969 Kenwood
969 Via Roble is a one level, 3,860 square foot modern single-family
home with sweeping rooflines and expansive views, perched on a
rocky hillside overlooking the vast Kenwood Valley. The previous
home on this site, along with 18 surrounding homes, plus extensive
groves of oak trees and established landscaping were all lost in the
devastating Wine Country 2017 Sonoma firestorms.
Designing for a new home amid the scars of the fires offered a
chance to heal and bring new life to the land and the neighborhood.
Every effort was made to utilize fire protective materials and design,
and to maximize the few remaining oaks and the stunning rock
formations on the property.
This is a remote location, and you arrive via a long windy country
road, and driveway that leads you to a grand auto courtyard with
detached 3 car garage, a linear 20-foot long water feature and
extensive Italian porcelain tile. With an intentional indoor-outdoor
connectedness, that tile walkway flows seamlessly through the 11-
foot high entrance doors, and into the home.
The expansive living spaces are designed with a palette and
materials that are sensitively reflective of the natural surroundings.
Extravagant high ceilings, punctuated by walls of board form
concrete, complement the exposed structural steel and 10 foot tall
telescoping Fleetwood sliding doors, which open to the broad patio.
Walking through the house is an adventure in nature, with the
sweeping views of the immediate natural world and the hills far
beyond. Abundant ceiling height windows flood the room with light.
The living, dining and kitchen areas are the centerpiece of the
structure – connected in a thoughtful flow so that socializing can take
place in both large and social, or small and intimate groups. The
spaces share floor to ceiling glass as an interface with the expansive
views of the hillsides and steep rocky cliffs on the horizon. The
modern open kitchen is poised between the living and dining spaces
and serves to organize the flow and define the experience.
Additional elements in this zone of the house include an adjoining
family room overlooking the gardens and pool, plus a large office and
2 ensuite guest bedrooms. There is also a 1,000 bottle wine cellar,
and a spacious working pantry room.
The primary bedroom suite is situated privately off of the living room,
separate from the kitchen and dining areas. Floor to ceiling windows
and a corner deck frame the ever-changing views of the surrounding
hills. The large bathroom has both a freestanding tub and seamless
entry elegant shower, which leads to its own private balcony.
The house is surrounded by a naturalistic landscape that provides
interesting and unique views from each room. There is an outdoor fire
pit right off the kitchen/family room entrance. A pool is carved into the
hillside and is accessed from the lawn and outdoor spaces, as is a full
outdoor kitchen with multiple dining and lounging areas. Indigenous
rocks and boulders erupt randomly throughout the grounds,
appearing like earth sculptures.