Architecture Wednesday: House of Balconies

You’ll almost feel as though you’ve stepped back in time when you enter this home in the Lafayette hills, a phenomenal split-level five-bedroom, three-bathroom luxury home built by renowned Mid-Century Modern architect Robert Klemmedson in 1959. This quintessential Mad Men-era masterpiece has been carefully restored to its modernist glory and is hitting the market for the first time in 60 years.

Known as “The House of Balconies” by when it was built, the home boasts soaring vaulted ceilings and expansive walls of floor-to-ceiling windows and multitude of decks and balconies that frame dramatic views of Mt. Diablo and vineyards dotting distant Lafayette hillsides.

The 3,170-square-foot house sits on a very private half-acre surrounded by mature oak, pine, and bay trees and features original slate floors with radiant heat, mahogany paneled walls, a sunken conversation pit next to a two-sided copper fireplace for sipping martinis, exposed beam ceilings, and multiple sliding glass doors that open onto decks and patio surrounding the pool.

Klemmedson’s architecture celebrates our connection to nature and geography; in this home he married indoor and outdoor spaces by extending a limestone wall from the Zen-like entryway into the living room’s stunning floor-to-ceiling stone wall and out again towards the backyard pool.

Known for his creative use of space, Klemmedson cantilevered the primary bedroom dramatically over the living room, creating a romantic interior balcony. This spacious suite includes a dressing room and serene bathroom with a sunken step-in shower, emerald fired tile, and lush views through vast windows and opens to a curved redwood deck with stairs leading down to the pool.

The home’s other bedrooms occupy a separate wing with its own staircase and cantilevered landing. Below this family bedroom wing, you'll find the den, game room/study, and bright laundry room.

The kitchen is substantially larger than many kitchens of the era and has been updated with high-end appliances, stone counters, and cabinetry. Designer features were added for today’s homeowners who love entertaining, including a peninsula bar with seating, a copper sink, wine refrigerator and a kitchen-to-patio pass-through is fitted with folding glass windows.

The backyard oasis also boasts a gas firepit, freshly laid lawn, the pool and those views and can be yours for a hair under $3M.

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Architecture Wednesday: Japanese-Inspired Midcentury

This home was built in the 1950s and then remodeled and expanded in 1964 by the owner and, Hal Theiderman, into a Japanese-inspired, Midcentury modern style with floor-to-ceiling windows and indoor/outdoor flow to beautiful gardens that surround the home.

The two-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,240 square foot home is infused with a sense of artistry and calm and an appreciation of space and beauty mostly due to its lot at the end of peaceful Lake Drive overlooking Wildcat Canyon and Tilden Park.

You enter the home across a series of spherical stone pavers evoking the crossing of a river on lily pad; a Japanese maple grows up through the roof. As you enter through the gold painted door, you will notice many lovely details such as the jewel box kitchen, sliding wall panels, and the vintage clay lanterns that hang at the entry.

A balcony opens from the living room overlooking the lower garden, filled with rhododendrons, camelias, and ferns, and the canyon below. There is a tranquil reading room which opens to the front garden, and a formal dining room with built-in China cabinets and sliding doors out to a large roof deck.
The living room features wood paneled walls, a raised ceiling, a modernist brick fireplace, built-in bookshelves and clerestory windows above the main seating area. There was originally an observatory tower for gazing at the night sky and although the dome is no longer there and the tower is roofed, you can still climb the spiral stairs hidden behind a door from the dining room up to the viewing space.

Down the main spiral staircase you’ll find the marvelous principal bedroom with its own fireplace, a wall of windows opening to the garden, and a serene wood-paneled bathroom with theater-style vanity lights. At the opposite end of the room there is a large office space with a built-in desk; the office is separated by sliding wall panels. The secondary bedroom, with its own bath and built-in bookshelves also opens into the rear garden and courtyard.

Quibbles? Of course; the bathrooms are dated, as are some of the finishes, and the kitchen is too small and closed off. Plus, I’d open up that observation spot again and spend my evenings up there sipping a nice Pinto, but other than that it is all sorts or tranquil, both inside and out.

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