Whiskey Hill
A Legacy Estate Rooted in Craft and History
Set on an extraordinary 11-acre site adjacent to the Stanford Horse Park in Woodside, California, this sprawling estate began as a passion project for our client—an individual with a deep reverence for art, architecture, and design. After carefully acquiring multiple neighboring properties, the client began the process of reimagining the land as a cohesive compound that honored the site’s natural beauty and architectural heritage.
At the heart of the estate lies a historic Bernard Maybeck-designed Craftsman home, nearly a century old and in significant disrepair when purchased. Working with a local architect, the client rebuilt the home from the ground up, including a central pavilion and a long-imagined tower based on Maybeck’s original but unbuilt design. As architectural plans for the five residential structures neared completion—including a second main home, three guest houses, a tennis pavilion, and a barn—the client engaged us to lead the interior and exterior design direction.
Our charge was to honor the authenticity of the original American Craftsman style while incorporating the client’s love of rare woods, exotic stone slabs, and a world-class antique collection. Drawing inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement’s celebration of handcrafted, nature-based materials, we sourced all stone, tile, wood, and metal selections in person. Every detail was chosen to cultivate a sense of understated, timeless elegance.
One of the most compelling spaces on the property is the main library off the Maybeck pavilion. There, we designed custom cabinetry from submerged lumber—rare, virgin timber recovered from the Great Lakes, where it had rested underwater for over a century. With its tightly grained structure and leached resins, the wood brings depth and soul to the space, complementing the intricate Italian marquetry pieces the client sourced from the Vatican. Two of these were custom-framed in the library millwork; the third was placed as a moment of reverence near the entry to the Great Room.
Across the compound, we blended antique and custom-built furniture with meticulous attention to traditional detailing—drop leaves, turned legs, and chamfered edges—ensuring a seamless transition between old and new. The exterior design was equally thoughtful, from the hand-crafted teak outdoor furniture to custom-built planters for the vegetable gardens and scattered terraces. We designed every element of the outdoor experience, including the pool area, multiple dining terraces, and the tennis pavilion, always grounding the work in the same level of craftsmanship and care as the interiors.
This estate is a rare project—an homage to California craftsmanship, global collecting, and the art of slow design. It was a privilege to help shape such a timeless and personal legacy.
