Recent Vintage

How a Bay Area couple created a romantic Napa estate from scratch.

text by: Marco R. della Cava

September 1, 2005

For anyone who has rambled along the fruitful hills of Tuscany or Burgundy, a trip to Northern California’s wine country is apt to trigger an intoxicating wave of déjà vu. The area’s rolling vineyards, luxurious light and Mediterranean-style architecture conspire to conjure a slice of old-world heaven on American soil.

Top:  A breezeway with New Orleans–style gas lanterns welcomes guests. Bottom: Two epochs seem to meet at Don and Trish Stephens’ Napa estate, where an ancient weathered stone entryway and arch give way to a more modern stucco structure that is home to the couple’s formal dining room. In reality, the entire house is a new construction.  (Click images to enlarge.)

All of which explains the epiphany Trish Stephens had back in 1996 when she attempted to transfer her distinct dream to a draftsman’s table. Stephens, an interior designer by profession, was charged with creating a signature retreat that would serve as the focal point of a 27-acre vineyard that had become the newest passion of her husband, Bay Area real estate investor and vintner Don Stephens.

Her vision: Create the impression of stumbling upon an old European stone farmhouse that had been restored and expanded over the centuries . . . from scratch. What she had at her disposal was a relatively flat and empty four-acre parcel at the top of a Napa hillside just outside bucolic St. Helena.

“I was aiming for a very French feel, but more in the manor style than cute country,” says Trish, whose interest in all things Gallic borders on a delicious obsession. She made numerous antiques-hunting trips to France during the years the house was under construction, shipping back everything from fragile wood hutches to imposing limestone fireplaces.

Top: Although evenings are invariably chilly, dining under the pergola is a year-round affair thanks to overhead heaters and an outdoor fireplace.  Bottom: When Napa’s sultry summer days roll around, quick relief comes courtesy of a pool that practically disappears into its pastoral surroundings.  (Click images to enlarge.)

Trish enlisted Bay Area architect Sandy Walker of Walker & Moody Architects as her co-conspirator in the project. One of his biggest challenges was choosing exterior materials that would convey the impression that the home had wings that were built during different historical periods, while at the same time ensuring that the overall look was harmonious. “Maybe we were lucky, because the stone used in the main house seems to fit in nicely with the stucco we used on the so-called newer sections,” says Walker. “It wasn’t easy, and it was a lot of fun.”



Patricia Hamilton Stephens
415.567.8227

Sandy Walker
Walker & Moody Architects
415.885.0800
www.walkermoody.com



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