Photos by HurleyHafen
With a lifetime of worldwide travel between them, HurleyHafen partners John Hurley and Justin Hafen have just about seen it all. Prior to venturing into real estate development and design, they created and operated 13 restaurants and bars in the Bay Area. There is a spirit of generosity and hospitality in everything they do, including their original brand of “curated homes” in Napa Valley, built to admire but, more importantly, to comfortably live in.
Photos by HurleyHafen
For their curated homes, HurleyHafen acquires prime vineyard land, designs an extraordinary home, builds it, and then furnishes it, “down to the toothbrushes,” Justin says. “The idea is that the day you buy one of our curated homes, you have everything you need to throw a glamorous dinner … all you need to do is bring your clothes!”
This is the core concept of their business, but they also work directly with clients who already own land and need them – and their team of architects, engineers and contractors – for the design and construction oversight part of the process.
They also do full-service interior design for luxury homes throughout the country. It is for this reason they decided to make their first trip to Round Top last fall on the recommendation of (and in memory of) their dear friend Barbara Colvin who passed after a long battle with cancer.
“Barbara was a very acclaimed designer and had always wanted to go to Round Top. We had talked about going together for years and just never made it,” John says. “But after she passed away, our mutual friend Michelle Cheatham [Architect’s Daughter at Market Hill] was going, so we said ‘let’s all go in Barbara’s honor,’ and, needless to say, we did and were blown away!”
Photos by HurleyHafen
“The first person we met was Paul Michael. He took us around his beautiful store inside Market Hill, and personally introduced us to all of the other vendors inside his building. Then every day, we would go out shopping with him all over Round Top finally returning to Market Hill at the end of the day to start drinking and partying,” John laughs.
“We had no idea how much fun it was going to be. It’s like Burning Man for designers,” Justin adds. “That’s what makes it so unique. It’s a party!”
“Round Top introduced us to a venue like no other. It’s not just the old stuff, it’s new stuff, too,” John says. “ It’s like this great combination between the Paris flea markets and the big shows in High Point, Las Vegas and Atlanta … but all in one place. Who knew this rustic little town with a population of 90 people had so much to offer?”
Photos by HurleyHafen
As for what they are looking for this spring, “We have a huge shopping list for both clients and our curated homes. But I’m sure, as we discovered on our first trip, we will also end up finding beautiful, unique pieces that we don’t really need, but simply cannot pass up.”
The design duo will make their return March 22-26 with clients and lots of friends in tow. “We fell in love with the whole deal, so this time we’re bringing a big crew!”
Look for their crew at Round Top, and, in the meantime, learn more about their design team, their curated homes and other creative projects at HurleyHafen.com and on Instagram @hurleyhafen.