A fragment of Japan’s Katsura Imperial Village has been transplanted to California’s Bay Area with this 1959 home designed by Robert Klemmedson.

The Berkeley architect spent 10 years working in Kyoto, where the historic village is located and was highly influenced by Japanese ideas about light and spatial flow, materials and minimalism. Klemmedson brought these elements back to the US with him, using them in buildings he designed across coastal California during the 1960s.

The Berkeley property at 14 Maybeck Twin Drive is part of a private enclave developed by architect Bernard Maybeck, after whom the street is named with Klemmedson’s design set across two levels.

Interiors are wrapped in traditional wood panelling, with large picture windows framing coastal views across the four-bedroom California property.

Wraparound terraces enclose the building and are shaded by deep, overhanging eaves, and as with traditional Kyoto homes, the Berkeley house has a zen, Japanese-style garden landscaped with greenery.

Red Oak Realty has the listing for the zen home, which is asking $3.5m.

[Via Dwell]

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