Enid Ford and her late husband, Sydney, had spent years discussing how to design their dream home. They planned to raze a cottage they inherited, an unremarkable Sausalito property blessed with a singularly spectacular view of San Francisco and replace it with a European-inspired showplace with all-American structural integrity.
All they were waiting for was Sydney’s retirement. A Bechtel executive who spent most of his career traveling the world, including three years in Beijing, Sydney had been too-frequently absent for such a project earlier in their marriage.
But, as fate would have it, Sydney died at 57, but not before urging his wife to build the house he would never see. “One of the last things he said was, ‘Honey, now you can do your thing,’” says Ford, who hopes that the three-story, 10,581-square-foot residence, served by a steel and glass elevator, will be home to a family who will appreciate its unique combination of European-inspired elegance and one of the finest locations for a world class view.
“I wanted to do something different,” says Ford, who didn’t want to add yet another California ranch-style manse to the landscape. Ford interviewed seven architects before choosing David Williams, then of Robinson Mills + Williams. Given the site’s unique setting and Ford’s desire for an equally unique property, Ford “chose Robinson Mills because they did mostly high rises and commercial buildings.”
“She was very much involved and had definite ideas on what she wanted,” says architect David Williams. “The property has spectacular views, so it was fairly important to take advantage of those.”
The property’s views provided similar inspiration for San Francisco-based interior designer Barbara Scavullo and her associate Arnelle Kase. “I think it’s a fabulous house,” says Scavullo, who notes that the Euro-styled design differs from many of today’s California homes in that it is not “cluttered up. There’s clarity, a fairly straightforward grand gesture."
“What she wanted was a contemporary classic,” continues Scavullo. “She also wanted the guts of the house – what you couldn’t see – to be as important as what you could see.” “The house is really solidly built,” says Williams. “It has two-foot-thick walls on the main floor with a steel and concrete floor. It was designed to stand the test of time."
Williams designed the house, built in 1990, in a more formal style with ties to Paris. “She liked the French style and classic proportions,” says Williams.
Williams satisfied Ford’s desire for floor to-ceiling windows by installing them in a vaulted-ceiling gallery along the north side of the home. “So no matter where you look, you have a view of either water or gardens,” says Ford. The home's important features include an entry gallery with this beautiful classic arcade which leads you past the kitchen and dining room into a double-height living room with windows on all sides looking out onto the terrace and beyond.”
While the 180-degree views across the Bay provide a panoramic scene of Tiburon, Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge and downtown San Francisco, drawing the most inspired comments from guests, it is certainly not the only attention-getting feature of the home. The ballroom-size living room features a concealed bar, French doors on three sides, a limestone and maple parquetry floor, as well as a stately fireplace with a mantelpiece copied from a French original.
The formal dining room, the same size as the one in Ford’s previous house in Presidio Heights, also features a fireplace with direct terrace access. The master bedroom suite, in a dark, soft green, complements breathtaking Bay views. The suite includes a large sitting room with fireplace, furniture Ford designed with Kase, and a spa-inspired Carrera marble-finished bath.
Those who are well-acquainted with art and architecture won’t mind the house’s nearly eight-figure price tag, according to Williams. “They will get their money’s worth.
And, hopefully, they will appreciate the quality of the space. If they don’t, they’re the wrong people to buy it.”
The Ford home is currently being offered for sale by Sotheby's International Realty at $8.8 million
