Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

A Uniquely Californian Retreat on the Edge of the Ahmanson Ranch Space Preserve

Kelsey Machado
By
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass

California has always had its own architectural flair and this is especially true for wine country. Cool California vibes meet rugged western ranch life topped off with a touch of Tuscany to make Napa Valley a unique paradise. One husband and wife duo took inspiration from Napa Valley style to create a modern ranch retreat that is both luxurious and rugged. Located in the exclusive Hidden Hills community, The Reserve offers up the best of the best — relaxing West Coast living inside of an upscale take on the classic farmhouse.

With gently rolling hills and wide open spaces there is a rugged beauty to the Hidden Hills area. Developed by Legacy Estates LA, the goal was to develop a home that blends indoor and outdoor living, uses earthy neutral materials and infuses smart house technology to create easy going yet elevated spaces. Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra of architectural firm Cha:Col teamed up with interior designer Sharon Taftian to create the design. Looking out to the natural vistas of the surrounding Ahmanson Ranch Space Preserve, the low profile of the home doesn’t take away from the landscape, instead spreading out across the 1.14-acre property creating plenty of space for resort-like amenities and open-air living.

Recommended Videos

Too often multi-million dollar homes have an obnoxious grandeur to them. It’s an outdated take on how architects assume the ultra wealthy want to live. The result is that these residences never have any heart. They are less “home” and more museum-like showpieces. The Reserve was created with “home” in mind — it is welcoming, cozy, and feels easy to live in. While finishes are all high-end and it is outfitted with some state-of-the-art technology, everything was done with comfort in mind.

Related

Sprawling out across 13,460 square feet and containing 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and a whopping 4 kitchens, “cozy” might not seem like a word that can be applied to The Reserve. Thanks to careful design decisions inside and out, though, the home does in fact fit the cozy bill. Outside, the team at Cha:Col clad the exterior in a combination of warm materials, including stone and wood, to create a barn-like vibe. Incorporating the classic gable roof form of ranches and farmhouses, The Reserve is made up of several structures laid out in a U-pattern around the property. This formed a central courtyard which ties everything together and allows for a feeling of intimacy even on a large piece of land.

Inside, bright white walls, dark stone tile flooring, and soaring vaulted ceilings welcome guests. Walls of glass let natural light flood the space while providing views out to the courtyard. Thanks to the keen eye of Taftian, the design brings together luxurious finishes, farmhouse chic elements, and just the right amount of ruggedness that is a signature of the modern Napa Valley look. 

1 of 9
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass
The Reserve Hills
Courtesy of Compass

Sprinkled throughout the home is cutting-edge technology. A Laundry Jet system can automatically send clothes to be washed and dried and then returned to a bedroom or closet. Outfitted with a Control4 setup, The Reserve is fully automated right down to the kitchen sink. A Kohler Smart Home system is managed using Control4, allowing things like water temperature for the faucet and even warming up the toilet seat on chilly mornings to be changed with the push of a button. But the coolest bit of tech was reserved for the six-car garage. The center of the space features a revolving hydraulic-powered carousel — a totally unnecessary element that we wish we had in our own house.

Of course the whole point of California living is to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather as much as possible and that is where The Reserve truly shines. The central courtyard was meticulously designed by landscape architect Mike Clint and offers up every type of relaxation one could wish for. 

An outdoor living room and kitchen combo are sheltered by a stone gazebo that is larger than the average New York City apartment. This space overlooks the swimming pool, which has lounge chairs along one side and a built-in hot tub. Take the stone steps up to the patio area and you find the outdoor dining room. Beyond that, panels of glass slide into the walls to turn the family room into an open-air space that seamlessly blends with the patio. While these spaces let you soak up the sun, there are also plenty of shady spots under the trees to relax in. Hammocks, lounge chairs, and bistro sets are scattered around the property, adding another layer to the resort-vibe found throughout The Reserve.

A new build, The Reserve is currently on the market looking for the right owner. This property is ideal for outdoor-loving wine enthusiasts who have plenty of cash in the bank. With an asking price of $14.45 million, this is a luxury listing for sure, but with all of the unique tech, exclusive resort-style amenities, and stunning views of the Preserve, this home is a unique find that will sell quickly. The property was developed through Legacy Estates LA and is currently listed by David Emmanuel, Dana Olmes, Jeff Biebuyck, and Tomer Fridman of Compass.

Editors' Recommendations

Kelsey Machado
Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?
Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Read more
The 11 best Kevin Costner movies, ranked
He has a full resume of films, but if you're a Costner fan, then you must see these movies
Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

An all-American, blue-collar working man turned Hollywood essential, Kevin Costner has lived a life full of experience and dreams that some can only imagine. Starting out as a small kid -- 5'2" at high school graduation -- who moved around a lot, Costner was fond of things like poetry, writing, and singing in his Baptist choir. Outside of the arts, he was also very interested in sports of all kinds, which is reflected in his film career to this day. Also a man of the outdoors, Costner built his own canoe at 18 and paddled it through sections where Lewis and Clark ventured. Fun facts aside, Costner had a full and interesting life before the world got to know him as the charming and eloquent movie man we know him to be today.
From his past life, accomplishments, and hobbies, Costner was fully prepared to write, direct, and act for the screen as he fulfilled yet another lifelong dream. A man who was once called "The King of the Sports Movie," Costner has been able to act in films of a subject matter near and dear to his heart that became the films he is best known for. And that doesn’t include his many other successful movies having to do with politics, crime, and romance that also make for some of his best roles. Luckily, we’re here to talk about all of those films at once as we celebrate the man who has accomplished more in one lifetime than some could in many. Here are the best Kevin Costner movies of all time.

11. Open Range (2003)

Read more
The best Quentin Tarantino movies, ranked – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and more
If you haven't seen these films at least one time, you need to ... and then watch them again and again
Scene from Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson

Of all the contemporary film auteurs, perhaps no one’s work has permeated pop culture as thoroughly as Quentin Tarantino's. This director’s hyper-stylized, retro fantasy worlds have come to define cinematic coolness. His clever mashups of genres, exquisite sense of aesthetics, impeccable editing, uproarious suspensefulness, and impossibly quippy dialogue have been endlessly imitated.
Given the current political landscape, Tarantino’s work has undergone a serious critical re-evaluation from Black and feminist critics and scholars who point toward both his allegedly abusive behaviors and the offensive politics and rhetoric of his films. It’s true that in this new light, for many, there may be nothing redeemable about his entire oeuvre. 
However, to discard all Quentin Tarantino movies would discount the impossible talent of his frequent collaborators and stars, such as Sally Menke (who edited all of Tarantino’s movies until her death in 2010), Uma Thurman (who not only played the protagonist of Tarantino’s most iconic movies but was also credited as a co-writer on Kill Bill), Samuel L. Jackson (a frequent Tarantino star), and many more.
With that in mind, here’s our (subjective!) ranking of the greatest directed Quentin Tarantino movies of all time.

9. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

Read more