tyranny haleakala: Listing of the Week: A sea shell by the sea shore

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Listing of the Week: A sea shell by the sea shore

Zillow

The Carmel home looks like it is falling over a seaside cliff.

62 Yankee Point Drive, Carmel, Calif.
For sale: $4 million

Perched on, appearing to almost fall off of, the cliffs of Yankee Point in Carmel, is a house directly inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Architect Mark Mills spent years learning from Wright and took his emphasis on nature-inspired design to heart.

The Carmel home mimics a seashell's curves and organic structure. It's perfect, explains listing agent John Saar, for its setting.

"The house itself undulates like the ground as it comes up from the cliffside," Saar said. "It really takes you away from the norm. Living in this environment, you feel like you're absorbed."

Yankee Point is on the Monterey Peninsula, south of Silicon Valley. The home is above Yankee Beach Cove, where "you have all kinds of sea life," Saar said. Platforms throughout the property and large windows take advantage of these views.

Inside, the home continues the seashell shape with curved walls. Measuring 2,267 square feet, the home sits on more than half an acre and has five bedrooms and four baths. The kitchen is an oval shape with half-walls. Colored glass is set in some of the doors of the exterior, and a stork statue and stork nest sit on top of the home.

The home itself is a draw. Saar said people from all over have flown in just to catch a glimpse of the unique architecture.

According to Zillow's mortgage calculator, a monthly payment on the home would be $14,225, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year mortgage.