Steven Harris Architects LLP

Napa Valley House

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO

NAPA VALLEY HOUSE

Teven Harris Architects

CATEGORY
Houses

AREA
3500.0 ft²

YEAR
2005

LOCATION
Calistoga, United States

LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Blasen Landscape Architecture

Text description provided by architect.

The Napa Valley House was designed by one of our partners, Eliot Lee, along with his wife, who is also an architect, for Eliot’s parents, and is located in the hills of Napa Valley, California.

It occupies a ridge site that had not previously been built on and was very rocky. Instead of blasting away the ridge to create a flat site, they worked with the topography, letting it guide the design.

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO

The “house” is actually a compound of four buildings that sit in a row between two hills. One is a living/dining space, one is a master bedroom and bath, one is a guest house, and one is a spa with a sauna.

The separate buildings are united by a series of intersecting orthogonal paths and a rammed earth wall, which also extend into the landscape and incorporate other elements, such as the pool, into the property.

Most of the original flora was preserved; larger trees were temporarily moved elsewhere on the site and then replanted.

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO

Additional plantings were added, though all the plants are native species such as tanoaks, madrones, and manzanitas.

A small amount of stone was excavated, though none was actually removed from the property; it was either used for the walls or crushed for the paths.

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO

The pool was designed as a lap pool with a wading pool (for children and for adults to relax) at one end.

The other end features an art piece by Brooklyn artist Peter Lane.

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO
Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO

The overall philosophy of both the construction process and the final design was to step lightly on the existing landscape.

Living on the property means that you are brought into nature simply to pass from one space to another, and the outdoor yards, terraces, pool, and gardens result in more time spent outdoors than inside.

Napa Valley House
© Scott Frances/OTTO


Napa Valley House
Site Plan
Napa Valley House
Floor Plan

Steven Harris Architects LLP
T +1 212 5871108 F +1 212 3852932
Steven Harris Architects LLP
120 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007, United States