When Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Realtor Lee Lee Gioia laid eyes on this timeless contemporary house the first time, she entered through the back door.
“I immediately thought, this is no ordinary house,” she said, “it has to be a Bodron + Fruit!”
When the plans were produced, her instincts were correct. It doesn’t matter which door you come through, you can always tell a Bodron + Fruit design, and they always stand the test of time.
If you’ve ever wondered why you hire an architect, this timeless contemporary is a great example. Architects know what materials don’t age. They understand siting, proportion, massing, and volume — and they get it right. Although this home was built in 2004, it looks like it was finished last week.
The inspiration for the 4,713-square-foot house was evident from the site.
“It was a big square lot with a giant tree in the backyard,” Sven Fruit said. “We designed the house around the tree. It’s that simple. That tree was central to everything, and I wanted the house to recede from the street but fit in with the greenery.”
That’s evident from the marvelous expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows, from the entry through to the living, family, and bedrooms.
The massing on this home is important in creating that timeless quality. Massing is proportion. It’s the width, breadth, and scale of space, and how these relate to each other.
The reason we tire of the big white box that is so prevalent with builders is that it’s simply dull. It offers nothing other than one big mass, so there is no potential for experience. Massing creates the most impact on the eye and is one of the most important architectural design considerations. This house is so intriguing because it’s a cluster of masses. And that makes you want to explore.
Fruit used natural materials throughout the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home. From the copper-clad exterior and massive mahogany front pivot door to the Lueders limestone entryway and African Makore flooring, these materials ground the house to create a rich and substantial ambiance.
Michael Knorr, an architect based in Denver, writes the wonderful Knorr Architecture Blog. He sums up what we need to understand about architecture and it applies beautifully to this timeless contemporary. He remarks that when we think about architecture merely as a category, like Victorian, colonial, or contemporary, we are missing the bigger picture.
…if they are our only way of looking at architecture, we have missed the point. It is like writing the notes of a song without listening to the music. We do not want to look at architecture; we want to experience it.
This is a quiet serene, very private, lovely home, and it’s one to be experienced.
Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s agent Leelee Gioia has 9312 Rockbrook Drive listed for $3.35 million.
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager and writer for over 25 years. Karen teaches the popular Staging to Sell class and is the creator of the online course, The Beginners Guide to Buying Wholesale. Her love of all dogs, international travel, good chocolate, great champagne, and historic homes knows no bounds. Her father was a spy, so she keeps secrets very well!
