Nickel & Nickel

John C. Sullenger House

Named for John C. Sullenger, who purchased the land in 1865 and established the farmstead in the 1880s, the 2,800 square-foot Sullenger House is a handsome farmhouse with charming Queen Anne details, built around 1884. Abandoned and neglected for more than two decades, Nickel & Nickel restored the home in 2002. The Sullenger House serves as the point of guest reception and hospitality, as well as private events.

Highlights of the home’s features include:

• Restored and remodeled original clapboard wood siding
• Original exterior detailing, including fish scale, sunburst and rosette elements
• Original central hall staircase; restored original newel post and balusters
• Original fir wood floors
• New chimneys constructed of brick that’s authentic to 1880s architecture
• Newly excavated, arched-ceiling cellar, finished in plaster and antique terra cotta tile
• Traditional, hand-cut limestone foundation blocks
• Recreated porch and second story balcony with authentic Chippendale railing
• New cedar shingle roof, typical of 1880s home construction

The interior design of the Sullenger House evokes a romantic version of the early Napa Valley farmstead, but with a panache appropriate for a world-class winery. Provincial in style, the interior combines a light, airy and earth-toned palette of painted woodwork, wallpaper and textiles, with an eclectic blend of distinctive antiques appropriate to the home of a prosperous, 19th century farmer, including:

• French mantles with mirrored trumeau
• Early Swedish trestle tables from the 1750s
• Art nouveau bisque-ware vases from eastern France
• One-of-a-kind antique crystal and beaded chandeliers