christa Renee

We’ve gone up to visit them a few times a year since they moved, and it’s been incredible to see all the work they’ve done since they moved. The ranch is an amazing place for their kids to grow up. Spending time in nature, learning responsibility doing ranch chores and incorporating their lives into their home school curriculum.

Wesley working on the ranch, copyright Christa Renee

Frittatas are a regular family meal, made from fresh organic eggs laid by the hens on the ranch. Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

One of Christa’s homemade Frittatas, Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Before moving from LA, Eric and Christa opened Collage Coffee , with their partner Kevin. They sold their share in the business, but Eric is still pretty serious about coffee and makes a spectacular cappuccino for the guests who come by. He uses a sweet La Marzocco an industry standard for specialty coffee shops.

Some of his favorite roasters are 49th Parallel, Four Barrel, Little Wolf & Brutal. On a recent trip I brought up a bag of Devocion Wild Forest I had at Document in LA. We made some pour overs that were pretty perfect!

The view from above the valley, Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Last year they renovated their house, and converted the tack room off the barn into a guest suite ( it’s super cozy ). Below is Christa last Winter in the new Tack room bathroom. They used the leftover tile Eric’s bought from his friend Faile for Collage to cover the shower interior..rad!!

Also, they created a studio for Eric in the shed where he is hand silkscreening calendars and art for friends and clients. Last year they hosted 40 + people for Thanksgiving, planted lots of fruit trees and are now working on their vegetable & flower gardens… Oh I forgot the sheep and lots of other stuff… It’s a lot!!

Eric and Christa with their favorite months from the Lonely Palm 2020 Calendar. Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

You can follow along on their journey on instagram where Christa documents her family and the ranch in a beautiful way that is honest and beautifully photographed. Check out Christa’s work here – she’s a lifestyle photographer and commercial director.                  See more of my work on my website & my instagram feed.