Fairy Tale Cottages and The Tuck Box, Carmel (must see)

The Fairy Tale Cottages are a small group of storybook-style buildings constructed in the early 1920s and closely associated with designer-builder Hugh Comstock. Created on a deliberately modest scale, these cottages feature steep and irregular rooflines, small leaded windows, textured stucco walls, and visible handcrafted details. The designs were intended to feel informal and imaginative rather than formal or monumental. Collectively, the cottages helped shape Carmel-by-the-Sea’s architectural identity and remain one of the town’s most recognizable visual features.

Begin your walk around Torres Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, where several early examples are grouped close together. As you move along the street, notice how the cottages share common elements while still appearing distinct from one another. Rooflines tilt at different angles, chimneys are offset rather than centered, and windows vary in size and placement. These irregularities were intentional and reflect the handcrafted approach behind the style. Most of the cottages in this area are private residences, so the best way to experience them is from the sidewalk, where their scale and detailing are easiest to observe.

Continue walking toward Dolores Street, where the Fairy Tale Cottage style extends beyond residential use. Here, the buildings become part of Carmel’s small commercial core, adapting the same design language to shops and gathering places. One of the best-known examples is The Tuck Box, built in 1926 and now operating as a tea room. Its curved roofline, compact form, and textured exterior closely match the surrounding cottages, while its continued use allows visitors to experience the style as part of daily life rather than as a static historic display.

As you explore nearby courtyards and side streets, look for additional storybook-style buildings that echo the same design principles. Seeing the cottages together provides useful context for understanding how the style developed as a cohesive idea rather than a single landmark. You’ll notice that no two cottages are exactly the same, even when they’re built right next to each other.