Over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the rolling hills of the Marin Headlands, down past the busy thoroughfare of Stinson Beach, there’s an out-of-the-way spot off Highway 1 known as Bolinas. The tiny coastal community is a haven for horses and artists alike.
If you’re craving a haven, this wooded sanctuary at 430 Horseshoe Hill Rd listed for $ 3.8 million could be your own secret getaway.
“It’s a California classic, for sure,” listing agent Cristina di Grazia said. She noted the property “has an evolution to it.” The three Craftsman-style structures were built over the years, beginning in 1980. The buildings are made almost entirely from “rare hand-milled, reclaimed redwood,” she said.
The vision for the artist’s retreat known as Briarcombe came from owner Katherine Marsh. It was designed by local architect Jeff Morse.
Marsh, who died in 2009, trained at the prestigious Juilliard School and earned a degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley. After divorce from her second husband, Earle Marsh, she moved to Bolinas in the early ’70s. She eventually built the “much-admired house” and created the Briarcombe Foundation to support the arts, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Now emptied of artists, the home has served as a vacation rental in recent years. The home is not just about its artistic past, di Grazia emphasizes. “It’s a magical outpost. It’s so many things.”
For one thing, it’s stunning. The woodwork caught the eye of Sunset magazine, earning Morse an award for the undulating roof design. “There’s so much complexity with all the wood working,” di Grazia said. “You don’t even see a nail.”
The four-bedroom home includes Japanese details like shoji screens for the front door and in the master suite, which overlooks a field.
“Clearly, everything about it is so organic and so beautiful. It couldn’t be more well-adapted for the land, the oak trees, the skyline,” di Grazia said.
There have been renovations since the original construction. The kitchen was updated, locally sourced Heath tile was added the bathroom, and solar panels were installed.
The 3,800-square-foot home sits on 3.4 acres and proves how “expansive you can be but how secluded at the same time,” di Grazia said.
Indeed, although the home is perched on a relatively private hill in horse country, it’s only minutes from the beach and under an hour to San Francisco. The home is an ultimate “weekend destination,” di Grazia said.
This video provides a sense of the home’s surroundings:
“It’s a beautiful hidden part of the West Coast. There’s one way in and one way out,” she said. “It takes an adventure to find it.”
But you’ll be glad you did.