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New rural home is designed to look like a renovated winery with a modern addition

The two-storey main home is stone-clad like a traditional 1800s winery and is separated from the more contemporary guest wing by a breezeway

A breezeway section of this new hillside home architecture, cottage, elevation, estate, facade, home, house, landscape, property, real estate, residential area, sky, villa, teal
A breezeway section of this new hillside home provides a sheltered outdoor living area and views northwards over the pool and vineyards. The breezeway connects the two wings of the home, with the main residence on the left and guest accommodation to the right. Designer Julian Cohen evolved the design of the house so that it appears to be an authentic 1800s winery that has been renovated and then extended with a modern addition.

It's one thing to copy a traditional style, but something totally different to recreate a passage of time. That's the guiding principle and philosophy designer Julian Cohen brought to this home he designed in North California wine country.

For Cohen, it's important that clients first identify what's meaningful for them and, in this instance, he aimed to produce a home that tells a story and expresses a sense of history.

What emerged from early discussions was the influence on the owners of a stone building that was one of California's first wineries and a haiku the owners wrote.

"We wanted to establish what's really important to them, so their house could be an expression of who they are something they would feel totally comfortable with.

"These gave the essence from which we developed the design of their home."

What evolved in the design process was an L-shaped configuration of two buildings connected by a breezeway.

The stone-clad main building appears to be an 1800s winery which has been renovated and converted to a home at some stage. The secondary building referred to as the annex is a more modern single-storey structure that looks as if it is a recent addition to the property.


Ancient olive trees on the approach to the cottage, estate, facade, farmhouse, home, house, property, real estate, residential area, sky, villa, window
Ancient olive trees on the approach to the front entrance contribute to the backstory that this stone building is an old winery. But it is in fact a completely new home.

With this backstory established, Cohen was then able to set about the design and detailing that supported it. Getting the stone right on the two-storey building proved particularly challenging.

"We visited the inspirational winery, and the exterior stone used there was very large. And to look right, the stones have to become smaller higher up," says Cohen.

"It took three months searching to find a quarry to cut the stone then we experimented for weeks with grout materials."

Windows and doors were all custom-made in steel. Concrete posts were poured in place and needed to be precisely formed for the windows to fit into them with a tolerance of only 3mm.

Inside, flooring and ceiling boards were deliberately selected to give an aged character in keeping with an old winery building.

But once inside more contemporary elements are revealed. For example, the kitchen is characterised by two 150 x 150cm islands.

"The room is so big, one island would have been monstrous, so we broke it up" says Cohen. "But the butcher block look of the tops still gives a link to the past.

Solar panels on the single storey buildings provide cottage, estate, home, house, plant, property, real estate, residential area, roof, sky, suburb, tree, teal
Solar panels on the single storey buildings provide most of this homes electricity needs.

"There's also a full-on scullery, which is like a second kitchen, except there's no stove. With the scullery, we didn't need so many cabinets in the main kitchen, this resulted in a more European look."

The transition to a more modern look continues from the main building through the breezeway, to the annex. This is a self-contained guest wing with two bedrooms, ensuites and laundry.

The annex is clad in Alaskan yellow cedar and, in further contrast to the stone building, all its guttering and downpipes are concealed.

Solar panels on the roofs of the single-storey buildings supply most of the electricity the house needs. Cohen says while energy efficiency was important, it wasn't a driving force behind the design.

However, the house has most of its window expanse on the more sheltered north face, and shades have been added to any exposed windows. The main house also benefits from radiant heat from the slab floor, and there's a multi-split system for heating and cooling.

But for Julian Cohen the ultimate success of his design lies in the responses given by visitors to the property.

"Some people believe this really is a renovated old winery which is exactly what we were aiming for," he says.

Credit list

Architectural and interior design
Julian Cohen, ARC Design
Kitchen designer
Julian Cohen, ARC Design
Drafting
Ron Swicegood
Pool
Stan Johnson Pool Construction
Structural engineer
Vinson Engineering
Roofing
Standing seam, bronze aluminium
Flooring
Marly French Limestone, Exquisite Surfaces
Wallcovering
Natural plaster
Lighting
LBL Lighting
Kitchen cabinetry
Reclaimed oak
Countertop and spashback
Himalayan granite, ASN Natural Stone
Taps
Waterworks Henry
Bath
MTI Solana
Basin
Marzi rectangular
Toilet
Toto
Interior furnishings
Ali Davin, Jute
Builder
Alex Hunt, Monsoon Construction
Landscape
Lucas & Lucas Landscape Architects
Cabinet company
Deegan Woodworks
Cladding
Natural stone
Doors and windows
Architectural Ironworks
Wood ceilings, beams and annex floor boards
Reclaimed oak, ARC Woods and Timbers
Paints
Benjamin Moore
Heating
Mitsubishi ductless system and radiant floor
Kitchen islands
Richard Von Erenkrook
Sink
Julien inox from Premier Bath and Kitchen
Oven and cooktop
La Cornue
Bathroom vanity
Red elm, Richard Von Erenkrook
Taps and shower fittings
Waterworks

Story by: Paul Taylor

Photography by: Tim Maloney

11 Mar, 2016

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