Welcome to our gallery featuring the exquisite Retrospect Vineyards by Swatt Miers Architects.
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The above image, taken by photographer Russell Abraham, showcases a modern home designed to function as both a family retreat and a working vineyard, respecting the privacy of the residents without hampering the functionality of the land.
Swatt Miers is the result of a merger between two long established San Francisco Bay Area firms, Swatt Architects and George Miers and Associates, coming together to create consistently beautiful, sustainable, and responsible buildings while offering a high level of design management.
The firm designs each building to be inextricably linked to its site. They utilize open plan designs to create fresh spacial experiences, celebrating the beauty of the landscape by blurring the boundary between indoors and out.
Retrospect Vineyards, standing on a 20 acre plot in the Russian River Valley, has been producing pinot noir grapes for nearby wineries for fifteen years. When new owners wanted to be more hands-on a few years ago, they decided to build a modern home on the property as a family retreat.
The home has been crafted to take the utmost advantage of the gorgeous environment. The house is shaped like an elongated “T,” allowing for an opaque private entry courtyard on the north end. The south side of the home, in contrast, is an all glass creation, with large sliding doors that help erase boundaries between the interior and outside.
A deep floating roof spans over the main house structure and across the glass guest house, creating a sheltered outdoor kitchen and dining terrace. This space enjoys dramatic views of the pool and vineyard on each respective side.
The vineyard equipment is stored in an adjacent barn, clad in the same Windsor Stone as the main house. A secondary driveway keeps commercial and residential traffic distinctly on opposite sides of the home, with the commercial traffic passing by the more opaque side. The more open side of the home features double-height glazing for a completely transparent look.
The interior was crafted to respond to family life, with social areas on the ground floor and bedrooms on the level above. The kitchen and office both open up to the pool terrace, while the great rom features a 21 foot span of sliding glass that allows it to expand onto the St. Tropez limestone terrace.
The discrete guest house, appearing as a glass box on the terrace edge, is connected to the main house by the elongated roof. It offers unobstructed panoramic views of the landscape while helping bookend the sheltered outdoor kitchen and lounge.
In addition to its modern style, the home maximizes daylight and natural ventilation for a truly green approach to living. The tall glazing allows for sunlight to fill the interior at daytime, while heating and cooling loads are reduced by the use of deep overhands. The home also boasts dozens of active efficiency systems, including low-flow plumbing and LED lighting.
We hope you find this home as spectacularly inspiring as we have!
On the private side of the landscape, far from the hustle and bustle of the vineyard, we see a bespoke bocce ball court surrounded by a gravel courtyard. The home sits atop a hill, with the grassy landscape and large concrete stairs spilling down the slope.
Photography: Marion Brenner
On the side of the home facing the vineyard, a more private facade blocks extraneous light and views with vertically slitted wood panels and generally more opaque construction.
Photography: Marion Brenner
The wood panels help tie the home’s modern construction to the land, offering a sense of warmth amidst the expanses of concrete and glass. They also afford it some necessary privacy.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The main drive comes to this series of concrete pads, announcing the entrance of the home itself. The vineyard can be seen sprawling across the landscape in the background.
Photography: Marion Brenner
Moving closer to the open side of the home, we see the massive wraparound glazing that covers both floors. This not only welcomes in natural light and warmth, but also expands the sense of space from within the home across the landscape. The guest house can be seen in the foreground at right.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The poolside courtyard on this end of the home is an expansive, sleek area that complements the full height glazing well. With an infinity edge, the pool itself is a thoroughly modern piece of the design.
Photography: Marion Brenner
The great room, features a massive 21 foot sliding glass panel, and here we see it fully retracted. This allows for the interior to spill out onto the poolside courtyard, utterly erasing the line between indoors and out.
Photography: Marion Brenner
Across the sleek expanse of minimalist concrete, we see the guest house, wrapped in 270 degrees of glass and facing the landscape beyond. To the left is the sheltered outdoor kitchen area, connecting the two spaces beneath a common roof.
Photography: Russell Abraham
Moving into the home itself, we can fully appreciate the open design, erasing the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. The great room features modern furnishings and a full dining room setup at left.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The great room is a massive, two story space with a bold mixture of modern furniture sharing an open-plan area. The upper floor hall flanks this space, separated only by an invisible expanse of glass balustrade.
Photography: Russell Abraham
With ultra-light hardwood flooring and rich natural wood ceiling panels, this modern white space is bracketed by the warmth of traditional materials. The subtle use of red, on the club chairs and painting in the background, acts as a hot counterpoint to the sleek minimalist style.
Photography: Russell Abraham
Across the set of contemporary furnishings, we can see the glass-wrapped front entry and a unique wine storage room to the right. Above, the second floor catwalk is partially sheltered by the wood panels dotting the exterior, offering shade and privacy.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The vast kitchen is entirely wrapped in glass, with a massive sliding panel opening to connect the room to the outdoor sheltered space. Rich wood cabinetry is contrasted by glossy white countertops on a pair of large islands.
Photography: Russell Abraham
Here we see inside the bright and minimal guest house, with its bedroom treated to panoramic views of the landscape. Light natural wood, steel, and glass comprise the sleekly connected elements.
Photography: Russell Abraham
Here’s a head-on view from inside the guest house. The spectacular expanse includes the vineyard itself, as well as the bocce courtyard and sprawling lawn.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The primary bath is an immense minimalist space, filled with concrete, glass, and white walls. A room-length set of skylights ensures natural light in daytime, glowing over the walk-in shower and large white pedestal tub.
Photography: Russell Abraham
Just outside the guest house we can see the interior glowing out over the courtyard at night, courtesy of the full height glazing. The interior and exterior lines are truly blurred by this design flourish.
Photography: Russell Abraham
At dusk, a warm yellow glow from inside spills across the courtyard, throwing the nearby tree silhouettes into sharp relief. The great room and upper bedroom areas all feature direct views of the stunning landscape.
Photography: Marion Brenner
With a perpendicular look at the courtyard, we can clearly see the outdoor kitchen area filling in the space between the traditional indoor kitchen at left and the guest house at right. The sliding glass panels allow each of these areas to open completely to the outdoors.
Photography: Russell Abraham
The entire home is a primary class in open-plan design, with double height glazing, minimalist floor plan, and a system of glass panels that allow for a conversion of indoor to outdoor spaces.
Photography: Russell Abraham
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