May 9, 2019

Text: Jesse Dorris

David Baker Architects Designs Healdsburg’s Intoxicating Harmon Guest House

Redwood slats shade the transparent façade. Photography by Bruce Damonte.

The small town of Healdsburg, named after its founder Harmon Heald, might have established itself in California’s verdant Sonoma County nearly 250 years ago, but it feels perfectly in tune with the times. Surrounded by vintners such as VML Winery and Jordan Winery, the town boasts an attractive central square bordered by three-Michelin-star restaurant Single Thread, gourmet bakeries and ice cream shops, and a pair of Piazza Hospitality hotels—Hotel Healdsburg and H2Hotel—designed by David Baker Architects.

Now comes a third: the Harmon Guest House, whose 39 rooms form pods around a glassed-in central courtyard and have patios or balconies facing the town or trees. “The site is narrow,” says DBA associate Brett Randall Jones, “so we made a unique room type, with an open bathroom that guests walk through to enter the main space of the room. The ceiling height, floor-to-ceiling windows, and generous depth make the rooms feel expansive.”

Sculptor Andy Vogt created the geometric artwork at the entry out of salvaged Douglas fir. Photography by Bruce Damonte.

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Harmon Guest House’s rooms are furnished with custom pieces and mid-century classics in palettes drawn from the landscape. “The window seats in each room turned out to be the perfect cozy spot for lounging,” says associate/interiors lead Julie de Jesus. “The custom daybed and pillows, the pendant, the windows with slats, and the table and chairs work to create this perfect space within the room.”

And just in case visitors desire more perfect spaces, the town’s only public rooftop bar can be found upstairs, with intoxicating views of nearby Fitch Mountain.

Keep scrolling for more images of the project>

To the left of Pacassa Studios’ custom reception desk, Sabine Reckewell’s multimedia installation hangs above seating by Gubi, Anthropologie, and Carl Hansen & Son, as well as Herman Miller stools, all around a Studio Vestri table. Photography by Bruce Damonte.
To the left, the roof lounge features Andreu World sofas and poufs by The Citizenry, with Ohio Design tables; to the right, custom tables surroundKnoll side chairs and woven Kettal seating on the deck. Photography by Angie Silvy Photography.
Exterior slats filter light across the meeting room’s white oak flooring by Nor-Cal Floor Design; the chairs are by Vitra. Photography by Bruce Damonte.
In the Founder’s Suite, a Design Within Reach sleeper sofa rests upon a Peace Industry rug, before a custom table illuminated by a Rich Brilliant Willing pendant. Photography by Bruce Damonte.
A double queen room on the third floor offers a custom Kay Chesterfield Upholstery headboard in Maharam fabric, with Treko blankets. Photography by Angie Silvy Photography.
The bridge leading down to a park along Foss Creek is ipe wood and corten steel. Photography by Bruce Damonte.

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