A new home becomes one with the undulating hills of Napa, creating a harmonious blend of light, views and the good earth.
The Napa home offers staggering vistas, privacy and plenty of room for entertaining family and friends. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
THE PROJECT
What’s that cliche about the best-laid plans? As it turns out, a retired East Bay attorney knows them well. After losing his home to a devastating 2017 fire, he dreamed of a new property in Napa’s Silverado Country Club, where he could entertain guests and host his adult children and grandchildren. He originally planned for the 5,173-square-foot property to be a second home, but he sold his primary residence and moved to wine country.
THE TEAM
The homeowner selected St. Helena-based Signum Architecture, founded by Juancarlos Fernandez and Jarrod Denton, for the property’s design. “We don’t have a singular style, but we embrace out-of-the-box thinking,” says Fernandez. “We firmly believe in the power of architecture to elevate everyday lives, and we take our responsibility to the planet and the communities where we work seriously.”
Fernandez acknowledges that the design journey is long and occasionally arduous, so building trust with the client is essential. “That trust enables us to advocate for design solutions that might push our clients to think deeper about the possibilities than they otherwise might have,” he says.
THE GOALS
Family comes first to the homeowner, who hosts his daughters and grandchildren at his house nearly every weekend. “An open, family-friendly atmosphere was important to him,” says Fernandez. “He lives on the primary floor, with the entire second floor given over to his daughters and their families.” Other goals included a design that offered staggering views, privacy, accessibility and resistance to fire.
Shirin Richens of Nomadika Design Studio tackled the home’s interior design. “We had a clear vision for creating interiors that balanced comfort and style,” she says. “We designed toward the homeowner’s love of entertaining while considering the need for durability against the constant sun, grandchildren, pets and the occasional spilled glass of wine.”
The living room offers endless comfort and functionality with CB2 lounge chairs and a custom B&B Italia sofa with durable, washable covers. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
LIVING SPACES
Fernandez and his team aimed for a clean, contemporary and highly functional aesthetic—think plaster walls, glass, metal roofing and a fire-resistant landscape. The house orients away from existing homes and toward the adjacent open space to maximize indoor-outdoor living while maintaining privacy.
“The two major building blocks of the house are the living, dining and kitchen areas and the primary suite,” says Fernandez. “The upward slant of the butterfly roof captures the full effect of the views, while the tree line below protects the privacy of these open spaces. The windows in this house were obviously of primary importance; we used Fleetwood (fleetwoodusa.com) windows and doors throughout.”
LIVING ROOM
“The living and dining rooms’ quiet palette seamlessly extends to the exterior areas and allows the surrounding views to take center stage,” says Richens. “Gwyneth Ivory lounge chairs from CB2 (cb2.com) that swivel were selected for the living room to allow full enjoyment of the views, and we upholstered the B&B Italia (bebitalia.com) sofa in a rich hue with washable covers for added durability.” Other standout pieces include a Vika end table by Bernhardt (bernhardt.com), a Constellation Ursa Minor chandelier by Sonneman Lighting (sonnemanlight.com) and wool and silk rugs by Safar Rugs (safarrugs.com).
DINING ROOM
Each outdoor living space—the entry courtyard and the covered terrace and pool—opens on both sides of the dining room with its dazzling wind pendant lighting by Nemo (nemolighting.com). “The arrangement promotes cross-ventilation and dramatic shared lighting,” says Fernandez, adding that the uplighting on the stone entry wall is visible from the kitchen and dining areas, while the light patterns from the trellis create a play of light on the interior.
The inviting kitchen features quartzite counters and backsplash. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
KITCHEN
As the home’s hub for work and play, this area benefits from recessed lighting and sconces by DMF (dmflighting.com) and custom cabinetry painted in Benjamin Moore (benjaminmoore.com) Blue Note. Additional grace notes in the space include an Ijen blue quartzite backsplash from All Natural Stone (allnaturalstone.com), Cordoso quartzite counters from Pietra Fina (pietrafina.com) and an island faced in cold rolled steel.
PRIMARY SUITE
“This is a quiet space, entirely given over to the views, [which are] the home’s artwork,” says Fernandez. Richens’ furniture selections are an exercise in subtle elegance, including sheepskin-lined pelican chairs and custom side tables sitting atop a tufted wood indigo rug by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (mgbwhome.com). A custom plaster fireplace crowns the room.
The primary suite, with sheepskin-lined pelican chairs and a contemporary hearth, is all about the views. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
PRIMARY SUITE
“While we design to maximize the views, we don’t always reveal them immediately,” says Fernandez. “The sweeping approach drops visitors at the entry courtyard, an enclosed, protected space—the views don’t reveal themselves fully until you step inside. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Tamalpais.”
“WHILE WE DESIGN TO MAXIMIZE THE VIEWS, WE DON’T ALWAYS REVEAL THEM IMMEDIATELY.” –JUANCARLOS FERNANDEZ
Natural hues grace the primary suite’s bathroom. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ADAM POTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Fernandez also notes that his client adores the home; it’s the family sanctuary he wanted from the start. “He hosts events at his home all the time,” he says. “We designed the house to maximize energy efficiency through careful consideration of orientation and ventilation, and he has been pleasantly surprised at just how efficient it is.”
HOME DETAILS
Home Type
Single-family
Location
Silverado Country
Club, Napa
Architecture
Signum Architecture
signumarchitecture.com, @signumarchitecture
Interior Design
Nomadika Design Studio
nomadika.com
Construction
DN Anderson Construction
dnandersonconstruction.com
RESOURCES
Fleetwood
Windows and doors
fleetwoodusa.com
CB2
Lounge chairs, living room
cb2.com
B&B Italia
Sofa, living room
bebitalia.com
Bernhardt
End table, living room
bernhardt.com
Sonneman Lighting
Chandelier, living room
sonnemanlight.com
Safar Rugs
Rugs, living room
safarrugs.com
Nemo
Lighting, dining room
nemolighting.com
DMF
Lighting, kitchen
dmflighting.com
Benjamin Moore
Blue Note paint, kitchen cabinetry
benjaminmoore.com
All Natural Stone
Backsplash, kitchen
allnaturalstone.com
Pietra Fina
Quartzite counters, kitchen
pietrafina.com
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Rug, primary suite
mgbwhome.com
Sherwin-Williams
Outer Space paint, primary suite fireplace
sherwin-williams.com
Photography by:
