The nearly 100-year-old home at 524 Fitch St. wasn’t renovated in traditional wine country style. It isn’t rustic or “modern farmhouse” and there’s not a repurposed wine barrel in sight. But there’s a strong sense of “wine country living” behind the design details in this 2-bedroom, 2-bath home, which is on the market for $1,275,000.
A porch swing, for example, is a spot where the homeowners, Karen and Todd Reul, would sip wine and get to know neighbors passing by their house. The kitchen, called “a masterwork” by realtor Pam Buda, has ample room for food prep and an eat-in counter for entertaining guests. Raised beds for gardening and glass Bonelli doors remind inhabitants that life should take place both indoors and outdoors. The outdoor fire pit and seating area add to this vibe.
Homeowner Karen Reul is a co-owner of Healdsburg Plaza’s new home store, Forager, where she lends her curatorial eye to the design process. The store is, in her words, “a modern mercantile, with items that are beautiful but useful,” yet none of the wares are “too precious,” she adds. The Reuls’ home reflects the same aesthetic.
The couple brought in architect Scott Couture of Sausalito to create many unique elements in their home. One of Couture’s signature design tactics is creating furniture pieces with diagonal lines. The eat-in kitchen counter, for example, tapers narrower on one end. The fireplace flue stretches toward the ceiling at an angle “to break up what you might expect,” says Karen Reul.
Some design choices were made to keep the space bright. A kitchen glassware shelf has a mirror back that reflects the light. Instead of heavy drapery, the couple chose simple shades to let the sunshine in.
Staging by Woodland Stylists caps off the look. They employed a subdued color palette with texture-rich pillows and rugs doing the heavy-decorative lifting. Realtor Pam Buda says the popular west county-based stagers need to be booked months in advance.
There are other inspired details like a floating raw-edge wood shelf — sourced from Heritage Salvage in Petaluma — that serves as a bar. A branch is artfully displayed via a unique tabletop mount, created by Artifact Design and Salvage in Sonoma.
Fruit trees add color as does a wisteria that climbs along the fence. Hornbeam trees were added for privacy. “When trees are in bloom they arch over the (turf) lawn,” says Karen Reul. “It’s almost like this cocoon of greenery.”
For more information about the property at 524 Fitch St., contact Pam Buda with Corcoran Global Living, 707-480-4142, pambuda.com, 524fitchst.com