Atherton I

An existing spec house in Atherton has been thoroughly transformed into a contemporary neoclassical villa, dignified and solidly grounded in the landscape, light and spacious within.

A grand, skylit entry gallery, with custom designed, twelve-foot tall bronze doors, extends through the house to the garden with its exquisite rim-flow pool. The formal living room and a more casual kitchen, dining, and family room flank the gallery; both open through banks of French doors to the garden and pool. Indoors and out flow into one another, celebrating the lifestyle afforded by the gentle climate.

 

The materials of the house reinforce the relationships among the rooms and between the interior and the landscape. A fully integrated smart home system controls lighting, audio visual, home security and pool functions, yet the experience of the home is one of sumptuous, timeless materials: dark, rich, wire-brushed oak floors in the high-ceilinged living spaces; finely detailed marble in the baths; and wenge wood and bronze in the custom wine cellar. Custom patterned Portuguese limestone, selected in the quarry by the design team, paves the hallways, linking pubic and private spaces and continuing into the garden. New cast stone complements and adds substance to the original exterior.

 

The large, multi-purpose room of the new copper-roofed pool house opens completely to the pool deck; a more intimate yoga room looks out to a quiet Koi pond, a perfect setting for meditation. An outdoor kitchen boasts both gas and charcoal grills and an exterior fire pit. California native specimen trees, fruit trees, and a vegetable garden grace the landscape.