Even after two years of living in his house, Bernard Andre is still awed by the place. “Everyday, I walk around the house thinking this is unbelievable, wow!” he says, not to boast, but as a genuine expression of amazement. “I enjoy the architecture, the way the windows meet at an angle, the view, the space, the quality of light, everything.”

You don’t have to be an architecture buff to agree. Andre lives a structure as stunning to behold from the exterior as it is from within. Standing against a grove of trees, the curves of wood and glass simultaneously meld into the environment while holding court as a striking sculpture.

Architect Fred Herring, whose signature style incorporates using bent wood and glass to create organic forms, says the shapes are meant to mimic the gentle slope of the surrounding land. “Those kinds of forms are an echo of the landform that’s already there,” Herring says. “You want to feel like the house is actually a part of such a wonderful pace. You want it to fit in, not stick out. That’s a truism for any structure, but especially true in a place like that.”

Finding the right spot to build the home was a stroke of luck – it was the only place Andre could afford. The five-acre lot slopes 20 degrees, warding off the typical swarm of bidders. But that slope accounts for the views of downtown San Francisco, the bay, and the twinkling lights of the cities in the East Bay. For someone who grew up on a tropical island in a house facing the Indian Ocean, the view was vital.

“For me, having a view was very important and a big reason for buying that land,” Andre says. “I didn’t think we could have a house without one.”

In 2000, Andre purchased the lot for $420,000 and begun what would be the lengthy road down the business of building a home. It took two architects, three years, and a few visits back to the drawing board to perfect the design, but the resultant product is one that realizes Andre’s vision.

The two architects who collaborated on the home’s design, Herring and Sanjeev Melhotra, managed to create an organic floorplan that perfectly accommodates the family of four, giving them plenty of room to stretch out, while providing a centralized hub for them to hang out – all within 4,000 square feet, a far smaller footprint than most of the enormous homes in the area.

For Melhotra, creating a simple, utilitarian layout was intuitive. “Every room in the house has its own identity and purpose, but you can go from Point A to Point B without any corridors,” he says. “It’s a small house, but it’s a very big house. People who come to see it aren’t blinded by the sheer might of the space. They see quality.”

DESIGN FOR FAMILY

The design of the floorplan is based upon daytime and nighttime use, with the exception of Andre’s studio, on the lowest level of the house, which is used at all hours. Andre, an architectural photographer, relishes time in his office, though it’s hard not to be distracted by the vistas seen from the walls of floor-to-ceiling glass. “I can’t get tired of looking out,” he says. “You think you’re up in a mountain.”

On the floor above his office are three bedrooms – one for his 15-year-old daughter, one for his 10-year-old son, and a master suite – and above that a media room, which is considered the access floor. In the evenings, the family typically spends time in this part of the house, and his daughter can often be found snuggled up on the built-in cushioned bench reading a book.

But where the family spends most of its waking hours is what Andre refers to as the “common area”: the kitchen, dining room, and living room, airy and expansive spaces thanks to the walls of windows framing the surroundings trees. The dining table sets the stage for various meals, homework hour or work on the laptop, and a general gathering spot. “Even on rainy, cloudy or foggy days, we never turn the lights on,” he says.

Andre was insistent about forgoing upper cabinets in the kitchen in order to maintain an uncluttered look. A self-professed clean-surface freak, Andre abhors clutter of any type, so the cabinets and drawers all sit below the countertop, leaving the spacious pantry to house all the larder goods.

OUTSIDE IN

Though there’s no traditional backyard, due to the slope of the land, several spacious decks provide ample outdoor recreation areas for the family. And when the weather’s nice, the kids enjoy foraging in the woods, occasionally taking turns at the rope swing dangling from one of the trees. Andre is also in the process of building a treehouse with his son.

But because of the close proximity to the beauty of the surrounding wilderness from all the rooms in the house, going out is not necessarily a priority. “You’re never going look out and feel anything but glad,” Herring says.