It’s California’s Graceland—the Man in Black’s former home.
As his fame was reaching an all-time high, Johnny Cash designed this ranch-style home tucked away in the hills of Ojai, California. In 1961, Johnny and his then-wife, Vivian, sought to provide some peace and privacy for their four daughters with this oasis. Ironically, in the coming years, Johnny would spend very little time in the home that he had designed room by room. Nevertheless, the home remains imbued with his style and character.
Walking through the rustic wooden front door, you are greeted with a silver glitter ceiling. Pictures of Johnny and his family fill the entryway that was once the home of a large fish tank. Western mid-century motifs adorn each room as you feel the unmistakable presence of The Man in Black.
Lisa Kenton and her husband, Jerry, purchased the home in a whirlwind buying process in 2001.“I had no initial intention of purchasing it,” Lisa recounts. “I feel a unique connection, as if the house somehow chose us.” But the house didn’t stop there. Of the renovation process, Lisa says, “I respect whatever direction the house wants to take. It’s gradually revealing its magic, its love, its original intention.”
Finding a Pot of Gold
Lisa wanted to preserve as much of the original features of the ranch-style home as she could. She hired Alicia Beaty of Style Choice Interiors in Ojai to help her navigate updating for function, restoring lost features and saving the rest. Lisa also wanted the interior designs to truly pay homage to Cash’s style and lore.
Together, Lisa and Alicia began to uncover the hidden gems of this Mid Century Modern home. A literal example? When they decided to pull up a tile in the back game room to see what was underneath, they could hardly believe their eyes when they revealed a glittery golden floor!
Inspired, the two decided to embrace the glitter adding a sparkly gold classic style bar booth table in the corner along with a long, reclaimed wood bartop, a pool table with natural wood and black Western accents, and plenty of musical instruments for the enjoyment of guests.
Star Style
Glitter found its way into most rooms of the house. Every bedroom had a sparkling acoustical ceiling. Johnny wanted his girls to see the stars even inside—he wanted the house to feel like it had no ceilings at all!
“I respect whatever direction the house wants to take. It’s gradually revealing its magic, its love, its original intention.”
Tidbits like this about Johnny’s original design come courtesy of Johnny’s daughter, Cindy. Twenty years before buying the house, the couple had met the second-youngest of Cash’s four daughters, Cindy Cash, at the biker bar they owned in Ojai. They’d become friends over the years and, in fact, when Lisa called Cindy to tell her they had bought the house, Cindy was overjoyed and relieved to hear that her childhood home would be taken care of by her good friends.
Johnny’s Design
Throughout the renovation process, Lisa and Alicia followed one fundamental rule: only remove what is absolutely necessary. In their words, “Each change would mean removing a piece of Johnny.” Where original features were lost, they tapped into Johnny’s signature style as their muse. Save for the original knotty pine cabinets and hardware, the kitchen had been redone by the previous owners in the 1980s. The first update they tackled was the flooring. Lisa and Alicia opted for black stone—a color they felt appropriate and a material the Kentons were accustomed to themselves; in fact, Jerry installed it himself.
All the original mid-century features of the house were refurbished, not renovated. This includes original lighting fixtures, hardware and vanity counters in the home’s his-and-hers dressing areas. The dressing space also features an original angular built-in vanity table. The original flooring and wood-paneled walls in Johnny’s back studio room as well as the original turned-wood railings on the home’s half walls in the living and bedrooms were all kept. And yes, even the sparkling acoustical ceilings were repainted their original colors and sprayed with glitter using a process Alicia’s team had to customize in order to replicate.
Aspects that had already been modernized by the previous owner were replaced with features that Johnny would have wanted back in 1961—many approved on his behalf by Cindy Cash. This included custom black and silver wallpaper in the guest bath that Alicia had made featuring LPs of Johnny’s records as well as black-oak wood floors in the living room.
Alicia notes that renovations may not yet be complete. “We also intend to remove the non-original 1980s blue tile from the kitchen counters and backsplash. Our plan is to install honed black-granite countertops paired with handcrafted Mercury mosaic tile for the backsplash.” Determined to create a home that honors Cash’s memory—and keeping their promise to never remove a piece of Johnny—Lisa and Alicia are sure to continue bringing magic into this already magical home.
Coming Full Circle
As Lisa notes, much of the house’s design credit is owed to Vivian. “The bones of the house are incredible. It has a notable flow and a 360-degree view through strategically placed windows that take full advantage of the breathtaking setting, blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors.” Together at the early ages of 29 and 27, Johnny and Vivian designed an outstanding home for their family—a place that Cindy remembers as overflowing with love.
The Kentons rolled out the red carpet for Cindy, inviting her to visit the home she hadn’t stepped foot in for 45 years. “When I walked through the door, I just wept,” Cindy says. “I felt embraced by the house.”
A self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl,” Cindy recounts endless happy memories of her father at home. “I really was a happy child,” she says. “I remember sitting on the ground singing to myself, watching my dad plant these two-foot cypress trees in front of the house.” Those trees still stand there today. They are one of many “pieces of Johnny” that remain a part of the home.
Cindy remembers plenty of differences between the house then versus now: a fig tree stood where the pool is now, the game room used to only house a pool table and Jethro the talkative parrot, and what is now a poolside bar was the girls’ playhouse. Even still, she applauds the Kentons for what they have accomplished. “Everyone should go and see it,” Cindy says. “Lisa and Jerry have really made it just a happy, positive place to be. You can
feel it as soon as you step foot in the house.”
And this home has more love to give. Lisa and Jerry intend to share the charm of the Cash estate with as many people as possible. “Some have even likened it to the ‘Graceland of California,’ and while I chuckle at the comparison, I can see why: It’s a chance for people to stay in a place that’s not just visited, but lived in—even if just for a short while.”
The Cash Ranch History
1961: Johnny and Vivian moved into the Ojai oasis they had designed, along with their now four daughters.
1963: The hit song “Ring of Fire” was released on the album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash.
1964: Johnny’s album Bitter Tears, an album highlighting the mistreatment of Native Americans, was released.
1966: After years of neglect and infidelity, Vivian divorced Johnny and he moved out of the house.
1966-early 1970s: Vivian continued to live in the home and raise their four daughters. Cindy remembers, “the house was more Mom’s than Dad’s.”
Want to experience Johnny Cash Ranch in person? Visit enchantedvacationrentals.com/property/johnnycashranch/ for more information. Love music as well as design from the mid century era? Read on for Contemporary Music With Throwback Mid Century Sounds.
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