Orana Durney-Benson | Stuff news
In Big Sur, California, an eccentric house has hit the market for a whopping $US3.265m (NZ$5.2m).
The Barrel House is an architect-designed property that does what it
says on the tin – the house is built from two connected redwood wine
barrels.
In their past lives, each of the two barrels would have held over 80,000
litres of wine. Today, it’s a bespoke residence designed by famed local
architect Mickey Meunnig, dubbed “the man who built Big Sur”.
The house perches on Pfeiffer Point and it was designed by Mickey Meunnig, often called “the man who built Big Sur”.
The three-bedroom house is built on the side of a steep cliff and has superb views of the mountains and sea beyond.
Exposed redwood walls and ceilings give the interior a rich, rustic look that is
amplified by the owner’s eclectic furniture.
The round living room boasts 180-degree views, with west-facing windows bringing in plenty of golden light in the afternoons.
One can only imagine how wonderful it smells when the sun warms the “barrels”.
There are plenty of windows to catch the light right through the day, and a woodburner for chilly winter evenings.
Up a curved timber staircase are two cosy bedrooms, each occupying a whole floor.
The home may look rustic, but it exudes an air of quiet luxury, with the bedrooms upstairs offering a quiet sanctuary.
The main bathroom comes with a generous tub big enough for two, overlooking the gardens and woodland.
There is also a wraparound deck, 2.02ha of grounds, and a bespoke one-bedroom guest house carved into the bluff. This is built from another reclaimed redwood wine barrel.