Charlie Palmer Reveals Plans for Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer

Phase one of the new plan takes the Main House, Harvest Inn's central building, from standard check-in and common area to a fully revamped reception area, a welcoming bar, and a signature Charlie Palmer restaurant, Harvest Table. In addition to the ground floor updates, a total of four guest rooms are under construction on the second story, and in progress is an updated landscape plan that includes botanical and culinary gardens along with a 24-piece sculpture garden. Phase one, the first of three, is targeted for completion in Spring 2015.

The Main House & Harvest Table

Taking inspiration from Harvest Inn's existing composition of brick and classic woodwork, the new reception and restaurant building will feature a sleek and modern 12-seat U-shaped bar to welcome visitors and locals alike, along with a more subtle reception area covering approximately 900-square feet. Portioning the reception and bar from the restaurant is a greenhouse encasement of local plants, moss, succulents, and more earthly elements culled from the surrounding grounds. The existing two outdoor terraces will be upgraded to allow for alfresco dining and Harvest Table, the all-new 110-seat restaurant with an open action kitchen will take the space of what was previously the hotel's Great Room.

Focusing on all things Napa Valley, Harvest Table's food and beverage offerings provide a refreshed approach to California contemporary farm-to-table cuisine, with ingredients predominantly sourced from the property's culinary gardens and the surrounding areas and seasonal dishes showcasing the true flavors of the local agriculture. The Napa-centric wine list pays tribute to the great area winemakers and vintners, and the inventive seasonal cocktails feature American crafts spirits with house made tinctures and syrups, while the beer menu includes a number of Northern California brews and ales.

The award-winning design firm MBH Architects is responsible for the redesign to create a truly “lived in” aesthetic, and maximum comfort through the common areas, as commissioned by Chef Palmer. Lead designer Andres Grechi will employ recycled metals, pressed glass, and a metal mesh exterior throughout the Main House area and through to the next phase of transformations.

New Guest Rooms

On the second story of the Main House, four new rooms are underway, and MBH Architects has skillfully created a balance between the new room design and the existing architecture: Each new room will be approximately 475 square feet with handsome king size wood bed frames, armoires, desks, and desk chairs, comprised of warm hues and offset by modern pendant light fixtures and contemporary side lounge furniture with LED lights, smartphone docks, and more. The building's existing fireplaces, the cornerstones of nearly all Harvest Inn guest rooms, will be entirely refurbished to offer a welcome spot for unwinding after a day in wine country. These four new rooms, on track for completion in Spring 2015, are the model for four additional new guest rooms on the other side of the property (as well as the total room update as part of transformation phases two and three), bringing the resort's room count to eighty-one.

New Culinary Garden, Grounds & Landscape

Harvest Inn's new Culinary Horticulturist, Laura McNiff, is supporting the resort's culinary program with a complete edible garden adjacent to the restaurant, planting herbs, salad greens, berries, and citrus with plans to expand the garden as construction finishes on the Main House. While the seasonally rotating garden supports the farm-to-fork restaurant concept, the overall landscape design also reflects and enhances the natural beauty of the property.

Located on eight acres of prime Napa Valley land, Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer is home to pristine grounds that include redwood trees, rose gardens, and Northern California botanicals. Since Palmer-City Core's acquisition in January, the landscape architecture firm of Michael Painter Associates, working along with McNiff and the grounds team at Harvest Inn, has been busy planning, planting, and grooming. The goal of the new grounds design is to offer a more cohesive landscape from the roadside to the rooms, introducing more complete planting and color throughout the property with flower beds of roses, violets, native wildflowers and geraniums as well as agricultural botanicals like thyme, rosemary, citrus fruits, olives, and much more. Guests walking through the grounds will find abundance in bloom year round at the all-new Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer.

Harvest Inn Sculpture Garden

Chef Charlie Palmer has partnered with Bay Area artist Amanda Klimek to curate a one-of-a-kind rotating sculpture installation. This 24-piece program celebrates local artists with large handcrafted sculptures, each serving as an artistic complement to the grounds and gardens. Every participating artist has signed on for a one-year commitment and those currently on display include Amanda herself, as well as Wayne Schaffer, Peter Dreyfuss, Nina Lyons, Stephanie Robison, Ann Weber, and more. The current art installation recognizes the synergy between art and nature, while offering a beautiful setting for artists to display their work.

Visit website: www.harvestinn.com/