Dorothy and Ray Manzarek (The Doors) moved from Beverly Hills to a Napa farm making a radical shift in lifestyle. From shopping on Wilshire to sipping Savignon Blanc while rocking on the front porch, they planted an orchard and grew vegetables. Sadly, Ray passed away suddenly. The house was sold to Francesca, a born dirt farmer and vintner who completed the vision without altering the Manzarek design.

When observing the rural Napa countryside, one can find the same kit of farm parts as can be seen across rural America. Organizing and re-defining the kit of parts would be the bigger task but one of the earliest decisions was to re-purpose the existing house and garage rather than bulldoze it. The challenge was the two different programs were pushing well past the original 1980’s envelope. Formerly known as the Lil Ole Modern Farmhouse, the architecture conveys at a glance the classic qualities until the front door opens. Here one is facing an open steel stair and airy interior with steel beams and pipe columns.

The solution emerged with the Manzareks where adhering to covenants of farm shapes, materiality and color references led to the transformation of a quality farmhouse with some playful adaptations of farm parts. With the second owner, the outbuildings loosened those tethers for the Koi pond, pool, party barn and art studio.

Napa Farmhouse Checklist:
√ Red Barn Tractor Shed
√ Metal Silo
√ Clapboard Farmhouse
√ Palm Trees
√ Greenhouse
√ Chickens
√ Fruit and Nut Orchard
√ Vegetable Beds
(Livestock, Windmill, Water Tower not included)

The innovation comes from understanding the patterns and adapting them to the story of this property. Ultimately, the Napa Farmhouse is hedging toward self-sufficiency. The owner grows an enormous amount of food here and raises laying chickens reducing the trips to the market. When sun goes down, the farmer kicks off her dusty boots and relaxes in comfort in a fully stocked family home. While this working farm uses a kit of functional parts to reduce the reliance on the outside world, this farm is not without creature comforts.

Comforts of Home Checklist:
√ Party Barn
√ Pool and Spa with fountains for grandchildren
√ Hot tub and outdoor shower
√ Art Studio
√ Outdoor kitchen and pizza oven
√ Tailored landscape and Koi Pond
√ Art Gallery
√ Extra Bedrooms for visiting family
√ Accessory Dwelling Unit