‘House-sized Art’ of Dreams - Page 2

Access to the house is via a nautically styled wooden footbridge with heavy rope railings, up to monumental double doors salvaged from the historic San Francisco Mint. In this remarkable space one enters a magical world, illuminated by skylights and stained-glass windows.

Natural wood is everywhere, with wide-plank floors and wood-beam ceilings spanning the living spaces. Five fireplaces create warmth and cozy places to gather, and endless ocean views extend to Point Dume.

A wonderful example of open-concept living, the family room flows into a window-lined dining area and an ocean-view kitchen featuring bar seating, custom cabinetry with hand-tiled counters, double Thermador ovens, and a butcher block island.

One level below, the living room is designed as a dramatic gathering space with soaring ceilings, a brick fireplace, a stained-glass rose window, and sliding doors that open to an oceanfront deck that is surely indoor-outdoor living at its best.

Upstairs, three of the four bedrooms look out to panoramic ocean views. The primary suite is a private sanctuary with a fireplace decorated with artisan tile detailing, wood-beam ceilings, and sliding doors opening to its own oceanfront balcony.

Accessed by a ladder, a loft retreat overlooks the coastline. "Part of the whimsical design is this loft that my father designed at the top of the house," Zen points out. "He designed it for the children with skylights and windows…It's like you're on top of the world, breathtaking views all the way to Point Dume, and all the way to Catalina."

Gesner's unique artistry extends to the primary bath, which features a walk-in shower, an in-ground, vintage tiled tub, and double vanities, as well as a second private terrace overlooking the hillside.

Ever 'living the life,' architect Harry Gesner passed in his beloved Malibu in 2022, just three years shy of his 100th birthday. His fascination for life embraced everything from being a dad to creating house-sized art where people could inhabit their dreams.

"It's never been sold before," Zen says of the Malibu Cove Colony house, "so for these original owners from 1975, it really meant something to have the son of the architect on board."

"It's funny," says Zen, "I didn't have a memory of the home, but the owners remember me at four years old, running through the property." Gesner the architect designed three other houses on this street, one profiled in the 2012 book Houses of the Sundown Sea: The Architectural Vision of Harry Gesner by Lisa Germany.

"He really understood the way the ocean was, and how to build the houses," Zen says of his dad. "There's not a lot of land, and you really have to build out over the sand and water. For my dad, that was a wonderful thing to embrace—so you have this sense in the living room that the ocean is flowing all around you."

For more information and photos on the Malibu Cove Colony Drive house, click here.