Lavender Hill - Sonoma County

  

Exterior

Built with the inspiration of San Francisco’s famous mercantile family, the Gumps, in the early 1950s, Lavender Hill is one of the most sophisticated examples of an adult-friendly/kid-friendly site we’ve ever come across. The flow of life here at this 4BR/4.5BA cluster of pavilions is so deftly designed that two families, or kids and adults, can lead parallel lives here with as much or as little interaction as they desire – yet every part of the ensemble is within steps of the others.

Set atop a small hill, Lavender Hill’s three pavilions – a main house, a pool house and a master suite – are designed to take advantage of Sonoma County’s Mediterranean climate. Each structure, evocative of aristocratic Russian dachas, has huge doors and windows that open to the sunlight and out to the property’s expansive views over grass and woods. The 5-acre site is a garden of delights: Past the main pavilion’s terrace, a grassy slope, with sycamores standing sentinel on each side, descends to a bocce ball court. A creek burbles along the property’s west side. A solar-heated pool stands completely surrounded by a large lawn – a blue punctuation point in the vast green. Next to grape-covered trellises, a huge hot tub that can easily fit a dozen people invites long, animated soaks.

At night, kids often gather with tubs of popcorn in the pool house to play games or watch TV while their parents are having a dinner party in the main pavilion. Both groups are in their own heaven – an outcome Lavender Hill’s builders had in mind from the start

Interior

Indoors and outdoors merge so seamlessly at Lavender Hill, thanks to the pavilions’ abundant high windows and glass doors. The Main House’s living room, with its tall glass entry door and picture windows looking out to the lawn and pool, is a sun-washed space. A 12.5-foot-high ceiling extends the room, and inviting furniture and tall bookshelves make it a natural gathering place. The bathroom walls are covered in exquisite blue floor-to-ceiling French tiles, while three sides of the kitchen (which boasts its original 10-foot-high cabinetry) are mostly glass. A long 12-seat table, flanked by a bar housed in an antique cabinet, makes the kitchen a perfect place on a wintry day to huddle cozily over food and wine.

Beyond the dining terrace, the Pool House offers the four-bed Bunkroom – wonderful kids’ quarters. The adjoining Red Room has its own bath and a separate exit to a patio whose reflecting pool is filled with reeds, water lilies and lovelorn frogs. The Pool House’s master bedroom boasts a queen bed, bath and kitchenette. Easily the pavilion’s most dramatic element is the large folding glass doors that swing to the side to create an indoor/outdoor space with views of the lawn, pool, trees and distant hillsides. A canopy shelters the wicker furniture of the outdoor space, while an inside banquette can seat 8 people.

The third pavilion, the Main Suite, has a king bed and bath. In the morning, you can gaze through its 8-foot double French doors to the kitchen and savor the smells of breakfast cooking.

Property Highlights

• 4 Bedroom
• 4.5 Bath
• Pool House bunkroom can accommodate 8 sleepers – perfect for children
• Main House is an ideal indoor gathering and dining space
• All accommodations are steps away from Lavender Hill’s outdoor amenities
• Hilltop location in the middle of Wine Country
• Dacha-style pavilions with big windows and inviting doors
• Several spaces for comfortable alfresco dining
• Bocce court
• Solar-heated pool

Guest Comments

"I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you for all of your help with Lavender Hill this past weekend. We LOVED the house and were sad to leave on Sunday! It was an especially nice surprise to see the card, flowers, wine and coffee when we arrived – what a nice touch! "
- Kellie J


"Thank you again so much for all your help. Our stay at Lavendar Hill was wonderful and we will be back next year. Plus, some of our friends liked it so much that they might book it separately as well ;-) "
- Britta

"Thank you for all of your hospitality! We had the most wonderful day of our lives. Lavender Hill is a beautiful venue."

- Fanny H