5 min readAt Vine & Fig, each moment takes on a bit of everyday grandeur, spurred on by the sun-drenched warmth and crisp air of Napa County. The aptly named estate, set among vineyards, olive groves, and fig trees in St. Helena, California, has always had the makings of a particularly good gathering place; it just needed a little help catching up with the times.
Enter designer Jaime Rummerfield, who spent four years transforming the 19th-century property into a 10,500-square-foot retreat that feels both comfortable and reverential to its past. The undertaking was hardly a straightforward process. Between fires, floods, and the delicate logistics of preserving the estate’s historic architecture and geothermal streams, Rummerfield had to tackle the renovation with equal parts imagination and restraint. “You cannot approach a place like this as a blank canvas,” she explains. “Understanding what is already there becomes part of the design narrative.”
Fortunately, she had a willing creative partner in homeowner Olivia Marciano, whose background as artistic director of the Marciano Art Foundation brought an especially discerning perspective to the process. The two spent hours considering materials, palettes, and custom details, often allowing a single piece to inform the direction of an entire room. The resulting interiors are richly layered yet approachably livable: antique-style cabinetry with exposed hinges, hand-crafted furnishings, expressive stone, and artwork that lends the rooms a sense of collected history. “Everything shouldn’t feel as though it arrived on the same truck,” Rummerfield says.
Given that this is Napa Valley, it goes without saying that the perks of the property extend well beyond its walls. A chef’s kitchen opens onto the surrounding gardens, while the historic pool house was reimagined as an immersive hammam, complete with Moroccan mosaics, Taj Mahal stone, and copper hot and cold plunge tubs. But for Rummerfield, the property’s greatest luxury isn’t any single amenity, but the new chapter unfolding around it. “There are vineyards, olive groves, gardens, food being prepared, and people coming together,” she says. "The interiors are the stage and participate in all of that.” And at Vine & Fig, there's always room for one more act.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Jaime Rummerfield
Builder: JMA Uncommon Builders
Architect: 4C Design Group
Landscape Architect: Surfacedesign, Inc
Location: St. Helena, California
The Space: A six-bedroom, ten-bathroom home across 10,500 square feet
KITCHEN
An expansive island offers plenty of room for hosting.
Designed to accommodate everything from quiet family dinners to spirited parties, the kitchen embraces the property’s farm-to-table ethos. Antique-style cabinetry with exposed butt hinges lends the space a sense of history, while a white oak island, stone backsplash, and French trestle table keep things grounded. Beyond the windows, views of the mountains and gardens reinforce the connection between the home and its surroundings.
“We wanted the practical decisions and the decorative decisions to support one another,” adds Rummerfield. “The cabinetry details, hidden technology, ample storage, textiles, and connection to the outdoors keep it feeling like a room in a home. It is a chef’s delight, but it is also a very welcoming heart of the house.”
POOL HOUSE KITCHEN
Glimmering zellige tile maximized natural light.
“We wanted this multi-use kitchen to have a personality appropriate to its setting while still feeling connected to the wider property, hammam, and pool,” says Rummerfield of this bonus cook space. “The proportions and material relationships become especially important. It ended up being one of our favorite spaces—the rich chocolate zellige tile back splash really made it unique and divine.”
WINE CAVE
A must-have addition in wine country.
Few amenities feel more appropriate to a Napa Valley estate than a dedicated wine cave. Here, Rummerfield let the architecture and natural materials establish the atmosphere, incorporating honed black soapstone countertops to create a space that feels equally suited to storing prized bottles and sharing a favorite vintage with friends.
LIVING ROOM
Stunning millwork brings warmth and texture to the space.
Rummerfield bypassed a rigid furniture arrangement in favor of several intimate seating areas, creating a room that feels equally suited to lively conversation and afternoon lounging. “I wanted the living room to have a sense of occasion while remaining completely comfortable,” she says.
To that end, a generously proportioned, low-slung sectional offers a particularly inviting place to land, while custom cabinetry conceals modern technology, including a drop-down projector screen, without interrupting the room’s collected aesthetic.
HALLWAY
Wood trimwork keeps the home connected to its natural surroundings.
“Passageways are wonderful places to create a moment of discovery,” Rummerfield says of the dramatic entryway and curved staircase, which features the client’s art colleciton. “I want these spaces to feel as personal, stylish and welcoming as the rooms they connect to.”
HAMMAM
Hot and cold plunges set the scene for relaxation.
An arched ceiling and soft lighting sets the tone for the journey into the property’s reimagined pool house, where Rummerfield wanted to create “a completely different experience” within the property. “The hammam is about slowing down and enjoying the beauty of the materials,” she adds. “The barrel ceiling, Moroccan mosaic, and Taj Mahal stone give the space a wonderful sense of intimacy and ritual.”
POWDER ROOM
A stone vessel sink brings a touch of the outdoors in.
“Powder rooms offer a lovely opportunity for personalization; the relationship between the vanity, sink, mirror, and light can give the room a distinct personality,” says Rummerfield. In here, she sources a Turkish sink from Olive Ateliers, incorporated a 1940’s glass sconce, inlaid an antique mirror, and brought the terra cotta paver floors from outside in. “Each element is deliberately chosen and work beautifully together,” she adds.
BEDROOM
Subtle texture on the walls emphasizes a warm atmosphere.
Affectionately dubbed the “Strawberry Room” after the pattern on the BDDW chair, this bedroom offers comfort and relaxation in space. Rummerfield leaned into the room’s cozy proportions with a tactile Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, layered fabrics, and sculptural lighting by Ken Fulk for Urban Electric.
BATHROOM
Rich wood details create a space that feels dynamic and timeless.
“I like a bathroom to feel considered as a room in its own right,” says Rummerfield. “The vanity, mirror, lighting, and tub should have a pleasing relationship, with the materials doing much of the decorative work. The atmosphere should feel quiet and indulgent.”
LAUNDRY
Multiple machines make laundry day a cinche.
“I enjoy giving utility spaces some personality,” Rummerfield says of the laundry room, which she coated in Benjamin Moore’s Spring Valley, a fresh green that nods to the surrounding landscape. “Many people spend time in them, so the light, finishes, and everyday experience deserve attention.”
About the Designer
Jaime Rummerfield is a Los Angeles–based interior designer known for her richly layered spaces that balance timeless elegance with a distinct sense of personality. Her work celebrates craftsmanship, architectural character, and the art of collecting, combining vintage finds, custom furnishings, and expressive materials to create interiors that feel both sophisticated and lived-in.
