When a family you've worked with for over two decades acquires a 44-acre Napa Valley property with sweeping views obscured by a warren of dark rooms, the project becomes about revelation, opening the home to its landscape while creating a gathering place worthy of multiple generations and a world-class art collection. The original Mediterranean-style house suffered from a predictable formula: almost every room had a fireplace dead center with windows on either side, obstructing the paramount views of the valley. Working with architect Thomas Weber of The Weber Studio—who had designed the family's primary Miami residence—and Signum Architecture in St. Helena, we conceived a total transformation. Glass became the transitional element between traditional stone and stucco structures. The most arresting spatial moment is the two-level glass bridge floating twelve feet above ground, connecting to a stone turret housing a spiral staircase. Inside, an Alison Berger lighting fixture spans three stories—sculpture as much as illumination.
The museum-quality art collection shaped every decision. An enormous Ai Weiwei sculpture stands off-center in the reflecting pool. At the property's edge, monumental wire heads by Jaume Plensa create volume without blocking views—sculptures that remarkably may have helped save the home when the Glass Fire swept through the following year, stopping at the retaining wall beneath that terrace. We balanced contemporary pieces with carefully selected antiques, mixing Old World character with custom designs.
The result accommodates both intimacy and scale; a home where 350 guests can move fluidly through landscaped outdoor rooms, where art lives as the essential element around which everything else arranges itself.
