Thomas Bartlett has soaked up his own Napa Valley Style over the course of a lifetime. His parents still reside on the ranch off Silverado Trail where he lived as a boy. Bartlett graduated from Napa High School and attended California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. He first opened a Napa Valley interior design business in 1968; five years ago he was named one of the top 100 architects and designers in the world by Architectural Digest. His work is also featured and beautifully photographed in a new book, “Signature Style,” published by the editors of Traditional Home magazine. He and his team are currently managing 30 major interior design projects in locations such as Dallas, Vail, Colorado and, of course, Napa Valley.

Ten years ago he began designing and manufacturing furniture following an unpleasant experience with a Los Angeles furniture maker who refused to stand behind a faulty product. Initially he visited fabrication sites in Mexico and the Philippines, but eventually decided to manufacture his metal furniture in Napa. “I enjoy a lot more quality control having the pieces made right here,” he says.
Over the past decade the Thomas Bartlett Collection has grown considerably and is available in designer showrooms across the country. He says his furniture designs are largely inspired by elements he loves at the Orangerie at Versailles and the Villa San Michele outside of Florence, Italy.

His choice of materials and attention to construction are intended to produce pieces of long-lasting durability. “They’ll last two lifetimes,” Bartlett says. “Two hundred years from now they’ll be sold as antiques.”

The newly opened Thomas Bartlett Collection showroom is located at 1307 First St., Napa. For more information call (707) 251-2310. ¦