Photographing Mid Century Modern Masterpiece in the Napa Valley

Colors, shapes, and wood tones - photographing a revived Mid Century Modern home in the Napa Valley

Several years ago I received a call from a fellow resident of my hometown here in Napa by the name of Shawn to inquire about drone photography and video of his residence in Napa.

Shawn and his wife had recently purchased a property perched up in the East Hills of Alta Heights near downtown Napa. The west facing portion of the property had a dramatic slope and Shawn wanted to get a birds eye view of the property as a whole.

Upon meeting Shawn at his home, we proceeded to tour his home, a beautiful mid-century Eichler style property with floor to ceiling windows on both the East and West sides of the living room. Original hard wood floors and several accents that hark back to the 1950’s and 60’s.

Shawn grew up in an Eichler home and had a deep admiration for the architecture and style. His goal was to refurbish the home entirely while maintaining the integrity of the classic mid century aesthetic.

Shawn’s wife meticulously sourced original kitchen appliances, dining furniture, living room pieces, and decor.

While the house was currently under construction, I could see their vision coming to life.

About two years later, my phone rang again. Shawn and his wife and finished their project and asked if I would photograph the home for them.

I was elated.

While overall I was quite happy with the results, looking back I can see how I would do things differently now. At the time, I was fully immersed in the the genre of real estate photography – emphasizing space and views. As my experience as grown over the years, I would have taken more time to narrow in on the details a bit more.

While I still photograph real estate full time, I’ve added more “arrows to my quiver” by learning the nuances of interior design photography to help diversify my images.

Below are some of my favorite images from the photo shoot.