Time Capsule: Modernist Masterpiece
Stepped living room, photo: Josh Wells
Grassi built a Napa mountaintop compound nearly twenty-five years ago, which architect Jim Jennings created. The modernist masterpiece survived the 2020 Glass Fire, but parts of the 60-acre wooded property suffered damage. When the Grassi team came to make repairs, they encountered a time capsule where not only did the architecture remain untouched, but the interiors designed by the late Michael Tedrick of Tedrick & Bennett retained the same classic mid-century furnishings and neutral color palette punctuated with red browns and greens drawn from the madrone trees. Despite the project's age, it appeared to defy time.
Breezeway with Mies van der Rohe Knoll Barcelona ottomans, photo: Josh Wells
The clients wanted something different from the typical Napa home, which was a reinterpretation of European or American agrarian architecture. They commissioned Jennings because of his ability to design sculptural structures that interact with light and land. On the surface, the collaboration between Jennings and Tedrick seemed unusual as the architect embraces minimalism and is known for his modernist architecture. The designer who passed away in 2013 understood the history of ornamentation and was an expert in period antiques. Jennings and Tedrick found common ground as the glass, steel, iron, and concrete interiors still flow seamlessly into each other.
Merging the interior and exterior, photo: Josh Wells
From the street, the residence's discreet facade displays translucent clerestory windows. Jennings designed the home with two asymmetrical parallel wings surmounted by horizontal roofs. A breezeway joins the wings where the one that enjoys the afternoon sun contains the public spaces, while the wing designated for bedrooms experiences the morning sun. The four stepped levels unfold down the ridgeway, and massive interior windows tease the view, with each level opening to the outside. Cantilevered sunshades and the surrounding trees filter the light. A pool terrace adds to the tranquil ambiance, and the guesthouse and bocce court welcome visitors.
