Meet the Flintstones’ home
Experimental house inspired by cartoon for sale
Life’s brimming with polarizing items and divisive topics. It’s not a real leap to say Hillsborough’s 45 Berryessa Way — also known as the Flintstone House — falls into that category of things people are either totally for or completely against.
“The reaction from Hillsborough residents has been mixed through the years,” said Judy Meuschke of Alain Pinel Realtors, who is listing the threebedroom, two-bathroom for $4.2 million. “It’s purported one Hillsborough resident at the time founded an architectural review board specifically to keep out experimental architecture.”
Experimental it is. A series of vibrantly colored domes protrude from the hillside overlooking Crystal Springs Reservoir. Motorists on Highway 280 need only minimal effort to spot the home while crossing the Doran Memorial Bridge. Even the interior of the 2,730-square-foot creation fully embraces whimsy.
The kitchen, remodeled by Emeryville architect Eugene Tsui, perhaps best illustrates the listing’s no-apologies attitude. Tsui is internationally renowned for his offbeat creations and held nothing back in Hillsborough.
Illuminated niches, custom shelving and appliance enclosures command attention in the kitchen. A diagonal metal spine runs though a portion of the glass countertop with tension cables anchored to the ceiling. Amber-hued custom glass work crafted at Oakland’s John Lewis Glass Studio accentuates the one-of-a-kind steel doors fabricated by Burning Man artist Dan Das Mann.
Curved walls transition seamlessly into domed ceilings throughout the residence. The dining room includes a builtin bar and patio access through the sliding glass door. A semi-circular fireplace warms the family room, and its “conversation pit,” a sunken segment of the room bordered by cushions. The pit looks directly at Highway 280 through a bubble-shaped window.
Stained glass windows lend flair to a variety of rooms, including to the living room and both bathrooms.
Swinging wooden doors cordon off the water closet in the master bathroom, a quirky space with patio access as well. The master bathroom includes dual vanities, as well as shower and adjacent tub paneled with jagged stone.
Bay Area architect William Nicholson wasn’t trying to channel the Hanna-Barbera cartoon with the experimental design in 1976. Nicholson inflated aeronautical balloons and supported them with mesh frames and rebar before spraying shotcrete over everything.
The imaginative design was originally painted a shade of off-white. Over the years the association with the Flintstones gained hold. The nickname became all but official when the house got an orange and purple color scheme in 2007.
The home is available by appointment only.
Visit www.FlintstoneHouse280.com for more details.