April 1, 2007 By Chloé Harris California Home + Design
Stop at the Alexander Valley Store, a tourist depot on Highway 128 stocked with drip coffee and a variety of beef jerky, and you might expect your destination – a home just moments away in Healdsburg – to epitomize back-road rusticity. But then, after buzzing in at the gate and traversing a winding driveway through a grove of gnarled oaks and up to spectacular vineyard views, a Mediterranean style behemoth seems a foregone conclusion. The house at the top of the hill, however, is a study in surprise – from the black-and-white tented awning that creates a dramatic portico, to the Moroccan-inspired wonderland that unfolds behind its doors. Inspired in large part by Hollywood’s fabled Chateau Marmont, this glamorous weekend hideaway feels as though it should have a valet at the entrance. Last July, the house was unveiled by designer Ken Fulk to its first visitors – the young San Francisco family who had entrusted him with the revamp of their Wine Country getaway.