When our clients invited us to collaborate again, following their city home designed with Sutro Architects, we were thrilled to embark on a new adventure: a contemporary weekend retreat in Wine Country. Sustainability and passive house principles, central to the clients’ philosophy of environmental responsibility, informed the architecture, landscape, and interiors throughout.
In contrast to their colorful Edwardian residence, the clients envisioned a restrained contemporary home with minimal color, natural warmth, and a strong connection to the vineyard landscape. The sloped terrain and siting of the house shaped the final form, while materials were carefully selected to integrate with, rather than compete against, the surroundings.
The interiors juxtapose concrete, stainless and blackened steel, bronze, cedar, and walnut against crisp white gallery-style walls. We collaborated closely with the architects on all finishes and plumbing fixtures, introducing subtle accents inspired by the vineyard’s changing tones of fresh green and golden honey. Sustainable modern and vintage furnishings reinforce the home’s relaxed sensibility. Custom dining tables crafted from reclaimed barn wood and steel can be rolled outdoors alongside indoor/outdoor dining chairs to extend entertaining into the landscape.
Handwoven linen and alpaca textiles by an artisan maker became custom pillows, while a soft gray textured rug grounds the great room. The neutral palette continues into the bedrooms and baths, punctuated only by a vintage industrial sink refinished in vivid chartreuse in the pool powder room.
The result is a home that feels both grounded and serene—minimal yet warm, deeply connected to the landscape, and thoughtfully designed for contemporary living.
