Jill and Mike Lucia have a deep appreciation for Northern California’s land. As the owners of the Rootdown and Cole Ranch wine labels, the couple pay close attention to region’s fickle fog, sun-dappled hills, and ocean air. “Mike is a winemaker, and his philosophy is to let the wines lead with earth and texture, rather than just with fruit,” says architect Matthew David Bowles, founder of the firm TenBooks. “His style is decidedly hands-off, which allows the grape and the specific terrain to speak for itself.”

Jill owns a namesake interior design studio, and she was already close friends with Bowles and architectural designer Erik Kramer of Social Studio when she and her husband came across an established property in the foothills of Healdsburg in 2021. They were ready to start a family, and this home seemed like it had the potential to blend their love of the area with their future plans.

“The original home, albeit run-down and in a state of disrepair, was a shingled, hip-roofed bungalow with a lot of character,” Kramer recalls. “Our initial plan was to keep the bones of the house, but modernize it and add an additional level.”

The original property had the right idea: It sat just below the pitch of a hillside, on a north-south plane that gave it plenty of natural light. An established California oak was its sturdy neighbor, and a patch of cypress provided shade from the other end. The design team hypothesized that if his friends had one more level on their home, they could capitalize on the views even further without expanding its footprint and disrupting those trees. But then the team took a closer look at the existing home, and realized those plans wouldn’t work.

“We found out that the house had originally been built on a different site,” Bowles says. “It had been cut into two sections, and then transported to its current position in pieces. Once on-site, it was stitched back together, but the ‘stitching’ was done prior to the existence of the building code and almost all of the wood framing would have had to be replaced to make the house safe by current standards.”

It was far too costly and labor intensive to modernize the home this way—and it was also a fire hazard that lacked proper insulation and a steady foundation, among other problems—so all agreed that the project would “be considered an almost entirely new build,” Bowles says.

They decided to contain the new four-bedroom house within the same footprint while orienting it toward sweeping views and protecting it from the threat of fire.

“Typically, eaves and overhangs are significant points where fire enters the home, so we designed this one to have no eaves or overhangs,” Bowles notes. “We added an extra layer of ignition-resistant DensGlass board over the plywood sheathing and beneath the siding, and chose double-pane windows to keep fire from making its way inside. The roof is made of standing-seam metal, which is fire-resistant, too.”

Kramer worked with the couple to create a space that could double as a tasting room. “The home serves two purposes,” he explains. “First, it’s warm and functional for their growing family. Secondly, it’s a showcase of their wine labels and philosophy.”

The ground floor has a tasting room, pool, and outdoor kitchen on a comfortable deck—ideal for hosting small gatherings—while the upper floors are for sleep and rejuvenation. The levels are united by a natural palette that shifts between punchy and laid-back, energetic and serene.

“On the ground floor, the lower volume represents the calmness of a tasting room and wine cave in an earthy cement plaster cladding,” Bowles says. “The upper levels are characterized by playful volumetric forms that bring in natural light and create dramatic ceilings. The reclaimed wood and board-and-batten pattern seen in these spaces complement and contrast the home’s cement plaster base.”

Mike and Jill also wanted to strike a balance between style and sustainability. “We used reclaimed wood for the siding and stack-vent cooling strategies for the home’s three levels, which pulls cool air up from the earth and heat through the skylights,” Bowles says. “There’s radiant heating throughout, and new deciduous trees for shade.”

The kitchen’s leathered quartzite and walnut cabinetry coordinate with the living area’s matching built-ins, curvaceous furnishings, and dramatic views (that’s where the sunset looks its best, after all). Roman clay surfaces bolster tranquility in the primary bedroom, while the sage green marble vanity glitters in an ever-changing spotlight courtesy of a skylight above. And in the cellar, a familiar mix of stone, wood, and color provide an oh-so-cool backdrop for their latest bottles.

It’s clear that the design team cared deeply about giving their friends the home they imagined, and they moved in with their one-year-old daughter last year.

“Our goal was to create something beautiful, unique, and lasting, and on a smaller scale, we aimed to achieve a high level of design and construction on a very tight budget,” Bowles says. “Because we’re all close friends, we worked together to make sure every detail was thoroughly and thoughtfully considered. We had a blast doing it.”

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Project Details:

Architect of Record: Matthew David Bowles, TenBooks / @tenbooks.studio

Architectural Designer: Erik Kramer, Social Studio / @socialstudio.cc

Builder: Mark Hahnlein

Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers

Civil Engineer: BC Engineering Group

Landscape Design: Leon Hordijk, Foliosa

Interior Design: Jill Shadek Interiors

Cabinetry Design: Andrew Franklin, Ogee Millwork

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Two Winemakers Build a Compact, Fire-Resistant Home With an Earthy Palette