What Tranquility Is All About

At the end of a secluded private road, in a grove of California live oaks, there's a special place—so different from your typical modern home.

They call this intriguing structure 'Boulder Crest'—an uncanny blend of Arts and Crafts, mid-century modern, and some amazing wizardry.

Appearing to grow right out of the landscape, the home is an "enduring biophilic design," proclaims its for-sale listing, "and its connection to nature…clearly at play in this unique slice of paradise."

'Biophilic,' a term not often used, is defined as "the art and science of reconnecting humans with the natural world within built environments…by integrating the principles and patterns of the natural world," according to interior designer Erica McLain in a recent House Beautiful.

By that measure alone, Boulder Crest succeeds.

Represented by Theresa Fuller of Compass Realty, this fascinating single-family residence at 3740 Canyon Crest Road in Altadena is listed at $3.2 mil.

"This rare, historic home has had three owners—artists or visionaries, all"—during its lifetime, "and was recognized by Altadena Heritage and published a handful of times," writes Fuller, adding that the 1952 home "remains largely under the radar and relaxed. What a joy it is to behold."

Here, rustic Arts and Crafts and sleek mid-century modern come together to create a single-family home like no other. Constructed of monumental granite boulders set in place more than 100 years ago, Boulder Crest is "a feat of vision, engineering, and artisan masonry, arising from arroyo stone work and old-growth redwood to post-and-beam construction," continues Fuller in her listing.

At the home's entry, stone-lined pathways snake across a system of terraces and masonry channels. There, you'll find an engraved keystone announcing '1912' engraved over the arched double door.

Inside, concrete floors in vibrant jade hues ground the home. Stepping down into the living room, panels of redwood meet vaulted, beamed ceilings, and a wall of windows and a rustic, floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace in which a 'bubble lamp' lighting pendant by designer George Nelson feels right at home.