12179 Koenigstein Road
Ojai, CA 93060    Directions

This unique 44 acre Upper Ojai property resides among the Topa Topa foothills along Bear Creek. A main house and guest house are enfolded in the crook of a dramatic eastern ridge providing unparalleled privacy and sweeping views of the Topa Topas, the Upper Valley and Sulphur Mountain.The architect owners designed the linear 2700sf 3bd/2ba house as a serene, airy, modernist structure open to its natural setting. The cathedral ceilinged living room, dining room and kitchen flow into one another through broad passageways. The 900sf guesthouse features 2 studio spaces or can function as a full guesthouse. The structures sit on two terraced levels with the house and pool on the upper and the guesthouse on the lower at right angles to the house above. The simplicity of this arrangement reflects the Japanese concept of sympathetic relationship between dwellings and the landscape. The houses feature shallow covered porches, or loggias, that are sealed off by steel barn doors when there is the threat of fire. The property is all electric with passive solar buildings supplemented by 5kw of solar panels with a Simpliphi battery storage system. The compound has been designed to offer serenity, utility and permanence. Great attention has been paid to the long-term sustainability of the buildings with regard to wildfire, flood, & energy use. Integrated into the indigenous landscape, they provide shelter and amenities that share the resilience of this beautiful wildland setting Pictures (49)