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250 Atherton Avenue, Atherton
Exquisite Villa with Resort Amenities on 2.5 Acres
In the heart of central Atherton, this extraordinary estate is a masterpiece of design and craftsmanship, offering a rare combination of grandeur, privacy, and resort-like amenities on 2.5 acres. Inspired by the timeless elegance of early-Renaissance villas, the main home showcases impeccable artistry, from hand-painted details and Venetian plaster walls to intricate woodwork and dazzling light fixtures. Every space is designed to impress, with soaring ceilings, expansive windows, and a seamless flow that enhances both formal entertaining and everyday living.
There are grand public rooms alongside more intimate spaces, ensuring both sophistication and comfort. The chef’s kitchen, equipped for the most elaborate gatherings, is complemented by a large butler’s pantry and a sommelier-worthy wine cellar. There are five sumptuous bedroom suites, each with spa-inspired baths and serene views, including a multi-room primary suite. There are also two offices plus a separate two-bedroom, 1-bath guest house with full kitchen offering flexible accommodations for extended family as well as guests.
Surrounded by a setting of absolute beauty, the grounds unfold with manicured gardens, sculptural fountains, and meandering walkways leading to a pool and spa, tennis court, and a secluded waterways garden hidden beyond centuries-old-style walls. A spacious cabana takes center stage for outdoor entertaining, offering the perfect venue for gatherings of any scale. Enveloped in privacy and embraced by natural beauty, this is a truly iconic estate in one of the most prestigious locations in the country.
Summary of the Home
- Masterfully crafted Italianate Villa completed in 2002
- Architecture by Arnn Gordon Greineder, construction by Lencioni Construction, interior design by Wheeler Design Group, decorative painting by Evans & Brown, landscape architecture by Chandler & Chandler
- Two-level main residence with 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths
- Guest house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath plus 2 pool baths
- Heated pool cabana with barbecue kitchen and fireplace
- Approximately 13,350 total square feet
- Main home: 9,415 square feet
- Main home storage: 290 square feet
- Guest house & pool baths: 1,500 square feet
- 3-car garage: 985 square feet
- 2-car garage + workshop: 1,160 square feet
- Main level: foyer, living room with fireplace, formal dining room, butler’s pantry, breakfast room, kitchen, family room with fireplace, wine cellar, game room/office, bedroom suite, powder room, laundry room
- Upper level: bedroom suite, bedroom suite, multi-room primary suite with fireplace, office, top-floor bedroom suite and large storage room, hobby/gift wrapping room, main laundry center
- Guest house: living area, kitchen, bedroom, bedroom, shared bath, laundry, plus two adjoining baths with outside entrance
- 3-car garage with covered outside entrance plus 2-car garage with huge workshop adjoining the guest house
- Venetian plaster walls and ceilings in almost every room, most with picture-rail moldings for art display
- Professionally landscaped grounds of approximately 2.5 acres with pool and tennis court
- Pool, separate spa, tennis court, and secret garden with rock waterways and pond
- Fenced dog run; vegetable garden with 8 raised beds and fruit trees
- Excellent Las Lomitas schools
Price upon request
Details of the Home
Public Rooms
Entrance
Electronic gates open to a vast motor court of tumbled travertine stones; a travertine walkway leads past a water feature with custom fountain heads backed by massive clay pots with lemon trees; three steps lead up to a grand arched stone portico with beveled layers trimmed in twisted rope detail
Foyer
Impressive wooden front entrance integrates pilasters on each side of beveled edge glass panes that define the door, sidelights, and transom windows that follow the arch of the front door; the grand entrance salon extends through to double French doors with cremone hardware opening to the rear terrace; Italian travertine finishes the floor and the gracefully curved staircase outlined with hand-forged iron railings; an elevated ceiling dome showcases a massive iron chandelier; walls are all in glass-finished Venetian plaster and continue into most rooms
Living Room
Step down between solid stone Doric columns in the salon to the living room with towering coffered ceiling in elaborately carved wood with exposed beams and decorative corbels; a faint hand-painted stencil encircles the room beneath the ceiling; a gilded chandelier hangs at each end; a fireplace with manorial scale stone mantelpiece anchors one wall, which has two sets of French doors with cremone hardware; at the front of the room, a turret is lined with stone-framed windows beneath a domed ceiling of gilded mosaic tiles creating a pattern of artistry
Dining Room
Banquet-sized formal dining room features inlaid wood flooring outlined in parquetry and travertine; a stunning Venetian glass chandelier hangs from a ceiling medallion and suspended feature trimmed with moldings; French doors, all with cremone hardware, open to a side balcony and to the rear terrace
Butler’s Pantry
Harlequin-patterned wall and ceiling covering, granite counters with full-height backsplashes, and significant distress-finished cabinetry; appliances include a Sharp microwave, Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cooler, U-Line icemaker, and Miele dishwasher
Breakfast Room
Opening to the butler’s pantry and the family room; features include a built-in workstation, walnut parquet floor, chandelier, plus French doors and matching windows to the rear terrace
Kitchen
Fabulously equipped chef’s kitchen features walnut cabinetry, granite slab counters and full-height backsplashes, and walnut floor; large center island has radius seating counter and built-in wine racks at one end, all beneath two pendant lights; fully customized walk-in pantry with U-Line icemaker; travertine finishes the floor in a decorative pattern
Appliances
Viking gas range with pot filler, 6 burners, grill, and 2 ovens; Sharp microwave; Miele oven; Thermador warming drawer; 2 Miele dishwashers; trash compactor; 2 Sub-Zero refrigerators, each with freezer drawer; instant hot water at the sink
Family Room
Step down from the breakfast room and the kitchen to this spacious room with carpeted floor; the coffered ceiling in all wood is intricately hand-painted to reflect dimensional carvings; a fireplace is outlined to the ceiling in solid stone with detailed carvings; custom cabinetry on two sides, one designed for a media screen, flanks the entrance to a window-lined game table area with chandelier overlooking the rear grounds; surround sound speakers enhance media needs; three sets of French doors open to the rear grounds
Wine Cellar
A barrel-vaulted ceiling with three pendant lights defines the hallway with the wine cellar; double arched doors with intricately carved grape motif open to a temperature-controlled wine cellar with groin and barrel-vaulted ceiling, stone walls with trompe l’oeil inlay and integrated custom racking, plus tasting bar
Game Room/Office
Just off the main foyer, and preceded by its own foyer with domed ceiling shared with a bedroom suite; double leaded glass door entrance; fully customized in cherry wood with glass-front cabinets, library shelves with ladder access, and fireplace with beveled edge solid verde marble surround; carved relief ceiling with intricate detail and walnut floors in a parquet pattern; a bay window includes two sets of French doors to the rear grounds
Office (upper level)
Adjacent to the primary suite is a fully customized office for two with upholstered walls, walnut floors, extensive custom cabinetry and two executive desks, French doors to a balcony shared with the primary suite, plus adjoining workroom
Personal Accommodations
Bedroom Suite (main level)
Sharing the foyer with the billiards room, this suite has silk upholstered walls, sculpted carpet, a rock crystal chandelier, French door to a private terrace, and large walk-in closet; the en suite marble bath has a painted sink, jetted tub, and frameless-glass shower
Primary Bedroom Suite (upper level)
Multiroom design includes a living room, bedroom, and compartmentalized bath with two distinct areas, each with dressing room plus one shared commode room; the living room has a hand-painted ceiling with chandelier, banquette seating beneath a bowed wall of windows, French door to the balcony, concealed coffee bar, plus solid marble fireplace Separate sleeping area framed with fluted columns wrapped with hand carvings, hand-painted ceiling, wall moldings, and French doors to the balcony Two exceptional customized closet rooms each adjoining the compartmentalized bathroom; one area has a steam room with shower, heated towel bar, and marble vanity; a second area has an open shower, heated towel bar, marble vanity and makeup area, jetted tub, and French doors to a terrace with steps down to the pool
Bedroom Suite (upper level)
Bedroom with carpet, glass-front wardrobe storage plus customized walk-in closet, ceiling light, and en suite marble bath with long single-sink vanity and separate area with frameless-glass shower
Bedroom Suite (upper level)
Bedroom with star-patterned carpet, customized walk-in closet, ceiling light, and en suite marble bath with porcelain console sink and tub with overhead shower and frameless-glass enclosure
Bedroom Suite (top floor)
Privately located up a short flight of stairs with parquet wood floor, ceiling lighting, finished alcove storage, walk-in closet, plus adjoining large finished storage room; en suite bath with all walls in ceramic tile includes a glass-enclosed tub with overhead shower
Guest House
Finished to the same standards as the main home, including Venetian plaster walls; introduced by a private patio; living room with tiled floor and fireplace flanked by French doors to the pool; open kitchen with breakfast bar seating and granite counters with full-height backsplashes; retractable windows open to an outside counter; appliances include a Bosch smooth-surface cooktop and oven, GE microwave, Miele dishwasher, and Sub-Zero refrigerator; laundry area with sink and Maytag washer and dryer; two carpeted bedrooms each with walk-in closet and direct access to a shared bath with single-sink vanity and separate room with glass-enclosed tub with overhead shower
Cabana & Pool Baths
Adjoining the guest house are two identical marble baths, each with outside entrance for use from the pool, cabana, and tennis court, a marble vanity, and separate room with marble shower; the covered cabana has retractable bifold doors on the tennis court side, tile flooring, media cabinetry, a gas-log fireplace, and all-wood beamed and paneled ceiling with four heaters and two plantation fans; built-in barbecue area with grill, pot filler, gas cooktop, and sink
The Grounds
- Pool with canopy jets and retractable cover
- Separate recessed spa beneath a stone wall with water feature
- Fenced tennis court
- Courtside drinking fountain
- Custom playhouse and swing set
- Vegetable garden and orchard
- Fenced dog run
- Secret garden with two ponds, connecting stream, and waterfall
- Fountain heads and garden sculpture throughout the grounds – all original works of art
Other Features
- Formal powder room with marble-topped, furniture-style vanity on an antiqued mirrored wall and tumbled stone floor with mosaic keystones
- Main-level laundry room with apron sink, significant cabinetry topped in granite, and stacked Maytag washer/dryer
- Upstairs main laundry center with Maytag washer, Whirlpool dryer, ironing center, hanging space, and abundant cabinetry
- Upstairs gift wrapping/hobby room with workstation counter seating and abundant cabinetry
- Main residence 3-car garage with covered outside access
- Guest house 2-car garage with large adjoining workshop surrounded in custom cabinetry
- Programmable AMX touch screens for sound, lighting, HVAC, pool, and security
- Heated floors throughout
- 8-zone heating and air conditioning
