THE PRIVATE SIDE OF THE VINEYARD || A Secluded Tasting Room Blends Napa Heritage with Modern Refinement
Every estate has a secret worth keeping, and at Theorem Winery, it is a quiet red barn perched at the edge of a Calistoga hillside.
Designed by Richard Beard Architects with interiors by Nicholas Vincent Design, The Old Barn is both a revival and a reinvention, a 19th-century livery shed reborn as a private tasting room that whispers of the past while embracing modern ease.
The Old Barn’s red-painted façade and gabled roof recall its 19th-century origins while standing in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
Set apart from the main estate and its public hospitality spaces, the barn occupies a solitary corner where time seems to slow. From the outside, its Shaker-inspired silhouette and red-painted oak cladding nod to its origins, while inside, a world of hushed sophistication unfolds. Oak-lined floors and ceilings evoke the honest warmth of rural craftsmanship, yet the interior language is strikingly contemporary, refined, masculine, and deliberate in its restraint.
A sculptural tasting bar carved with feather-like reliefs forms the heart of The Old Barn, its dark oak presence illuminated by daylight streaming through the double-height windows.
As evening falls, the tasting bar reveals its inner glow, transforming the space into a luminous focal point that balances intimacy and spectacle.
The centrepiece of the space is the sculpted tasting bar, where textured panels carved with feathered patterns echo the movement of grape leaves in the wind. By day, sunlight floods through a two-story window wall, framing the surrounding vineyards. By night, the bar’s amber glow transforms the room into a quiet stage for conversation. Overhead, a delicate ring of light traces an arch that seems to bridge history and innovation.
Beyond the bar, a double-height lounge anchored by a grand stone fireplace draws guests toward the fire, where velvet-blue armchairs and gray suede seating invite lingering over another pour. The textures are layered yet controlled: charred wood, brushed metal, and supple leather, all choreographed to create an atmosphere that feels both grounded and elevated.
Centred around a monumental stone hearth, the lounge blends moody elegance with rustic warmth, inviting guests to linger fireside with a glass in hand. Upstairs, a bold blue billiards table offers a note of playfulness amid dark timber tones, extending the experience of gathering beyond the tasting ritual.
Upstairs, a sleek loft houses a geometric pool table with vivid blue felt, an unexpected touch of playfulness against the dark timber backdrop. It overlooks the main floor below, offering a different perspective of the barn’s scale and intimacy. Even the bathrooms tell their own story, one adorned with an ornate baroque mirror framed by Hollywood bulbs, the other cloaked in deep charcoal tones with globe pendant lights and bursts of orange dahlias.
Every design gesture, whether architectural, material, or sensory, serves a single intention: to offer guests an experience of privacy and depth. It is not simply a place to taste wine but to feel time suspended.
Here, in this red barn reborn, Theorem Winery reminds us that true luxury lies not in excess but in the quiet confidence of craftsmanship, memory, and the art of restraint.
PROJECT DETAILS
Richard Beard Architects team
Richard Beard
Katherine Schwertner
Nicholas Vincent Design team
Nicholas Proietti
Project team
Architect: Richard Beard Architects
Interior Design: Nicholas Vincent Design
Contractor: Ken Finley Construction
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers
Lighting Designer: Tucci Lighting Design
Photography
