Rob Mondavi Jr., and wife Lydia Mondavi (left) are establishing their southern roots with the creation of a new designer home right here in in Beaufort. Located on the banks of Port Royal Sound overlooking Parris Island, the home, designed by Reu Architects, blends Napa’s acclaimed wine country with the casual elegance of the Lowcountry to embody the family’s entertaining lifestyle and reconnect them to Lydia’s South Carolina ancestral heritage.
“My family has a long history in this area,” says Lydia Mondavi who recently hosted a Southern Living Inspired event at Habersham. “My mother’s forefathers, John Rutledge and his son of the same name, served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, respectively. Additionally, John and Edward Rutledge signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. My paternal grandfather, Y.T. Abernathy, served as a Marine in World War II and was trained at Parris Island, the very island we overlook off our deep-water dock now.”
This Napa Valley couple shares a passion for wine and sustainable living principles, both of which inspired the designer home and Mondavi Home Collection, a growing assortment of authentic home essentials that debuted in January 2014, with innovative reserve barrel flooring made from a selection of refurbished Mondavi wine barrels. A true labor of love, Rob and Lydia partnered with acclaimed designers and manufacturers to bring their southern story to life through their distinct personal style and regional inspirations.
Each room in the home is masterfully designed with elements uniting Napa’s wine country and the Lowcountry. A natural focal point of any vintner’s home, the kitchen is the heart of the Mondavi’s design. Curated to embrace functionality as well as the couple’s affinity for entertaining, the kitchen is anchored by a Thermador 1 stove and range. This high-efficiency appliance features a griddle alongside six turbo-charged high British Thermal Unit (BTU) burners and the ventilation system allows the aromas of the evening’s wine selection to outshine that of the food. Four wine preservation columns, part of the Thermador Freedom Refrigeration line, provide ample refrigeration and storage space for the Mondavi’s extensive collection of wine while blending seamlessly into the home’s design. Other accents throughout the kitchen work to enhance Rob’s vision of a winemaker’s ideal kitchen including the spacious Silestone by Cosentino anti-fungal and anti-bacterial countertops made of quartz and the bold Kohler farm sink that highlights the Ann Sacks terra cotta tiles along the backsplash.
Drawing on Rob’s affection toward texture in both wine and food, the Mondavis focused much of their attention on the wood features throughout the home. The California Redwood tanks created with virgin clear heart redwood are found in the handcrafted wood beams, great room barn door and fireplace mantle are treasured Mondavi family heirlooms, passed down to Rob by his great uncle and once again blending history into Rob and Lydia’s modern southern story. In addition, the couple partnered with Authentic Reclaimed Floors to create the Mondavi Home Collection of flooring which is showcased throughout the home. The floors are crafted from reclaimed wood of the Old Crow Bourbon Distillery in Kentucky and elevated with a unique touch only a wine master could create.
“We love bourbon and could not resist using this reclaimed piece of living history for the floors of our entire home,” says Rob of the flooring. “We created a signature color of stain that highlights the natural grain of the wood and then washed it with an exclusive wine stain to create an exquisite color reminiscent of our old Fumé Blanc vines.”
The home’s outdoor spaces, from the porches and decks to boardwalks and docks, serve as natural extensions of the family’s sustainable business ethos. Trex Company, Inc.’s composite decking boasts not only the “green” attributes important to the Mondavis, but also the longevity and quality for which they were aiming. Part of embracing the Lowcountry’s relaxed lifestyle, according to Lydia, is creating livable outdoor space to enjoy the region’s sights and sounds, and Trex’s quality decking allows the whole family, including Rob and Lydia’s three-year-old son, Robert Mondavi III, to enjoy its natural beauty.
Honoring the essence of the picturesque coast, the entire home is tied together by the coastal-inspired color scheme and décor. Thoughtfully curated by Lydia’s mother, interior decorator Anita Wilbanks, the home’s 22 color palette by Benjamin Moore represents the varying hue of ocean tides with each room’s color ebbing and flowing from dark to light. Additional decorative elements throughout the home include lighting by Circa Lighting, Kohler and Kallista bath fixtures and faucets and furnishings by M Interiors.
