This Family’s Napa Retreat Has Become a Place Dedicated to Play

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“Don’t walk, run,” was the exact text Maria Wu’s client received from a friend when this Napa Valley home popped up on Redfin. It was the early days of the pandemic, and her family of six had been renting out different spots in wine country with the ultimate goal of buying a weekend getaway while still treating the Bay Area as their home base. All they really wanted at the time was room to spread out, but when they were tipped off to this vineyard-adjacent farmhouse and decided to buy it, the retreat evolved into much more than an easy escape. “It became about creating a space where we could live life a bit differently,” shares the homeowner and mom of four. “We wanted to offer different experiences for our children; a place where they don’t always have to be under the watchful eye of their parents.”

She leaned on Wu, the founder of Studio Wu, from the very beginning. The designer even came out to vet the property before they signed on it—the homeowner and her husband wanted to be sure that they wouldn’t have to embark on a major renovation. Plus they knew that Wu, who had worked on their main house, understood the ins and outs of their family. When they spotted a separate structure in the backyard, everyone was immediately on the same page: play barn.

While the clubhouse-like space is stocked with art supplies, a climbing wall, and a pullout sectional, it’s not just for little ones. “Every Memorial Day weekend, we have the same three families all pile in: parents sleep in the play barn and the guesthouse, while the kids pack into the bunk room,” says the homeowner. Ahead, she and Wu give us a look inside the Napa getaway.

old wood dinign chairs with bunny illustrations — **The homeowner:** Our bunny-themed dining room chairs are the chairs that I grew up with. I love that Maria valued the history that comes with pieces owned by my family and worked them in seamlessly.
**Wu:** We wanted seat pads that were easily wipeable. We found this great product that feels like leather, but it’s actually made from cactus.
*Table, Honeyed Figs; Chair Pads, Desserto; Shade Fabric, Cowtan & Tout; Pendant Lamp, Urban Electric; Art by Isca Greenfield-Sanders.*

black and white kitchen — **Wu:** The bones of the kitchen were great. We changed the lighting, painted the cabinets, and re-tiled the backsplash behind the range. We focused on making enough changes so that it felt consistent with the adjacent rooms.

gray family room sofa — *Contracting by Kirk Scott. Island Pendant Lamps, Roll & Hill; Barstool Fabric, Malabar; Backsplash Tile, Tabarka; Mugs, March.*

“It became about creating a space where we could live life a bit differently.”

gray family room sofa facing gallery wall — **Wu:** Our plan was to create a gallery wall around the Samsung Frame TV so that the whole thing felt cohesive and you didn’t notice it was there.
**The homeowner:** My husband gifted me the red M-shaped art for Mother’s Day—a very literal interpretation. Daisies were my grandmother’s favorite flowers. I took some photos on my phone one day and sent them to my mom to let her know I was thinking about my grandmother. Maria loved that and took them all and created a collage.
Sofa Fabric, Lee Jofa; Lounge Chair Fabric, Kufri; Coffee Table, DWR; Console, Alfred Newall; Curtain Fabric, Cowtan & Tout; Pillows, Decors Barbares, Malabar, and Les Indiennes; Rugs, Annie Selke and Stark; Art by Lena Wolff, Kelly Ording, and Gary Hume.

mauve sitting room — **Wu:** At first, she couldn’t see anybody really using the room at the front of the house, right off the entryway, because they already have the big family room. But I loved it. When I started designing it, I said, my job here is to make this as cozy as possible. Now it’s her favorite room.
**The homeowner:** It’s such a nice place to curl up. Maria repurposed a rocking chair that we had had for a long time. I gave my husband the chess set for his first Father’s Day, thinking he might one day teach our children to play—they’ve actually taught him on that board!
*Sofa and Rocking Chair Fabric, Kufri; Sconces, Arhaus; Table, DWR; Pillows, Ceraudo and Decors Barbares; Rug, Lee Jofa*; *Art by Natural Curiosities*.

playroom with yellow sectional — **Wu:** When the doors to the play barn are wide open, there’s a gentle breeze that allows the lanterns to sway back and forth. The existing floor was there already, but we wanted to add some zest to it. I had a decorative painter create a plaid design—some of the spots are translucent, so you can see the knots of the wood coming through.
**The homeowner**: The gnome table used to be in my mom’s office (she has a great sense of play). I had it in my first apartment, and it moved with us into our first place, too. I love to have pieces that have been a part of my childhood and then become part of our life. The painting on the back wall is something I did in third grade. It was supposed to be a rabbit. I remember feeling disappointed when everyone thought it was a cat!
*Pendant Lamps, Noguchi; Coffee Table and Floor Pillows, Pottery Barn; Sectional, West Elm.*

“I love to have pieces that have been a part of my childhood and then become part of our life.”

kids room with blue floor — **Wu:** With two boys and two girls, we wanted to create a bedroom that felt great for all four of the kids to stay together, so we decided to focus on primary colors. The floor tile is amazing: If anything gets damaged, we can just pop one out and put a new one in.
Quilts, Projektityyny; Light, Sazerac Stitches; Curtain Fabric, Les Indiennes; Floor Tile, Flor; Bedding, Heather Taylor Home; Accent Pillows, Kufri; Bed Frames, Oeuf; Art by Tappan and Hugo Guinness.

red barn structure and firepit — **The homeowner:** While nothing is exactly hidden around our house, it’s nice to have a place to sit, read, and talk [off our bedroom]. Our children have also used the porch to do plays. We’ll sit in the grass, and they’ll use it like a stage for their performances.

white farmhouse bedroom — *Pillows, Nobilis; Bed Frame, Shoppe Amber Interiors; Ceiling Light, Urban Electric Co.; Lampshades, Penny Morrison; Rug, CB2; Bedside Tables, Lawson-Fenning; Quilt, Nickey Kehoe.*

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