This comfortable family home is located on a triangular point of land with a steep uphill slope. The first impression of this beautiful home is an ascending composition from the nearest element, a low circular classical ballustrade, to a one-story wetbar bay to the one and a half story living room and entry porch, to the full two-story main house.

  To minimize grading and fit beneath planning department height limits, the ground level rooms are connected end to end along a narrow terrace cut midway up the hillside. An oversized three-car garage is set at the far end, below and slightly back of the main house to hide this large simple mass.

  A long ballustraded entry stairway leads up to a hooded entry porch and into the marble floored raised foyer. Large swirling marble steps lead down to a sunken living room with 15-foot high ceilings set off from the rest of the house. On the opposite end of the room is a large glassed bay with French doors which leads to the circular terrace seen at first site. On either side of the long room are the one-story bay for the walk-around wetbar and across from it a large fireplace with built-in cabinetry on each side.

  On the other side of the foyer you step down into the formal dining room with a full art wall ahead and French doors out to a small dining terrace or back through a service door connecting the dining room to the kitchen. A large curved breakfast bar of black granite leads you to the romantic "nook" for intimate meals or into the gracious family room with built-in media wall, another fireplace, and a third set of French doors leading to a terrace - this time to the private rear yard.

  There is also a large faceted powder room and a guest bedroom with private rear entrance and full bath on the first floor.

  Straight ahead of you as you enter the foyer, is an open circular staircase leading up to a second floor overlook which leads to the master suite and further along to a children's area with study, two children's bedrooms an a shared bath accessible only from the to bedrooms. The large master bedroom features a raised firebox, a stepped circular ceiling soffit with dramatic downlighting, a built-in desk are, and a fourth set of French doors, this time leading to a small Romeo-and-Juliet balcony. Through an archway from the bedroom, you pass though a dressing area with full height mirrors, a large walk-in closet and built-in dressers to the cream marble master bath with corner whirlpool tub.

  Blending traditional design features with the needs of a young family, this truly is an elegant hillside family residence.