Chef's Hideaway - Calistoga

After owning this property for several years, the client, a busy, successful chef and restaurateur, was finally ready to take on a proper remodel of both the main house and a historic shed, formerly owned by a surviving member of the Donner family, of the eponymous ill-fated wagon train. JKA began with the shed, converting it to a master suite cottage, with a wine cellar and laundry below. In the main home, all trim and floors were replaced, box beam ceilings added, and an expansive, open kitchen with a large island was built. Portions of a wide, wraparound porch were repurposed as a second guest room on one side -- a charming screened-in "sleeping porch" -- and a formal dining room on the other side of the home, close to the kitchen. A pair of mirror panels above the cottage bath retract into pockets, revealing a window with a view onto the hillside -- and just outside the door of the cottage bath is a discreet outdoor shower. The furnishings evoke the casual aesthetic of California style and mix contemporary and rustic elements -- cultivating an atmosphere ideal for relaxation, rejuvenation, good food, and cocktails.