Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Modern Industrial Ledge House in Napa
Architectural volumes, impressive valley views and a spectacular infinity pool make for a gorgeous family weekend home in the Wine Country
Architect David Wilson visited this site many times, pondering the future home's design with his client over a glass of wine — fitting for a house overlooking Napa Valley. This is the place where Wilson's client talked about building his dream home and vineyard, a dream that Wilson helped make into a reality.
Today the ledge house sits lightly on the land between three large oaks and winding along a rocky ledge. The home is made of 10 distinct volumes, each with a different roofline and exterior skin. The process of moving through them mimics what it's like to walk through the home's rocky surroundings. "It's a bit like hopping from one boulder to the next," says Wilson.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Napa Valley, California
Size: 3,900 square feet
Design challenge: Achieving a design that opened up the home to spectacular views without scarring the land.
Today the ledge house sits lightly on the land between three large oaks and winding along a rocky ledge. The home is made of 10 distinct volumes, each with a different roofline and exterior skin. The process of moving through them mimics what it's like to walk through the home's rocky surroundings. "It's a bit like hopping from one boulder to the next," says Wilson.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Napa Valley, California
Size: 3,900 square feet
Design challenge: Achieving a design that opened up the home to spectacular views without scarring the land.
Each ledge-house volume is treated as a "tight-skinned element," says Wilson, clad with cement plaster in a color that matches the surrounding foliage and rock ledges. Violet wildflowers pop out from the canvas of oranges, browns and greens.
The geometry of the site plan was centered between three large existing oak trees. Here one of the trees frames the metal-clad eastern elevation of the home; the metal siding is a nod to the agrarian buildings on the valley floor.
An infinity edge pool heated with natural gas is the best vantage point from which to view the pièce de résistance of the property ...
... a view of Napa Valley and Mount George on the horizon.
The different exterior materials converge at the front entrance: wood, concrete, wood and metal direct the eye to the entryway path. On the other side of the front door is a guest's first glimpse of the house's spectacular view of the Wine Country.
Glass windows are angled to catch the spectacular views of the property; they open up the home and allow plenty of light to fill the space.
Wilson strategically used the different volumes to work hard for the house. For example, the master bedroom extends out and creates seasonal shade, blocking the heat of the midsummer sun from entering the dining and kitchen areas.
Wilson strategically used the different volumes to work hard for the house. For example, the master bedroom extends out and creates seasonal shade, blocking the heat of the midsummer sun from entering the dining and kitchen areas.
Different stone, wood and steel materials coexist in the kitchen, a microcosm of how Wilson mixes materials inside and out.
The inglenook is the focal point of the home's main conversational area. Wilson favored the insulating effects of the stone fireplace surround over multiple window placements in this part of the house to combat the glare and heat of the Napa summer.
Although the home's different sections appear divergent from the outside, the interior reveals a more traditional and symmetrical design. The furniture placement encourages conversations before the hearth of what is still a family home in the country.
Although the home's different sections appear divergent from the outside, the interior reveals a more traditional and symmetrical design. The furniture placement encourages conversations before the hearth of what is still a family home in the country.
The south elevation's exterior is covered in Cor-Ten steel siding. The weathered steel's rusted patina emphasizes the building's shape as it juts out from the background of blues and other natural elements.
Here, the Cor-Ten steel threshold that connects the dining area to the living room is used to define where one space ends and another begins.
Although Wilson angled the glass windows perfectly within the home to frame and provide access to spectacular views of the valley and San Francisco Bay, the best place to catch the sunset in the ledge house seems to be from right inside the pool water, with a glass of locally produced wine in hand.