Dreaming in Sonoma
Nestled in the heart of California wine country, this Sonoma house uses a medley of texture, color, and outdoor influence to make contemporary design feel cozy.
Owner Eric Hanson, who also designed the home, peppered his outdoor space with capacious seating, giving his guests the opportunity to soak up the California sunshine.
Some people might fantasize about finding their dream house, a property that miraculously ticks all of the boxes on their wish list, but Eric Hanson manifested building his dream home from the ground up. The Californian met his wife in architecture school and, though their careers took them away from the design industry, they always envisioned building their own place together.
Fortunately, Hanson’s dream became a reality in the summer of 2018, when he spotted a “Flintstone house” online, that was just blocks away from Sonoma Square. “It was pink and had these big rocks on it,” he shares. “It looked very 1960s, but the back had this huge poppy field and there were vineyards right behind it. It was very interesting.” He toured the property, purchased it days later, and soon embarked on a years-long transformation. With the help of industry-adjacent friends and Sonoma-based design firm Bevan & Associates, Hanson originally set out to do a “very, very heavy remodel,” but ultimately took the house down to the original foundation.
“The furniture should literally feel like it’s part of the home,” Hanson explains. “It was really important for us that the architecture and furnishings harmoniously went together.” In the dining room, curved chairs, a wooden table, and angular lighting feel at home in the textured room.
“We wanted to maintain the gable from the original house, so there are some rooflines that are mimicked in the new design, but it was important to give it a contemporary interpretation,” he explains. “We really wanted to capture making a contemporary home that feels really warm and cozy at the same time.”
The secret, Hanson reveals, lies in juxtaposing clean lines with a variety of silhouettes, materials, and color. The dialogue between sleek and soft is best had in the kitchen, which has floor-to-ceiling appeal with accents of thick boards of engineered wood and Calacatta Verde marble from Artistic Tile. “What we were trying to achieve in the kitchen is to make it more of a room than it is an operational kitchen,” he notes. “My wife cooks three meals a day in there, but it feels softer and more peaceful.” Hanson nixed traditional hardware and added integrated appliances from Miele, giving the space an intentional, design-minded edge.
Left: Though the home is contemporary in form, there are still plenty of moments for play. In the primary suite, Hanson “lightened the mood” with a curved, colorful armchair and a glass table.
Right: While the rest of the home draws inspiration from the beauty of wine country, Hanson’s office has a more cavernous ambiance. “It helps me focus,” he says of his moody color palette. “Bright colors can feel distracting, while a darker, moodier space helps me concentrate more.”
The soft spirit of the kitchen continues in the dining room, which boasts curved furniture and vibrant artwork hung on textured plastered walls. “Seeing all the movement there really brings some warmth to the space,” he says of the textured walls. “Every single part of the inside of the house feels like somebody made it by hand.”
Hanson might’ve taken a clean-yet-collected approach to his home, but he also imbued the residence with a sense of place. Located in the middle of Northern California’s lauded wine country, it would almost be criminal to ignore the property’s lush foliage and nearby vineyards. “Being up in a climate like this, you want to take advantage of the outdoor spaces,” he says. “Indoor-outdoor living sounds clichéd, but it was an important aspect of laying out this house.”
Hanson brings warmth to the kitchen with accents of engineered wood and Calacatta Verde marble from Artistic Tile. Integrated Miele appliances round out the room in style.
To “make the landscape pop,” Hanson committed to a color palette rooted in nature. In the living room, for example, white walls and light wooden accent yield to the curved navy sectional, shades of gray, and glimpses of the yard’s lush greenery. Speaking of the outdoors, the home’s handcrafted contemporary spirit continues into the backyard, which has several seating areas, a pool and spa, as well as a new pool house.
Hanson designed the outdoor space like any other room but treated the landscaping like part of the furnishings. “Landscapes can be a missed opportunity to make a project come together,” he reasons. “I threw myself into it and spent hours at nurseries.” A favorite feature for Hanson is an olive tree that’s situated between the courtyard and the main living room. “It grows right up to where one of the primary windows is,” he shares. “It helps soften the structure when you’re looking at it from the back.”
Sonoma might be known for its premier vineyards, but Hanson transformed his living room into the area’s most exclusive speakeasy. “I always liked the idea of a really cool bar with backlighting,” he explains. “I wanted to mimic that in a space and that seemed like a great opportunity here.”
Architect: Bevan & Associates
Limestone paint: Color Atelier
As Hanson took on his dream house project, he had one question on his mind: What is successful architecture? Dimensions and floor plans can have major sway, but he soon learned it transcends renderings and blueprints. “We wanted it to be comfortable and playful, so people didn’t feel like it was too formal when they come here,” he says. “If someone isn’t in the business, they come to our house and can say, ‘Wow, it just feels so good.’” Now isn’t that the dream?