Wine Country Architecture and Interiors

The luscious vineyards and sun-soaked earth of Sonoma and Napa Valleys beg for an architecture worthy of this rich setting. Wine country style has been born form this fertile area of the world-an elegant, sometimes rustic, often sophisticated style that translates to homes worldwide and speaks of class, beauty, and richness infused with Tuscan, French, and Mediterranean design.In Wine Country: Architecture and Interiors, designer Mary Whitesides has paired with architecture Howard Backen to bring you eighteen homes from the wine country region. Two hundred stunning full-color photographs bring to life the details of this style-from the use of stone and rich wood to sweeping staircases, columns, high ceilings, outdoor rooms, and the incorporation of artifacts and fine art. Showcasing the work of some of the country’s finest architects, Wine Country will open your home and sensibilities to the beauty and allure of one of California’s richest heritages.

Introduction

“History was born out of a bottle of wine.” -from the vintage film Prisoner of Zenda

Wine country style is a gracious, sophisticated way of life carefully developed over decades through agriculture and expressed by architecture. While specialized agriculture is the basis on which the northern California wine country was built, architecture is the manifestation of the region’s prosperity and European legacy. Much of America was developed through agriculture and an architectural heritage, which reaches back into the historical pages of our European roots. But perhaps no other place in the country has developed such a refined blend of both as the Napa and Sonoma valleys in the northern California wine country.

Embodied in the charm of these valleys are the lush and fertile lands of a moderate climate that closely resemble the Tuscan countryside where fine wines have been known for hundreds of years. The rich soils of northern California, called serpentine belts, provide an atmosphere where digger pines, manzanita, olive trees, and, most importantly, grape vineyards flourish. The earth erodes quickly in the hills because of deep water that can rise fast and cause landslides. This soil is largely made up of oak litter rich in iron and tannins, ideal conditions for planting and growing vineyards, creating a certain native environment similar to many European vigneron regions.

Over the years, the area has attracted wine-making entrepreneurs from many countries throughout the world. Pioneering agriculturists from Italy, Spain, France, and South America brought with them a diversity of grape species and wine-making methods as well as architectural influences. Many large families coming to the New World from Tuscany chose to settle in the Napa and Sonoma valleys of California because the climatic conditions were so strikingly similar to their homeland. These families were instrumental in establishing the California wine country as a serious wine-making area. Prominent Italian families still live and participate in the wine-making industry today. A large percentage of homes built here are strongly influenced by the Tuscan-style farmhouse. Stone buildings with arched doorways, beamed ceilings, gauged plaster walls, warm colors, large kitchens, and outbuildings connected by breezeways are all reminiscent features.

In the early eighteenth century, Spanish monks settled in highly concentrated pockets of California. An important part of the American West was shaped by their efforts. Monks trained and employed the Native Americans in both the value of agriculture and the skill of building. The Mission style of the Spanish-influenced buildings in California is beset with a multitude of charming details that beckon romantic images of faraway places. Typically asymmetrical, these buildings feature terra-cotta tiles, stucco surfaces, spiral columns, loggia, boarded window shutters, ornamental metalwork, and small balconies. The Spanish Mission buildings were designed and built on a grid system using numerous courtyards that had a crossover aesthetic with the landscapes of the surroundings. The Spanish created way stations in northern California where olive groves were planted while maintaining an attitude of harmony with the land.

The strong European influence on wine country style is furthered by the French chateaux of Normandy. This portion of France, where sought-after wines are produced, established such a grand architectural style when military feudal lords of the fourteenth century were forced to stay in one place. The large fort-like structures they developed from agricultural barns later became the country castles of wealthy lords and ladies. Architects of the Renaissance advanced the look of the chateau with additions such as turrets, gables, grand circular staircases, and vaulted, trussed ceilings. Landscape architecture also developed into an art when gardens were designed and planted in precise graphic patterns. A selection of residents in the Napa and Sonoma valleys have borrowed and imported the French influence into their own discerning wine country lifestyle.

In addition to the strong European heritage of this area, an important portion of the wine country was developed by the American pioneer. California gained notoriety during the gold rush in the middle 1800s. Many miners and pioneers brought with them the humble skills of farming. Farmers regarded their agricultural buildings over and above their own living quarters. The size and style of the barn was a symbol of a prosperous farmer. Their barns and homes reflected the building vernacular of the section of the country they came from: Victorian style, cottage style and barn architecture. Prosperous farmers chose a Victorian-style house where fancy parlor rooms allowed them to entertain as they did on the East Coast. Ornamental elements became a symbol of abundance. Architectural details include fish-scale facing, curlicue-spindled braces, sweeping porches, and large homey kitchens.

The cottage-style house with its low-shingled profile synthesizes well into the agricultural landscape. The subtle, unpretentious patchwork look of these historic farmers’ homes started humbly with one room. Additional rooms were added to the structure as the need arose and the budget allowed. Endearing to the warmth and organic look and feel of wine country style, these vintage homes are purchased as renovation projects by people who respect the original intent of the home.

Barn architecture has been successfully translated into living spaces where the industrial look of massive sliding doors, large contiguous spaces, and an intimate integration with nature is not only a casual comfortable way to live but is also chic. A simple structure such as this may stand on its own without much ornamentation, but it may also provide the ultimate invitation for personal embellishment. The simplicity of this vernacular is seemingly easily achieved. However, the design-intensive process of making a structure look simple is quite complicated and has been mastered by only a few.

In the past ten years, a new movement in contemporary architecture has gained momentum. One could call it a hybrid editing of the historical legacy within a certain group of people who simplify their lives by living in a sparse environment. Turning to classic architecture they look to invite nature into the interior space as part of the design scheme. In this way, the agricultural process is welcome to become a special part of