6 breathtaking homes in Northern California

The Sea Ranch

Perched on a coastal bluff in Sonoma County, this five-bedroom home has sweeping Pacific views. The Carson Bowler–designed 1972 redwood-clad house features Douglas fir interiors, glass-walled great room, chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, dining room with fireplace, and guest room with a “mystical portal” that amplifies ocean sounds. 

Outside are tiered water-facing decks, a hot tub, a private cove, and access to the community’s trails, recreation centers, and airstrip. $8,000,000. Pattie Lawton, Sotheby’s International Realty–San Francisco Brokerage, (415) 309-7836.

San Anselmo

This Bay Area Mediterranean-style home is near parks, shops and restaurants. The 1928 four-bedroom house has updated systems, vintage oak floors, arched doorways, a living room with a wood-burning fireplace and massive arched glass-and-steel window, a family room with a black marble fireplace, a skylit chef’s kitchen with herringbone floors and a 10-foot island, a dining room with French doors leading outside, and a primary suite with a spa-like bathroom. 

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The walled garden lot encloses bluestone and brick patios, fountains, and an outdoor fireplace. $3,750,000. Victoria George, Compass, (415) 747-6948.

Angwin

Sentinel Ridge is a 10-acre wine estate set above St. Helena in Napa Valley. The 2016 furnished four-bedroom farmhouse is clad in reclaimed Douglas fir, has a standing-seam metal roof, and features a central living space with concrete floors, vaulted wood ceilings, fireplace, and large sliders opening to a covered patio, outdoor fireplace, and alfresco dining area. 

The property, abutting a state forest, includes a recreation barn and a premium cabernet sauvignon vineyard. $7,500,000. Henry Schlangen, Corcoran Icon Properties, (707) 235-5951.

Oakland

Architect Beverley D. Thorne designed Heartwood House in Montclair for jazz great Dave Brubeck and his wife, Iola, in 1953. The four-bedroom midcentury-modern home is cantilevered on steel beams 16 feet above the hillside lot; incorporates a rock outcropping that anchored Brubeck’s composing desk; and has a rock-faced fireplace, contemporary kitchen, extensive deck, and wraparound windows looking out to San Francisco Bay. 

The landscaped, wooded property includes patios, stone paths, plantings, and a carport. $3,000,000. Emma Morris, Red Oak Realty, (510) 508-5115.

San Francisco

In the Mission District’s historic Hub, this 1906 estate was formerly a bathhouse, then an Asian antiques gallery. Now a four-bedroom home, it features a double-height great room with beamed ceilings, carved-wood loft railings, stacked windows, wood-burning fireplace, eat-in kitchen, and dining area. 

On the lot are palms, bamboo, native plantings, patio, deck, and a one-bedroom guest cottage; arts venues, shopping, and dining are walking distance. $4,800,000. Wendy Storch, Sotheby’s International Realty–San Francisco Brokerage, (415) 519-6091.

Eureka

This 1922 Craftsman home is a short walk from a large park with a zoo and a five-minute drive from downtown. The three-bedroom house has a covered front porch, a roomy pass-through kitchen, a laundry room, and two full baths. 

On the fenced lot are established front and back flowering gardens, a lawn, a patio, mature trees, and a detached building with a garage and studio apartment for guests or renters. $489,000. Joanie Frederick, Azalea Realty, (707) 362-0144.

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