Vallee De Chene

Location:

Bay Area, California

Details:

20 Acre Lot
13,200 sf Residence

Vallée 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.

One of the most rewarding times in the design process is when we present exterior sketches, the energy that comes from these charettes provides the fuel necessary for a successful project journey

Our Persistence ensures an idea, a sketch, is followed through and implemented during the collaborative and challenging building process – these ideas are what become the everlasting elements of the design

Seamless transitions from the outdoor environment to interior environment are imperative in any complete design solution

Every detail and every decision leads to the final result”