Lavish living in Bolinas
Home on 5-acre lot remodeled by original designer
Architect William Leddy understands the importance of designing a home that suits the location. He expanded on that theme for 40 Mesa Road in Bolinas by creating a structure that mimics the land itself.
The 5-acre parcel overlooking Bolinas Lagoon essentially sits atop the San Andreas Fault, inspiring a bifurcated design from Leddy.
“It’s a sculptural expression of the fault line,” said Leddy, referring to separate sloping steel rooftops connected by horizontal beams. “It’s a riftzone house.”
Several owners have occupied the four-bedroom since its 1992 completion. The most recent owners, Lauren Hunt and husband Bradford, asked Leddy to help them with remodeling the home.
“Architects consider homes to be their children. They raise them and send them off,” Lauren Hunt said. “In this case it was like his kid came back with tattoos and piercings.”
Invasive plantings choked the landscape and a Chinese suede carpet covered a stamped concrete floor.
The Bradfords hired Leddy to construct an Ipe deck to complement the existing infinity edge saltwater pool installed by a previous owner. The couple also repainted the stucco a sandy hue, a color Leddy had wanted, but the original owner overruled.
“The tone works with the brown grasses along the hills,” he said. “And the gray metal roof matches the overcast skies you get in Bolinas.”
A great room with floor-toceiling windows and maple flooring commands most of the home’s square footage. At the center of the great room stands a kitchen with custom maple cabinets and a bar with built-in seating. The kitchen’s cabinets stretch reach the voluminous ceiling but are left intentionally short to maintain the feeling of openness.
On one end rests a dining area warmed by a fireplace built into the cabinetry. The opposite side of the great room houses a living area opening to a concrete patio overlooking the lagoon, pool and deck. An Olympic training trampoline installed by the Hunts installed sits off the patio.
Lauren Hunt praised Leddy’s ability to craft inviting spaces that retain their intimacy.
“You’ve got floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the great room overlooking the lagoon, but the way the room is set up, you still feel cozy,” she said. “How you use light and space are vital, and Leddy
is a genius.”
The single-story home expands horizontally and includes a view terrace. Located on the opposite end from the main entrance, the terrace uses its striking views to entice after-dinner guests out for a nightcap.
The irregularly shaped master bedroom accesses the deck off the view terrace and includes maple built-ins.
The Hunts hate to leave the home after less than three years of owning it, but they are returning to their hometown of Santa Fe.
Lauren Hunt admits she’ll miss watching deer roam her acreage.
This self-professed “real estate junkie” never lived in a contemporary before and reflected on the experience.
“I’ve always wanted to live in a modern house,” she said. “We were lucky to have the opportunity.”
Visit www.40Mesa.com for details.