Perched high on a Pacific Northwest hilltop — where mist drapes over vineyards and mountains tease the horizon — sits a home that feels equal parts ancestral estate and modern-day muse. At first glance, it looks as though it could have been there for centuries: a European-inspired abode standing guard over rolling vines. But step a little closer and you’ll catch the gleam of steel beams, sweeps of glass and the unmistakably inviting feel of a family home.
Photography by Scott Amundson
Principal Architect Mark Larson of Rehkamp Larson Architects distinctly remembers the moment driving to the top of the site with his client, who stretched his arms wide as if to claim the view. From that vantage point, you can see multiple peaks and the valley unspooling below. “We pulled out our phones to find the cardinal points,” he recalls. “It was about aligning the house with the landscape so the colonnade points toward the largest mountains, the tower angled for the longest views.”
The family had worked with Larson and Senior Associate Ryan Bicek before, so the dynamic was instant. “The site and scope of the project brought a complex new challenge,” Larson continues. “But what makes it work is the shorthand, the feeding off of one another’s ideas, the fact that at the end of the day, everyone was a contributor. That’s when you know you’re doing your best work.”
The design team was already in orbit, too. A regular at MartinPatrick 3, the homeowner collaborated with Interior Designer Greg Walsh. “The client has a great eye and tons of energy,” he notes. “And as much as he pushes the envelope creatively, he’s equally focused on functionality and durability.”
Inspiration began with the existing winery buildings, which boast a French-influenced aesthetic. The goal was a house that felt like it belonged from the outside — stone, stucco, copper — but revealed a more contemporary, familial spirit inside. “It’s European at first glance,” Larson explains, “but more modern and open once you step in.”
Nearly 9,000 square feet of openness is calibrated for the Pacific Northwest climate, which oscillates between dreary rain and blazing sunshine. Deep overhangs and covered porches make it possible to be outside in a downpour. Wide glass doors open the living spaces to the terraces. The house works just as well in the middle of autumn harvest season as it does on a frosty winter evening when fog laces the vineyards, a feat expertly accomplished by Portland-based builder Schommer & Sons.
Inside, no single room overwhelms. “It’s generous but not grand,” Walsh notes. “You don’t have the massive, vaulted ceilings you might expect [in a vineyard home]. It feels warm and approachable.” A modern interpretation of a scholarly library rounds out the first floor with a wood-burning fireplace made of basalt, limestone and steel anchoring the room, which also features floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. It provides direct access from the carport, so the client can walk right in and admire his collection of roadsters from the cozy salon or attached office.
A winding wood-and-steel staircase rises through all four levels of the home, lit by bocce-style globes and wrapped in limestone. The stone itself tells a story, with rough-hewn blocks that gradually refine as you ascend to the top of the tower with its 360-degree views. The base of the stairs houses a wine cellar and tasting room that doubles as a design flex, featuring a massive antique safe door, salvaged from a historic Chicago bank. A frosted glass ceiling brings natural light down from above and, at night, casts a soft glow upward from below.
If the stair serves as the spine, the house is full of nerves that tingle when you discover them. Personal messages carved in stone. Elevation markers etched into walls. Cabinets that open in unexpected directions, revealing hidden storage or charging stations — all the things a busy family needs.
Even the approach to the house is dynamic: Larson, builder Paul Schommer and landscape architect Jane Hansen created an entirely new road that winds through thick woods and artful botanicals, making arrivals feel more like a reveal than a drop-off. From the drive up, you can catch a glimpse of an outpost structure lovingly referred to as the treehouse. Clad in copper and perched on stilts, it’s a retreat for yoga or a reconnect with nature. And sliding panels open wide for the enjoyment of a rainy morning or a picturesque summer evening.
Nothing here pretends to be something it’s not. Locally sourced Douglas fir graces the ceiling. Steel beams are exposed, raw but not chunky. Terrazzo flooring ties rooms together. Even the muddy red clay of pinot noir country has a cameo; the design team brought samples back to match the mudroom tile. The result is practical, durable and a wink to the fact that no one is keeping their boots clean during harvest. Furniture selections carry the same ethos of a neutral foundation, with textures and tones that reward a closer look. “Not everything can be a rockstar,” Walsh notes. “But each piece has its own moment, and together, they create something harmonious.”
At its core, this is a family home. The kids’ bikes and ATVs live in the garage, and their bedrooms teem with color and personality. Friends and family easily spill into guest suites, outfitted with private terraces. Wine from the cellar finds its way up the dumbwaiter to the tower, just in time to watch the sunset. It’s a house that comes alive in every season.
For Larson, that’s the ultimate compliment: that the house feels like it belongs. “It’s scribed to the land,” he says. “The curve of the terrace and infinity pool follows the curve of the hilltop. The house and tower are placed between the woods and vineyard to capture the view.” There’s almost an inevitability to the design that makes it so compelling. It’s a house that celebrates the land, the wine, the family and the fleeting moments in between. And in that way, it’s the perfect reminder — especially this time of year — that the most enduring luxury is a place where everyone feels at home.
Project Partners
Architect: Rehkamp Larson Architects
Builder: Schommer & Sons
Interior designer: MartinPatrick 3
Landscape architect: Lango Hansen
