VINEYARD VIBES

A MODERN RUSTIC HOME ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN FINDS INSPIRATION IN NAPA.

- MARNI ELYSE KATZ

Although located on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean, in Southern California—at The Strand at Dana Point, to be exact—this split level would feel right at home nearly 500 miles north in California Wine Country. “The project was inspired by the Napa region,” architect Chris Brandon of Brandon Architects says. “I characterize it as modern rustic design.” The hallmarks of the style featured in the architecture include natural materials, from vertical cedar siding to a textural stone veneer, as well as numerous contemporary accents, such as the blackened steel pergola and open stairs with minimalist glass stair rails.

Summer Jensen pulled the Napa vineyards theme though the interiors too. “We used an austere palette of natural materials with longevity,” the Hawk & Co design principal says. To Jensen, who cites Italian architect Carlo Scarpa as a major influence, that meant staying true to the natural character of each material. “Scarpa honored materiality,” Jensen says. “You don’t make a material look like something it’s not by altering it; you let them be what they are to keep the character intact.”