Backen & Backen designs modern American steakhouse at Casa Mani Resort Napa Valley

Boa Napa, the latest hospitality project from architecture firm Backen & Backen, has opened within Casa Mani Resort Napa Valley, part of Curio Collection by Hilton.

Innovative Dining Group (IDG) selected Backen & Backen to design the latest addition to the Boa Steakhouse portfolio, with the firm having defined the quintessential architectural language of Napa Valley for more than three decades. The project was led by firm partner John Taft and former CEO Ann Backen, with the team overseeing both architecture and interior design.

Signature design tenets include an indoor-outdoor environment that allows for different dining experiences and inspires repeat visits. These include an outdoor patio with a central fireplace framed by 100-year-old heritage olive trees, a grand double-height main dining room with expressed timber framework and a lively bar, an intimate cellar for private dining experiences and large windows and openings throughout the space.

Subtle touches of denim and deep indigo, dubbed ‘BOA blue’, are woven throughout the restaurant’s banquettes and additional decorative details, nodding to Napa’s agrarian heritage and the Californian blur between informal and formal. Meanwhile, a restrained palette of materials such as reclaimed wood, natural stone and blackened steel reflects the textures of Napa. The final touch is photography from longtime firm collaborator Olaf Beckmann, showcasing local landscapes.

“Our goal was to let the character of Napa guide the design of the steakhouse,” says John Taft, Partner at Backen & Backen. “After more than 25 years working in this region, it’s especially meaningful to continue contributing to Napa Valley’s evolving landscape. We designed this project as a place for visitors and locals alike to share in a Napa experience, focusing on proportion, contextual materials, and a seamless connection to the outdoors. The architecture opens outward to gardens and olive trees, allowing the landscape to become part of the experience. That dialogue between building and site is central to our work and a continuation of a philosophy that has helped define Napa Valley for decades.”

“IDG asked us to make every single table special, with different engaging views and experiences for locals and tourists alike, who might be visiting for the first time or the thirtieth. Regardless if guests sit at the buzzing bar, at one of the restaurant’s many signature blue banquets, in the cellared private dining spaces, or outside on the patio, each seat offers something new,” comments Carson Howell Costa, Regenerative Practices Department Lead at Backen & Backen.