River Electric: Designing with Nature, Nostalgia, and a Little Spark

08/20 — 2025

by ibby

River Electric in Guerneville, California blends concrete modernism, playful color, and nostalgic branding into a design-led swim club, resort, and event venue.

The River Electric is a camp resort, swim club, and event venue in the heart of Sonoma County, California wine country. Set on 12 acres of sunny meadows and redwood groves, it’s just a short walk from the historic town of Guerneville and offers the best of what the Russian River Valley is known for: towering redwoods, vibrant community, and a touch of California counterculture charm.

The idea for River Electric had been simmering for years. Born out of the team behind Shelter Co., an incredible event production studio celebrated for immersive experiences, the goal was always to create a permanent place where design, hospitality, and community could come together. That vision only began to crystallize once the right riverside property appeared.

Building Within Nature

Because the site sits directly on a flood plain, the design had to embrace resilience. Instead of viewing this as a limitation, the team turned it into a creative driver. Working with architect Will Spurzem of Boundary Works Design, they developed a collection of open-air concrete buildings: durable, minimalist, and designed to work in harmony with the natural environment.

Architectural Roots and Cultural Layers

The buildings themselves take cues from California municipal architecture of the 1960s and ’70s—structures that were stripped back, functional, and honest in their form. On top of this foundation, the team layered global and local references: The refined ease of Italian beach clubs and bistros; a dash of Americana, recalling mid-century optimism; and a nod to Northern California’s hippie culture of the 1970s, embodied in a custom patchwork flag that greets guests at the Welcome Building.

Minimalism with a Twist of Play

While the bones of River Electric are minimalist and grounded in nature, its atmosphere is lifted through thoughtful details. In collaboration with Jessie Galloway Designs, the team introduced striped fabrics in deep reds and crisp blues, custom powder-coated door frames in olive and burgundy, and bright tomato-red light fixtures. These touches infuse vibrancy and play into an otherwise pared-back landscape.

A Brand with Character (and a Rat)

Interestingly, the branding came before the build. Partnering with Hannah Munce Studios, the team developed an identity that is classic and a bit sophisticated but never too serious. Hero logos draw from typography reminiscent of hand-painted lodge signage, while secondary elements include block-print motifs and black-and-white icons. At the center of it all is Sparky the River Rat, a mischievous mascot that embodies the irreverence and nostalgia woven throughout the project.

The branding extends into swag and retail goods, ensuring that guests don’t just experience River Electric during their stay, but can carry a piece of its identity home.

Where Vision Meets Place

River Electric is more than a destination—it’s a vision realized through constraint, collaboration, and culture. It’s where concrete permanence meets playful color, where mid-century municipal design blends with Italian leisure and Northern California counterculture, and where community spirit thrives in the heart of wine country.

For a global audience, River Electric represents something larger: a movement in design-led hospitality that honors local context while creating experiences worth traveling for. Like the river that runs beside it, the project flows effortlessly between structure and spontaneity—inviting guests to stay, swim, celebrate, and connect.