Harmon Guest House

We’ve talked at great length in these pages about the perplexingly insecure tendency of California wine country hotels to imitate backward-looking Tuscan or Provençal forms, so it’s only fair we give credit to those that are comfortable locating themselves in present-day California. Harmon Guest House is one of these — this ultra-modern boutique hotel in the heart of Healdsburg was designed by San Francisco architect David Baker, and like all the best in modernist-inspired architecture, it couldn’t have been built anywhere else.

Raw concrete construction can feel cold, but here it’s warmed up by the contrast with the organic materials used elsewhere, from the reception desk, made from a fallen eucalyptus tree, to the building’s façade, a screen made of reclaimed redwood slats that serves as a sun shade. Hickory furniture and locally made tiles do the same for the rooms and suites, which are furnished with luxe must-haves like Nespresso machines and Tivoli sound systems.

It’s not just a cozy hotel — Harmon earns the “guest house” label with a residential atmosphere. A lobby café and cocktail bar is the extent of the food and beverage program — breakfast is served at its sister hotel, the neighboring h2hotel, and come lunch and dinner you’re within walking distance of any number of unforgettable meals, not to mention winery tasting rooms. It’s as urban — and urbane — an experience as you can find in this bucolic town, and we’re predicting that for many modernist-minded travelers it’ll strike just the right note.