Villa Harrah Reimagined: Sonoma Forge Brings a Lake Tahoe Legend into the Present
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
On the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, Villa Harrah occupies a rare place where midcentury glamour, Nevada history and contemporary mountain luxury converge. Built in 1963 by casino pioneer William F. Harrah, the expansive Zephyr Cove retreat was conceived from the beginning as a destination for exceptional entertaining. Its celebrated guests included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland and many of the performers who appeared at Harrah’s casinos. A discreet tunnel allowed famous visitors to arrive beyond public view, adding another layer of intrigue to a property already steeped in Rat Pack mythology.
More than half a century later, Villa Harrah required something more nuanced than a conventional renovation. The challenge was to preserve the confidence and theatricality of the original residence while transforming it into a sophisticated home for modern family life. Anna Shay, ASID, principal of Solanna Design & Development, approached the project with a deep respect for fine craftsmanship, distinctive materials and the individual character of the site. Beginning in 2014, the house was taken down to its framing and comprehensively reimagined, with Solanna Design guiding an ambitious program that ultimately encompassed more than 20,000 square feet.
The renewed Villa remains true to its purpose as a place for gathering. Its great room is framed by a sweeping wall of glass overlooking Lake Tahoe and the Sierra, with distinct areas for dining, billiards, cocktails and conversation around a suspended circular fireplace. Elsewhere, resort-level amenities include a cinema, spa, sauna, cold plunge and Himalayan salt cave. Eight richly individualized bedroom suites provide both privacy and remarkable lake views, while the kitchen retains original Wolf ranges from the 1950s—an inspired connection between the house’s working history and its new life.
Within this richly layered interior, Sonoma Forge plumbing fixtures play an essential unifying role. Their expressive metalwork has the visual strength to stand alongside marble slabs, tactile wood panels, glass, stone and custom art, yet their clean geometry belongs unmistakably to the present. Rather than behaving as background hardware, each faucet, shower component and accessory becomes part of the architecture: functional, sculptural and rewarding to the touch.
The WaterBridge Collection takes a leading role throughout the en suite bathrooms. Inspired by the direct beauty of industrial plumbing, its distinctive body lines elevate familiar pipe forms into refined design statements. Wall-mounted and deck-mounted lavatory faucets, waterfall spouts and Roman tub fillers establish a recognizable vocabulary from suite to suite without imposing uniformity. This balance was particularly important in a house where every bedroom and bath was designed to possess its own atmosphere. WaterBridge provides continuity, while varied materials, colors and configurations allow each room to remain singular.
The WherEver Collection expands that freedom. As a widespread interpretation of WaterBridge, WherEver permits controls and spouts to be positioned independently, giving the designer unusual latitude in responding to custom sinks, stone surfaces and unconventional layouts. At Villa Harrah, WherEver waterfall-spout faucets in a soulful Rustic Nickel finish introduce an artisan counterpoint to the home’s sleek contemporary surfaces. Their flexibility is practical; their presence is unmistakably luxurious.
Selections from the Strap Collection add another distinct note. Inspired by the elemental form of a U-bolt fastener, Strap fixtures unite industrial character with a crisp modern profile. A Strap wall-mounted lavatory faucet demonstrates how a utilitarian reference can become an elegant focal point—especially appropriate in an interior that consistently pairs polished sophistication with honest, tactile materials. Coordinated Sonoma Forge accessories extend this craftsmanship beyond the faucet, making the baths feel considered down to the smallest functional detail.
Sonoma Forge also helps define the Villa’s social spaces. In the kitchen, a Cuvée faucet in Rustic Copper, accompanied by coordinating accessories, brings warmth and hand-finished character to the cabinetry and custom surfaces. At the great-room wet bar, a Brut faucet with an elbow spout celebrates the uncompromising beauty of raw plumbing forms—a fitting gesture in the room where Harrah’s legacy of hospitality feels most alive.
The partnership between Solanna Design and Sonoma Forge succeeds because both respect the power of craftsmanship without treating tradition as something static. Shay’s design draws upon old-world techniques, contemporary technology and the dramatic Tahoe setting; Sonoma Forge similarly honors the legacy of foundries and skilled metalworking while creating fixtures for modern performance and living. Handcrafted and assembled by artisans, the fixtures possess the substance required by a residence of this scale and pedigree.
Villa Harrah’s transformation does not erase its storied past. It gives that history new relevance. The panoramic views, expansive entertaining spaces and lingering echoes of Hollywood remain, but the experience is now expressed through a more personal, tactile and contemporary kind of luxury. Throughout the bedrooms, baths, bars and kitchen, Sonoma Forge supplies the connective tissue: bold forms, authentic materials and enduring craftsmanship. In a house built to make an entrance, these are fixtures with an inimitable presence of their own.
