Issue date: May 06, 1998
By JANE KNOERLE
You won't find any marble halls or crystal chandeliers in Sunset's Western Dream House, which opened to the public last week. This is not a house to just "ooh and aah" over, it's one you want to move into.
First impression is the two-story house is big, but not intimidating. Built in a U-shape, it centers around an outdoor room, complete with fireplace and built-in barbecue. Downstairs rooms all open onto this patio.
The house has a definite Western look with a beige stucco exterior and old tile roof. You see a resemblance to Sunset's headquarters, just down the street.
Built in Vintage Oaks, adjacent to St. Patrick's Seminary, the Dream House is part of the magazine's 100th anniversary celebration. It was first presented as a concept in its April 1997 issue, offering readers house plans for a 3,000 square foot home.
As Sunset's home editor, Daniel Gregory, says: "Sunset's been reporting on the Western home, from innovative cabins to sophisticated ranch houses for decades. Now we've built a house ... that celebrates indoor-outdoor living, that is practical and flexible with an unmistakable dash of Western romance, and that fits on a one-third acre lot."
A team of five worked to make the rooms flow into, and complement, each other. Team members were Mr. Gregory, senior style editor Ann Bertelsen, and marketing director Courtney Compton, all of Sunset; and builder Stephen M. Ackley of Pacific Peninsula Group, and interior designer Colienne Brennan of Brenco Designs.
Don't entertain dreams of living in this house yourself, however. It was sold even before it was built. The price tag also might be a deterrent. Homes in Vintage Oaks go for more than $1 million. "Closer to $1.5 million for this house," says Ms. Compton.
Thanks to El Nino, the model home was not finished in time for Sunset's recent open house, but it's now open to the public through Aug. 16, with proceeds going to Children's Health Council.
What sets the Western Dream House apart from most show houses is the research and preparation that went into a house that "would set the standard for living well in the West," according to Mr. Gregory. It's full of ideas, from showing the newest color palette to showcasing pavers for your driveway. Resources for furnishings and building materials are posted in each room.
Visitors also receive an instruction booklet so they can duplicate projects in their own homes. "In each room there are ideas to take home," says Senior Editor Ann Bertelsen. While you may not have $1 million plus for a house, you can buy two napkins to make a colorful pillow, or learn how to paint terra cotta pots.
Dream House plans were designed by Peter Dominick of Urban Design Group of Denver and modified and adapted to the Vintage Oaks site by Pacific Peninsula Architecture. There are three versions of house plans available: Mediterranean (as built in Menlo Park); Contemporary Craftsman, and Shingle Style. Blueprints of the house cost $495 and the magazine has already sold 200 of them.
The Dream House was designed with a make-believe family in mind: a young professional couple, with two children, say ages 9 and early teen, who enjoy cooking, gardening and travel. And, of course, they read Sunset.
For this busy couple, the first floor master suite will be their retreat. There is a bedroom, luxurious bath, and a home office that could also double as a nursery.
The living and dining area boasts a fireplace that opens to both rooms, and French doors opening onto the patio. While original plans called for one "Great Room," research showed local homeowners prefer a separate dining room.
Color suffuses all rooms. The living room is painted in "Jasmine Time" yellow, one of 50 colors the magazine staff developed, in conjunction with Infinity paints by Sherwin Williams.
The white painted woodwork has simple Craftsman lines; dark hardwood floors are distressed (with a chisel). "We figure since we'll have probably 30,000 people coming through here, a distressed finish would be a good idea," says Ms. Bertelsen.
The adjoining dining room, also painted yellow, has French doors opening onto the patio. A handsome antique cabinet filled with colorful pottery is on loan from the Courtyard Collection in Palo Alto. "We've also used furnishings from Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel, and Smith & Hawken in the house," says Ms. Bertelsen.
The master bedroom walls are painted in "Green Felicity" and "Olive Grove" shades in a subtle harlequin pattern, two of 13 Infinity colors used in the house.
Upstairs are two rather small bedrooms for the children. "Jill's" room is painted in "Green Felicity," while "Jack's" is "Khaki," with oars used as curtain rods for colorful striped curtains. There is a shared bath between the two rooms with a rugged limestone floor. Both bedrooms open onto an upstairs deck.
Everybody's favorite is the project or bonus room over the garage. The walls are painted in "Melon Yellow," "Khaki" and "Bittersweet Orange." Bright blue inserts spark up the laminate wood floor with a couch covered in matching blue. The furniture is mounted on casters so it can be easily moved. The room could also be used as a bedroom.
A center island with stainless steel top and extra sink dominates the kitchen. Cabinets have limestone countertops and green glass tile backsplash. All appliances are the new GE Monogram series in stainless steel.
The cozy family room also opens onto the "heart of the house," the patio. A wall outside the laundry room is treated with backboard paint so family members can leave messages for each other.
Landscape architect Pete Pederson of San Rafael donated the landscaping for the house, which includes a series of "outdoor rooms." A spa garden is just steps from the master bedroom. There is also a children's play area, complete with play house, a "working" garden, a "secret" garden to get away from it all, and a garden work center that is right out of the pages of Sunset.
Although this is the first Sunset Dream House since 1962, it won't be the last. The magazine plans to have an idea house every year and is already working on 1999.
DREAM HOUSE HOURS: The Sunset Dream House is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays through May 29 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 16. Parking and shuttle service is from Sunset headquarters at 85 Willow Road in Menlo Park. Tickets are sold at Sunset for $7; $6 for seniors and Safeway cardholders. Proceeds benefit Children's Health Council. Information: 1-800-786-7375.
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