Our light-filled architecturally significant 1932 Mediterranean home is set in peaceful location in the Claremont area of Berkeley. The house has San Francisco Bay views, a large surrounding garden with several majestic live oaks, a sunny brick courtyard, persimmon, apple and pear trees, and a lawn. Situated on a quiet cul-de-sac and private lane, immediately adjacent to Claremont Canyon Open Space, the house offers direct access to walking and running trails and popular road and mountain bike routes in the Berkeley and East Bay hills.
We are a short walk from University of California Berkeley's Clark Kerr running track, and further on, the UC campus. We have off-street parking as well as easy street parking on our quiet non-through road. The house has white oak and Douglas fir floors throughout and is furnished with comfortable sofas, mahogany antiques, and hand-painted wooden furniture. The front door opens into a light-filled entrance hall which leads to a gracious, airy living room with large windows on three sides looking out over the garden.
A large wood fireplace, Steinway piano, surround-sound system and 65-inch TV system provide ample scope for listening to music, watching films, and reading or playing music. We are a musical family so there are plenty of spaces for making music. From the living room, French doors lead to a private courtyard surrounded by roses, wisteria and vines, with teak dining furniture, gas bbq, and canvas umbrellas.
The recently renovated ground-floor wing houses a spacious, light kitchen-family-dinning room with full height windows, cathedral ceiling, and glass doors that fold back to open onto patios with teak furniture, peaceful views of San Francisco Bay and the Marin headlands, mature oaks, gardens, and fountain. A generous marble-topped island, Wolf, Subzero and Miele appliances, two porcelain farmhouse sinks, and a walk-in pantry with extensive spices provide opportunities for elaborate dinners or intimate gatherings. We are a family of enthusiastic cooks and our kitchen works hard for us! The renovated wing also includes a comfortable family room/office with study area as well as Apple TV and a flatscreen television; a powder room; and a laundry room with washer, dryer, laundry sink, storage and drying rack.
A private corridor leads to two bedrooms, one with four-poster bed (USA queen/UK king), one with single bed and study area, and a bathroom with spacious walk-in rain shower. Upstairs includes a Master Suite (USA king/UK super-king) with French doors to a large balcony, views to the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco, white tile bathroom with bath and walk-in shower, and two separate wood-paneled dressing rooms. Upstairs there are also two further single bedrooms furnished with mahogany and hand-painted furniture, with bookshelves, study areas and peaceful views over gardens and mature oaks, as well as a third bathroom in white tile with bath and walk-in shower.
The house is on a large lot in the lower Claremont hills, close to the historic Claremont Hotel with its Club and Spa (tennis, swimming, fitness, wellness), and is very private as it is hidden from the street by mature oaks, shrubs, and fruit trees. Teak tables and chairs provide many outdoor spaces to read, work, relax, and dine under the shady oaks, near the fountain, on the patios, the small lawn, and in the sunny courtyard. UC Berkeley campus is easy to access (15 min bike, 30 min walk); AC Transit bus stop is a 15 min walk, 5 min bike; Rockridge BART station (6 min drive to BART lot) has regular trains to San Francisco, Oakland, and other key Bay Area destinations. There are about 30 brick steps up to the front door. We have a 100 amp charger for electric vehicles and are an environmentally conscious family. A car may be negotiated.
