The vision for the modern house at Baker Lane Vineyards in Sebastopol California the estate of winemaker Stephen Singer and his partner Michel Boynton came about 36 years ago when Singer converted a loft...
Photography by Daniel Dent for Remodelista.
...building in Berkeley into his home I took a raw space that was open and airy with high ceilings and rough materials and built a small domicile and artist studio in it said Singer
In the almost four decades since building his Berkeley loft, Singer has had a career as a painter, wine seller, restaurateur, and olive oil importer.
The property was completed in the fall of 2005, and though Singer credits Anding and builder Simon Fairweather generously for their contributions, “I knew all along what kind of house I wanted,” he said.
Singer and Boynton are both avid cooks: The hardworking kitchen has cabinets of vertical-grain Douglas fir with countertops of butcher block and concrete.
Singer grows his grapes in a cooler viticultural area than where they might typically be found: “There’s an inverse relationship between temperature and the potential for flavor detail” he says.
A built-in composting bin with stainless lid is installed in the kitchen island.
Singer stores kitchen utensils in rustic stoneware containers on the kitchen island (for something similar, consider Ohio Stoneware).
A Sori Yanagi tea kettle sits atop the stove.
There’s no wanting for libations in the Singer-Boynton household.
Baker Lane produces two olive oils: Its Occidental Blend ($38 for a 750mL bottle) from olives grown on a nearby orchard owned by a longtime friend, and the Estate Tuscan (starting at $24 for a 375 mL bottle)—Baker Lane’s signature blend of Tuscan varietals grown on the estate.
Next to the kitchen is the open-plan dining room, perched on the edge of the upper estate overlooking the vines. Baker Lane makes efforts at environmental sustainability in winemaking, an ethos Singer has carried through to the house.
Baker Lane 2016 Rosé ($20), served in handblown Italian Acqua e Vino glasses from Permanent Collection, of which Stephen Singer’s daughter Fanny Singer is cofounder; $600 for a set of six glasses and one carafe.
A wood-burning fireplace framed in board-formed concrete at the junction of the dining room and media nook. It’s designed in the energy-efficient Rumford style.
At the outset of the project, Singer requested a media environment “that was off to the side, but still open to the great room.” The throw is an Oda Oversized Scarf from Permanent Collection, and the flower arrangement was assembled by Fanny.
The back wall of the media niche is a library of well-rounded titles.
In the master bedroom, Anding designed the custom bed with integrated nightstands.
Next to the bed: A glass-topped credenza with displays of natural objects collected by Boynton, beneath a photograph by Charles Richardson.
An outdoor shower lined in stucco and redwood off the back door from the master bath.
Off the foyer is a utility room (with mudroom and closets) paneled in repurposed wine-barrel redwood that extends continuously from the exterior of the house.
Coat closet doors are fully integrated into the paneling: “I did not want to interrupt or distract from the seamless visual connection,” says Anding.
Inside the paneled volume is a mudroom to store coats, boots, and hats.
A dramatic painting in the foyer anchors the entrance. It’s by Naomie Kremer, an Israeli-American painter based in Oakland and an “old and good friend” of Singer’s.
The front door is made of two glass panels, each with a block of claro walnut wood “seemingly floating in space,” says Anding.