The Story Behind Heartstone Cottage

People often ask how Heartstone Cottage got its name. The answer is sitting right out front. If you look up at the brick chimney, you'll see them — stones shaped like hearts, set into the brickwork when the cottage was built in 1912. More than a hundred years later, they're still the first thing you notice when you arrive, and they set the tone for everything inside. Whoever laid those bricks all those years ago clearly believed that even small details should carry a little love, and that spirit has somehow stuck around through every season the cottage has weathered since.

A creekside cottage in Kenwood

Heartstone Cottage sits along Sonoma Creek in Kenwood, California — tucked into one of those quiet pockets of the valley where the wine country slows down and the trees take over. From the moment you step out back, the creek announces itself: a soft, steady sound that becomes the background music of your stay. It's there in the morning when you're standing at the kitchen window with your first cup of coffee. It's there in the late afternoon when the light starts to filter through the trees. And it's still there at midnight, when everything else has finally gone quiet.

From dated and dark to a little bit magical

The cottage didn't always feel this way. When Jonathan first walked through, it was a dated, dark little house on the creek — heavy on the shadows, light on the charm. The bones were beautiful and the setting was unbeatable, but the inside had stopped letting the property speak for itself. When he and his wife Christy (and their adorable new baby) came back to furnish and make it their own, they let the home start speaking to them!

They saw the magic underneath. A complete renovation in 2010 had brought the cottage fully into the present, with modern conveniences throughout, while keeping the storybook spirit that made them fall for it in the first place. Out went the dim corners and dated finishes. In came light, airy spaces that finally let the creek and the trees do their thing. New paint, power washing, family stepped in and installed a wine fridge, and did updating. They strung lights through the majestic trees, set up a fire top table by the water, and tucked little gold bunnies into corners around the house — because if you're going to do a thing, you might as well do it whimsically.

What's here now is the cottage the property was always meant to be: quiet, glowing, a little enchanted, and completely at home on the creek.

The outside is the magic

The backyard is where guests fall in love. String lights through the trees, a fire top table for evenings that stretch a little longer, swivel chairs, and bright blue stools that practically beg you to pour a glass of Sonoma red and stay awhile. The creek runs right past it all. People tell us they came planning to drive into town for dinner and ended up just… not.

The sound of the water does something to you. Conversations slow down. Phones get set face-down on the table. Someone always ends up suggesting "just one more glass." And when the sun finally drops behind the trees and the string lights start to glow, it's hard to imagine anywhere else you'd rather be.

If you're the kind of guest who likes to hunt for small surprises, keep an eye out for the bunnies. Some guests find them all on day one. Others discover the last one on the morning they're packing up to leave.

Inside the cottage

The inside is small in the best way — two bedrooms, four beds, room for six. The main bedroom has a king bed, the second has two singles (great for kids, friends, or the person who really doesn't like sharing covers), and there's a sofa bed in the living room for whoever calls the couch first. The kitchen is fully stocked and ready for the kind of slow, unhurried cooking that a wine country weekend invites. There's a dedicated workspace if you need to sneak in an hour of work, and a smart lock at the door so you can come and go on your own schedule.

Who Heartstone Cottage is for

It's for couples who want a slow weekend in wine country. It's for small families looking for somewhere quieter than the busier parts of Sonoma and Napa. It's for friends who want to cook a long dinner, drink good wine, and sit by the fire until the stars come out. It's for the solo traveler who needs a few days of running water instead of running notifications. Kenwood puts you right in the middle of the valley — close to Sonoma vineyards, an easy drive to Napa, with country roads, tasting rooms, and slow-paced little towns all within reach — but you don't have to leave the property to feel like you got away.

Come stay

Two bedrooms, four beds, sleeps six. Self check-in, fast Wi-Fi, a full kitchen, and a creek that does most of the entertaining. We'd love to have you.

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