Flowers’ new guest experience breathes new life into a cherished local landmark to become a destination resort-style estate dedicated to the celebration of wine, food, and the natural landscape. Located minutes from downtown Healdsburg, in the heart of Russian River Valley, and originally built as a winery in the mid-70s, the facilities on this 15.5 acre estate had deteriorated and become outdated. 

Long known for its rustic charm and authentic connection to nature, the site held promise. By coincidence, Flowers Vineyard & Winery was looking for a venue to showcase their sustainably produced wines within a setting that expressed their nature-based ethos. Opportunity met serendipity to become a perfect union of context and intent, and a home for Flowers’ hospitality house.

The strategy was to find ways to reconnect visitors to the landscape while reimagining what was a series of simple industrial buildings. Tucked discretely into the landscape, the transformation involved creating new pathways and expanding the gardens so that wines could be enjoyed both inside as well as outside. The desire, note the Flowers owners, was to “create an environment where guests feel like they are entering our home, experiencing wines crafted without compromise and shared without pretension.” 

Walker Warner Architects designed House of Flowers to be an experience that reveals itself slowly. Each step is choreographed and builds upon the preceding movement to emphasize contrasts and connections. It begins with the entry sequence through a grove of redwoods, which leads you to the building with its dark stained exterior skin, nestled in the shadows. The glowing interiors of bald cypress siding serve as a beacon that calls the visitor inside.