A Toast to Nature

StudioHEIMAT channels the spirit of the land at Eco Terreno’s new San Francisco tasting room

Two stylish women, one sitting and one standing at a high backed upholstered banquette.

Above image: Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein and Eva Bradley, cofounders of studioHEIMAT. Photo by Frank Frances.

By Lydia Lee

Eco Terreno’s 149 acres of vineyards and farmland in Alexander Valley are a world apart from the lively urban setting of Jackson Square. Yet, when designing the winery’s San Francisco tasting room and restaurant, Eva Bradley and Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein of studioHEIMAT were able to channel the brand’s ethos of benefiting the greater ecosystem. “We wanted to pay homage to the farm, including its educational factor,” says Bradley. “Our goal was to create an inviting space that pulls on your heartstrings with its natural materials and color palette.”

Eco Terreno (“ecology of the land” in Spanish) practices biodynamic farming, going beyond organic to produce its award-winning Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon and other estate-grown wines. The approach emphasizes biodiversity and minimizes tilling; at the property, chickens, geese, goats, and sheep roam among the grapevines and provide natural pest and weed control (and, shortly after, fertilizer). Wildflowers grow between the rows of vines, and the farm is certified bee-friendly—the inspiration for the brand’s logo.

Four images: One of a herd of goats; one of a group of free ranging chickens; a group of multi-colored eggs under a bush; and, a counter with three bottles of wine.

The vineyard’s Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the resident goats and chickens who assist with the biodynamic process. Farm images courtesy of Eco Terreno; wine photo by Frank Frances.

Bradley and Cheung Lichtenstein, known for their warmth and hospitality along with their superb interiors (Heimat is a German word that means “a place that feels like home”), brought a residential level of detail to the three-floor, 3,800-square-foot project. The materials of the tasting room include end-grain oak flooring, sage-green leather-and-mohair banquettes, and a bar paneled with book-matched Arabescato Bianco marble. The centerpiece is an ethereal linen mural of Eco Terreno’s vineyards by San Francisco artist Rafael Arana.

View of a modern, upscale tasting room with granite wall behind counter, upholstered banquette seating and small tables and chairs. There is a small inset of another banquette with lower back and granite table and wall.

The first floor tasting room; a detail of Rafael Arana’s linen mural and banquettes in Gregorius Pineo mohair through Kneedler Fauchère . Walls on the first and second floor are White Dove with Light Pewter trim by Benjamin Moore. Photos by Frank Frances.

The floor above is home to a demonstration kitchen for private events, and is designed to connect the chef with guests. “We really wanted it to feel like we were bringing people into our own home,” says Cheung Lichtenstein. A vintage-style china cabinet, in Benjamin Moore’s French Quarter Gold, holds bespoke hand-thrown tableware by another local artist, potter Jered Nelson. Handmade tile adorns the kitchen backsplash, and the peninsula is clad in oak paneling and inlaid with brass.

Modern open kitchen with counter seating, small tables and chairs and built in cabinetry.

The second floor demonstration kitchen is tailored to private events. Photo by Frank Frances.

“We really wanted it to feel like we were bringing people into our own home”

— Alicia Cheung Lichtenstein

Cozy seating area in foreground, with a large modern gas fireplace on right and a bar in center background.

The Lyon & Swan lounge, featuring club chairs upholstered in Pierre Frey through Kneedler Fauchère.

Photo by Frank Frances.

At the subterranean level is the Lyon & Swan supper club, named after the owner, Marc Lyon, and his husband, Daniel Cisneros (derived from cisne, which means “swan” in Spanish). Framed by exposed-concrete walls, the room features a black shou sugi ban fireplace at its center, and a backlit onyx bar adds to the glow. In the stairway, just visible behind a glittering chain curtain, is another Arana mural, representing layers of earth: Even as you descend, you’re reminded of the soil’s ability to produce magic in a bottle.

A Toast to Nature

By Lydia Lee

“We really wanted it to feel like we were bringing people into our own home”

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