Vallee de Chene is a 20 acre estate property in coastal foothills southeast of the San Francisco Bay nestled amongst a forest of native oak trees. This project is the result of the owner’s undying commitment, persistence and passion for over a decade and a half. The owners wanted the residence and the property to have an authentic ‘European’ presence. The twist; Mr. wanted it a little more Italian influence and Mrs. wanted it a little more French influence. We were able to find a happy middle ground and we created a hybrid of sorts that captured the essence of ‘somewhere in Europe’ and that satisfied both of their wishes. An authenticity in scale, detail and materials were the cornerstones in achieving their vision. The exterior conjures up images of European countryside stone masons. The home is clad entirely in limestone quarried in Coulmier, France and fabricated in Italy. All of the stone elements including the wall cladding, balconies, columns, large entry portals, and surrounds were created from our design drawings. Many of the other materials adorning the exterior were sourced from Italy, France and Spain. The owners dreamt of ‘sun-filled’ interiors with direct relationships to the beautiful exterior setting surrounding the home. They wanted the interiors to be consistent with the exterior styling and to be comfortably simple to live in.