Send It Soaring

Author:Abigail Stone

Black Kite Cellars’ new tasting room, designed by Hawkins Interiors, is the ideal space in which to savor their award-winning wines

While we’ve always thought of wine as a drink meant to be shared around a table with friends, the tasting rooms where we’ve discovered our favorite new vintages have often felt industrial. Hawkins Interiors, a Napa Valley, California-based interior design firm took a different approach in their design of the 1,000-square-foot Jasper House at Black Kite Cellars in the small town of Freestone in Sonoma County.

Inspired by a bike trip to Burgundy, Black Kite Cellars’ owners, Tom and Rebecca Green Birdsall, started their winery in 1999. Now, after many years, they were looking for a place to host guests and club members that felt reflective of their terroir-driven, site-specific offerings,” says Julie Hawkins, the principal designer and founder of Hawkins Interiors. “Steve Von Raesfeld of VRA Architects felt we’d be a good fit,” she shares. “Our expertise lies in infusing spaces with ambiance, seamlessly integrating vintage charm with modern aesthetics. Hawkins’ vision is informed by the impressions of the historic East Coast homes she grew up around and the decade she spent working under architect Howard Backen. “We really wanted to have the space feel as if you were being welcomed into someone’s home,” explains Robin Beck, the firm’s Design Director. “To do this, we reconfigured the space to have two main rooms that could be closed off to host multiple guests at a time while still keeping each group’s experience intimate.”

“Our jumping off point for the design was the dramatic design of the Black Kite Cellars label,” Hawkins shares. “From there, we also drew inspiration from the Birdsall’s love of travel and of nature,” adds Beck. The team restructured the layout of the space, creating cozy seating areas. “Freestone is known for its coastal fog so our team’s goal was to capture the romantic aspect of that through the use of organic materials, earthy paint colors, and rustic textures,” Hawkins shares. “They wanted to maintain the character of the building itself but they relied on our experience in designing tasting rooms to drive the layout and the flow of the space.” Adds Beck, “The main room was intentionally designed to feel like a study with built-in bookcases that showcase the books and mementos that Rebecca and Tom have collected over the years.”  

The rough-sawn board and batten walls and ceilings were washed in a fresh coat of paint while the structural trusses were sandblasted and sealed with a clear coat, highlighting their innate charm. New materials were chosen for their ability to balance beauty and durability in equal measure; their innate textures heightens the warmth of the space. Witness the end-grain white oak flooring, which exposes the wood’s growth rings, the compelling visual softness of the soapstone countertops and the intriguing variegation of the Bluestone pavers that connect the interior and exterior spaces. The clean, modern profile of the new windows and doors bring everything into perfect balance. 

The result is an elegant yet understated environment that telegraphs warmth and conviviality, a perfect reflection of its award-winning Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. “Tom, Rebecca and the team at Black Kite Cellars are really having fun with the opportunities that have opened up to them through having a wonderful, welcoming space,” says Hawkins. “It really captures their vision and is an incredible space in which to experience and really enjoy their delicious wines.”