Encinitas
Encinitas, CA
Encinitas, CA
Unfold 01
The catalyst to our origin story. Our home base.
Location
Encinitas, CA
Year Built
1985
Launched
2026
A site for reinterpretation and stewardship.
The home was originally built by owners Pat McGriff, its builder and woodworker, and Shanna Kellogg, architect, slowly and deliberately over the course of nearly a decade in the 1970s. Starting from the woodshop (now reimagined as the “Artist Flat” for our Residency) on the property, the home was constructed and assembled using local materials and regional craftspeople. The sweeping curved roof, engineered by Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, unifies the property into a single entity. Decades later, the house yearned for the same devotion and craft that first brought it to life, along with a careful response to Encinitas’ changing climate.
Land Acknowledgment: This project rests on the traditional village sites of the Kumeyaay/Kumiais tribes. Learn more about Native Land.
The original plans by Shanna Kellogg envisioned a tree growing within the second-floor bathroom’s skylights. Never realized, our Guild returned to the plan’s integrity, planting a “Song of India” tree at the location in 2025.
A co-creative process driven by, What if?
UNFOLD was lucky enough to track down the original builder and owner, Pat McGriff and include him as not only witness but as a guide to our plans in revisiting the project’s original intent. To unlock what the house was capable of becoming while applying our own reinterpretation, we invited a hand-picked Guild of over twenty regional artists and designers working in wood, glass, clay, and metal. Each of them, experts in working with natural materials, created pieces for the home informed by (and at times directly pulled from) its original craftsmanship and architecture.
Throughout UNFOLD’s process, history was a grounding point while we explored new ways to restore and create meaningful contemporary contributions. Our decisions were driven by circularity, honoring the original craftsmanship while expanding it, transforming the space through collective care and creative exchange.
In our restoration process, all deconstructed materials that were not used by the Guild were funneled to Habitat for Humanity for reuse.
I wanted our encinitas guild to work with pat, to ask and learn about his original processes. The pieces created reflect the outcome of this active dialogue. Everything is unique but related. It almost reads as if it is a poem, with each artist reading a line from another before them, then writing the next stanza. Together, we unfolded a rhythm.
Our first Edition’s Guild.
A network of more than 20 regional artists, designers, and craftspeople is at the center of UNFOLD Encinitas. Over the course of six months, UNFOLD PROJECTS conducted studio visits to gather these experts in their natural materials and mediums. The result is over 115 site-specific works for the main house and the Artist Flat, from paintings and sculpture utilizing natural materials, to handcrafted ceramic tile, stained glass, and wood furniture pieces. None of this would be possible without the support of our vitality team and steadfast collaborators.
Gonzalo, Daniella & Marcelo Algarate (GAD Art & Fabrication)
Artisanal metal fabrication & sculpture
Los Angeles, California
Debbie Bean
Stained glass
Los Angeles, California
Brillan De La Cerda
Bespoke furniture maker
Las Californias USA | MX
Nik Gelormino
Artist
Los Angeles, California
Aaron Glasson
Art & sculptural elements
Landers, California and Mexico City
Cara Golden
Ceramic, fiber & metal works
San Diego, California
Stephen Hartzog
Multidisciplinary artist/designer
San Diego, California
Ren von Hasseln (Ren Ceramics)
Hand built sculptural ceramics
Ojai, California
Laura Huerta
Hand built sculpture
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Miki Iwasaki
Woodworking and sculpture
San Diego, California
Jason Lane (JXL Studio)
Site-specific design, woodworking in FSC & reclaimed wood
San Diego, California
Heather Levine (Heather Levine Ceramics)
Ceramic lighting
Los Angeles, California
Pat McGriff
Unfold Encinitas Original Craftsman
Encinitas, California
Annalise Neil
Botanically-toned cyanotypes
San Diego, California
Britton Neubacher
Botanical design & biophilia
San Diego, California
Nicholas Pourfard (Nicholas Bijan Pourfard Design)
Regenerative furniture design
San Diego, California
Sasha Seyb (Seyb Studio)
Fine art and architectural finishes
San Diego, California
Vince Skelly
Artist/Designer Working With Salvaged trees
Claremont, California
Margaret R. Thompson
Paintings with earth and natural pigments
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Lani Trock
Interdisciplinary artist
Los Angeles, California
Lauren Verdugo
Furniture design and woodworking with repurposed materials
Los Angeles and Newtown, PA
The Artist Residency at UNFOLD Encinitas
The UNFOLD RESIDENCY offers participants across disciplines space, time, and resources for creative regeneration. At the Artist Residency at UNFOLD Encinitas, residents are hosted for a two-week to a one month stay in the transformed Artist Flat on the property, which once served as the original woodshop. The space is made home and a source of inspiration for its inhabitants with furniture pieces and artwork created by the artists and designers of the UNFOLD Guild.
The Encinitas Residency is a setting rooted in rest, dedicated pause for introspection, and creative rediscovery.
Learn More