Backen & Backen Architecture Lifestyle Wellbeing

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Backen & Backen Architecture Lifestyle Wellbeing

Architecture | Lifestyle | Wellness The bestselling architecture and design book, From the Land, published by Rizzoli, illustrates many of the firm’s projects.

Backen & Backen (formerly known as Backen & Gillam Architects) is an internationally recognized design firm known for spaces such as Sundance Mountain Resort, Esperanza Resort, Promontory Winery, the Restoration Hardware Gallery stores (created within iconic buildings in Boston, Chicago, & New York City) and numerous celebrity and high-profile client residences (as recently featured in the June 20

21 issue of Architectural Digest.) B&B has offices in Sausalito, St. Helena, Los Angeles, and Montecito, California.

08/28/2026

Congratulations to Principal Patti Baker, our Los Angeles Studio Director, on her feature in Curator Magazine! Her insights on scale, materiality, and restraint reflects thoughtful design principles that have shaped Backen & Backen’s work for more than three decades.

Photographers: John Merkl - John Merkl (images 1-2), Douglas Friedman - Douglas Friedman (image 3), Nils Timm - Nils Timm (image 4)

08/26/2026

Perched above the Malibu coast, this home is a natural extension of the coastline through landscaped courtyards and seamless indoor/outdoor living spaces. Currently under construction and taking shape, this home is now on the market.

Architects: Howard Backen, Luca Pignata (former principal) - Luca Studio and Kevin Casey - Kevin Casey

08/19/2026

A family legacy project more than ten years in the making. Our partner John Taft designed O’Rourke Family Estate to live in complete conversation with the Okanagan Valley landscape around it. As seen in the print edition of Robb Report
August Wellness Issue.

Design Architect: John Taft - John Taft
Architect of Record: MQN Studio: Roger Green & Ben Plasche
Interior Designers: Ashley Dasent & Peter Hribar - HDG Design
Photographer: Jon Adrian - Jon Adrian

08/12/2026

BOA Steakhouse comes to Napa Valley. A Los Angeles icon reimagined for wine country by Backen & Backen’s John Taft and Carson Howell Costa. Inspired by Napa’s agrarian heritage, the design creates a warm, grounded backdrop for the vibrant energy that defines the BOA dining experience.

At Backen & Backen, we believe the places where we gather can nourish more than the body, they can elevate the human spirit. BOA Napa was designed with that belief at its core.

Architect: John Taft - John Taft & Carson Howell Costa - c a r s o n h o w e l l c o s t a
Landscape Contractor: Dexter - DEXTER estate landscapes
Landscape Design: Amy Fitzpatrick - STUDIO RAMA
Interiors: Ann Backen - Ann Ernish-Backen
Set Stylist: Robin Turk
Photographer: Lisa Romerein - Lisa Romerein
Artwork: Olaf Beckmann

08/04/2026

The right materials can transform a space. This residence is a perfect example of that, where inside and out the materials work in harmony and stop you in your tracks at every detail.

Partner: Tom Spoja (earlier work)
Howard Backen, & Kroeger Janev Architects (former Principal)
Interior Design: jennifer robin interiors
Landscape Design: Claudia Schmidt
Lighting Design: Vita Pehar Design
Contractor: JMA
Photographer: Adrian Gregorutti

07/28/2026

Three acres of water, 35 feet deep at its heart. This 2000 Napa home was designed to sit right above it, cantilevered over the edge, open on both sides to the pond and the hillside beyond. Some homes look at the landscape. This one lives inside it.

Photographer: Erhard Pfeifffer - Erhard Pfeiffer

07/24/2026

The most enduring spaces are born from the most deliberate choices. This residence is a reminder that when every material and every detail is given the attention it deserves, the result is breathtaking.

Interiors: Leslie Hemmings - Leslie Hemmings
Photographer: John Merkl - John Merkl

07/22/2026

A reminder that great architecture is not always built from scratch. This Rutherford farm house is one of our most cherished historic remodels, where every decision was made to honor the past while living beautifully in the present.

Architect: John Taft -
Interiors: Erin Martin -
Photographer: Paul Rollins -

07/20/2026

A winery born from the landscape itself. O’Rourke Family Estate in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is carved into 140 million year old granite, with vineyards, lake views, and underground caves that make it unlike anything Canada has seen before. A project led by our very own partner John Taft. As featured in .

Design Architect: John Taft -
Architect of Record: MQN Studio: Roger Green & Ben Plasche
Interior Designers: Ashley Dasent & Peter Hribar
Photographer: Jon Adrian -

07/09/2026

Symmetry, warmth, and materials that only get better with time. A St. Helena residence where every detail feels exactly as it should.

Photographer: John Merkl -

Address

1421 Main Street, St Helena
Saint Helena, CA
94574

Website

http://www.backenarch.com/

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