Tour a Sprawling Napa Valley Estate That’s a Dream for Those of All Ages

A jewel-toned paint was used in the kitchen, where two custom Hollywood at Home pendants, also in a blue hue, hang above the Carrara Bianco marble–topped island. “We love the peacock blue kitchen so much,” the client says. “It is the ultimate entertaining space, especially because we love to cook with the garden veggies.”

Electric blue details are balanced with sage green textiles in the guest suite on the ground floor. The stately four-poster bed is a piece from Hollywood at Home, for which Dunham designed custom white sheer linen curtains with a blue linen border. A vintage African textile tucks into the bed, and a Marc Phillips custom wool area rug brings warmth underfoot.

Architect Charlie Barnett, of Charlie Barnett Associates, worked to design a contemporary residence that paid homage to the property’s original farmhouse. The porch, where a row of teak rocking chairs sits on a Chicago brick floor, presents an inviting welcome for guests and the homeowners alike.

Anchored by a soft palette of neutrals, one section of the living room—an area favored by the client—looks out onto the majestic property. Here, a custom-designed tête-à-tête seating solution is upholstered in vintage French linen and the window treatments—custom woven, dyed, and embroidered panels made from Hollywood at Home Indian bedcovers—diffuse the dreamy afternoon light. Additional vintage items, including an Italian mosaic-topped side table, a round marble coffee table, and an antique Persian rug, round out the vignette.

A charming potting room is the landing place for freshly picked flowers from the garden before they travel along to other rooms. The sage green of the cabinetry is complemented by a Chicago brick floor, and a collection of wicker baskets—that match the Industry West settee—sit on open shelves and hang from a vintage French oak coat rack, ready for an afternoon of bloom picking.

The first room off the front hall, the library—which was originally slated to be a sixth bedroom—ended up as a dedicated space for learning and contemplation. “We made the bookcases out of vintage wood,” says Dunham. “The sconces give it a lightly industrial farmhouse vibe.” A custom tufted sleeper sofa provides a place for extra guests, if needed, and the pair of 1960s Arne Norell Sirocco safari chairs were from the client’s existing collection. A trio of signed Ralph Holmes drawings hangs above the sofa.

The bar—painted in Farrow & Ball’s vibrant Rectory Red—has an eclectic, ready-to-party energy. Custom cabinetry by Phoenix Woodworks is topped with a durable soapstone countertop, and unlacquered brass fixtures, an antique rug, and the rustic wooden chair add a vintage feel. The 1960s wicker bull head is from Spain.

The family room is a riot of color and pattern. In a room often ruled by the kids, Dunham chose durable fabrics, including the Fig Leaf outdoor option from his own line, for the curtains, sofa, and ottoman. A Sisal Carpet jute rug adds texture that picks up the weave seen in the Anthropologie swivel chairs. Artist Matthew Ritchie’s 2003 work Sea State Five hangs over the sofa.

Just off the back porch, a peaceful seating area outfitted with chairs, sides tables, and upholstery by Hollywood at Home. The property, at one time an operating dairy farm, is dotted with mature oak and sycamore trees—some of which are nearly 200 years old.

The clients are big entertainers and often have family and friends out for the weekend. On a gravel patio off the back of the house, two dining tables provide plenty of space for dinner parties. The dining chairs are by Hollywood at Home, upholstered in a durable Sunbrella fabric.

“This dense color connected very well with the view,” says Dunham of the Dunn-Edwards After the Storm paint coating the dining room and kitchen. In the former, the table and benches were brought over from the client, and the chairs are a Hollywood at Home design, made from leftover wood cut to build the house. A parade of 1970s brutalist bronze candlesticks—found in France—marches down the center of the table. A large woven Moroccan luminaire hangs above the table, bringing softness with its curves.

In the powder room, Dunham repurposed an antique chest of drawers into a vanity, topping it with Carrera marble and a Jandelle unlacquered-brass sink. The walls are finished with vintage pressed botanicals. “I had a box of dried flowers that sat under my desk for 10 years,” Dunham says. “I thought, Why don’t we try them on a piece of drywall? So we put them between pieces of see-through wax paper, and they managed to stay in place.”

The existing outdoor fireplace is a popular gathering spot. Dunham created an intimate seating area with Hollywood at Home chairs and a custom teak coffee table with an inset pebble-stone top.

This bright bedroom is painted in Farrow & Ball’s sunny Yellow Ground, but the ceiling is left white to allow for some aesthetic breathing room. On the bed, a vintage 1970s wool textile piece is a playful reminder to start the morning with a smile, and the custom wing chair is upholstered in a geometric linen from Dunham’s textile collection.

Leaning into the farmhouse aesthetic, Dunham outfitted this upstairs bathroom with a freestanding cast-iron Waterworks tub, which pops against the white wainscotting. To give the checkerboard flooring an elevated twist, the designer used reclaimed gray-and-white marble, fitting the pieces into the classic pattern. To keep product—or fresh flowers—at hand, Dunham added a 19th-century Moorish side table inlaid with pearl details.

A kids room is awash in shades of blue, with Sherwin Williams’ Bluebell paint as the background. The clients already owned the pair of spindle beds; Dunham painted them in Benjamin Moore’s bold blue to match the room’s palette. The under-window vanity is a 1950s wicker piece, and the textile used for the window treatments, ottoman, and armchair is Dunham’s Cosima pattern.

In the primary bedroom, Dunham achieved a serene ambiance while still using color and pattern. The walls are covered in a linen blend that adds subtle texture to the space. The whimsically patterned headboard—done up in Lake August’s Nasturtium—nods to the property’s gardens. Next to the bed sits a 1960s Sarreid Spain brass-and-copper trunk with a custom wood base. The lamp on top is a handmade stoneware piece by Miguel Torres-Macias, with a shade fashioned from a vintage orange sari.

Spending time with family and friends—and feeling like they could really get away from the city—was important to the clients. They wanted a property with amenities such as a tennis court, pool, and gardens. A row of teak Hollywood at Home loungers upholstered in a Peter Dunham textile gives parents a place to sit back and relax while the kids splash the day away in the pool.

A flower garden abundant with roses sits outside an original barn.

Although the property contains grapevines, which the family loves to look at from various vantage points on the property, they didn’t want the work that goes into cultivating them. The vegetable garden is a more manageable solution that makes it easy for the clients to pop out for some greens and herbs while preparing dinner.

An original barn on the property was converted to a basketball court; it doubles as an event space for large parties.

“The property is [surrounded by] beautiful hills that look like a plein air painting,” says Dunham of the Napa Valley estate his clients purchased after looking for the perfect weekend home for many years. “You look out and see the vines, then beyond that the faraway hills that remind you of Italy.”