The S T A R G A Z E R | Executive Loft|Urban Oasis - Emeryville

Welcome to our minimalist Loft and experience life under the stars!

Sits on top of our 1910 California Craftsman, immaculately maintained, overlooking the lush gardens and koi fish pond. Old world charm meets modern sustainable urban living - elegant, spacious, custom-built and tastefully designed with open floor plan, natural stone staircase, heated floors, hand crafted wood elements, Venetian plaster; Built with minimum impact in mind,preserving all the original elements. FREE street PARKING.

This is the top floor one-bedroom sunny , serene and spacious Mansarda apartment in our home - a beautiful 110-year-old California Craftsman.

It’s close to Berkeley, Oakland and a short and beautiful drive to San Francisco via Bay Bridge.

We care for the planet and try reducing our carbon footprint and have implemented different green solutions throughout the design and built process.

It has been all custom built and tastefully designed focusing on sustainable and eco-friendly practices - salvaging all the wood from the original house attic;

• all the California Gold Natural stone was salvaged from a local shop that wanted to get rid of it;

• installing radiant hydronic heat - a sustainable and very efficient way to heat the space;

• bamboo floors;

• 2 large skylights to maximize on natural light;

• German engineered Resysta front siding - green and extremely durable material, resistant to sun, rain, frost and even salt water. It consists of 60% rice husks, 22% common salt and 18% mineral oil and maintains the visual appearance of wood.

It features open floor plan and a modern airy feel with preserving, yet enhancing all the original elements, bridging past and present.

The design straddles the line between modern and traditional - with its open floor plan and clean lines along with natural stone, white Venetian plaster throughout & custom built , hand - crafted reclaimed wood elements.

It’s designed as a modern tree house and flooded with natural light - get lost in the greenery and the serenity of the palm trees, flowering bougainvillea, lemon trees and being surrounded by hummingbirds bathing in the koi fish pond.
The lush gardens and the water Lilly koi fish pond create a tranquil sanctuary with a feeling of an urban oasis.

Sip your coffee and catch the sunset on one of our two roof - top terraces — the front one is overlooking the street, the back one -overlooking the garden & koi fish pond and Berkeley hills.

The house' beautiful Craftsman facade stands out on our tree-lined street.

It has a welcoming feel with all the natural materials used and clean architectural lines.

The natural California Gold slate stone staircase leads you to a covered porch with reclaimed redwood pillars and railings, salvaged from the original house built in 1910.

The siding is comprised of natural radiata pine and state-of-the-art German RESYSTA accent panels - one of the many green and sustainable solutions we have implemented throughout the design process.

The tall Craftsman French wrought-iron Gate is awaiting to welcome you in and the spiral staircase leads your way to the top!

Note: Must be able to climb stairs.

Inside, the entire 3rd floor of the house is a spacious one bedroom guest suite with an open and airy floor plan; slanted ceilings, open kitchen with stainless steel appliances and custom built gorgeous California Gold natural stone countertops; dining nook, king bed, office desk and a large custom built new bathroom with natural stone and rain shower, featuring a skylight inviting the sun-rays to paint rainbows overhead while you shower. It also features a spare room with plenty of storage.

It has a separate, private entrance with a an outdoor seating area - 2 terraces and a shared lush backyard with a koi fish pond.

It also features heated natural stone and bamboo hardwood floors throughout with hydronic radiant heating;

All walls throughout the apartment are crafted with custom-made, 3 step-process hand-applied white Venetian plaster, complementing the clean modern lines bringing calm atmosphere and sophistication to our busy life.

2 skylights are providing glimpse into the sky and invite plenty of natural light.

The hand crafted wood elements and the natural stone bring warmth and grounding.

The custom-built, elegant, hand-made glass orbit chandelier which Albena built, suspends from the high ceiling over the natural stone spiral staircase, offering soft ambiance and serving as a focal point while playing with the light.

75" Samsung 3D Smart TV provides all that you might need in the Entertainment department - motion and voice-activated remote, wireless keyboard and Web browsing.

Brand new Italian design white leather sofa across the room provides a comfortable seating - watching TV or simply relaxing.

Off-street Parking is plenty and free on our tree-lined, park-like street.

We are just across from the new Emeryville Center of Community Life ( ECCL ) and school with community outdoor pool and aquatics programs, walking distance to Pixar and all the bio-tech business Hollis corridor.

Please NOTE: no blinds/shades

We don’t have blinds and we love it this way. We have purposely designed our home to maximize on natural light with several skylights offering glimpse into the sky and blurring the line between indoor/outdoor living. The goal is to be able to experience the natural light cycles and to bring the outdoor nature in. :-)

The apartment is wrapped around with greenery and offers complete privacy, and a feeling of a modern tree-house like experience.

We offer eye-masks for those more sensitive or you can bring your favorite one.

If blinds are something essential to your stay, please look somewhere else or book one of our downstairs apartments which offers blinds.

• GREEN PRODUCTS

We use only natural and green cleaning and laundry products. Our sheets and towels are all cotton. We do not use artificial scents - just organic pure essential oils.

GREAT FIT for following GUESTS:

Perfect for:

• single professionals COMING TO Emeryville/Oakland/Berkeley for work

• business travelers

• UC Berkeley visitors

• guest professors

• visiting families of young professionals who work in Emeryville

• San Francisco visitors, who would like to explore what East Bay has to offer

It comfortably sleeps 2 people, great for business professionals or couples traveling light.

The natural stone spiral staircase leads you to the top floor ( must climb stairs ) - ideal for business professionals with business cary-on / traveling light.

OUR GUESTS:

Looking to share our home with KIND, RESPECTFUL, QUIET, EASY-GOING, CLEAN and LOVELY folks who understand the home-sharing ideas and values, appreciate architecture and design, what is involved behind and understand that they are GUESTS in someone’s home and not in a hotel;

GUESTS who add to the serenity of our home are more than welcome here!

We would love to have Guests who ultimately treat our home with great CARE and RESPECT!

KIND, friendly, quiet, self-sufficient, easy - going, CLEAN and lovely people ONLY.

AMENITIES:

~ Italian White leather King bed with King Tuft&Needle mattress

~ natural stone and hardwood bamboo flooring

~ hydronic radiant heat in every room ( green and allergy, asthma friendly)

~ Stainless steel refrigerator

~ Italian built-in oven

~ Italian built-in microwave

~ Fast Wireless Internet - 435 mbps download, 11 mbps upload

~ 75' LED 3D SAMSUNG TV

~ dishwasher

~ cable TV, premium channels Discovery, Science, HBO, movies, NEWS, etc.

~ google home

~ induction stove

~ well-stocked kitchen, equipped with utensils, glasses, cups, etc.

~ Nespresso machine

~ cotton linens provided

~ cotton towels provided

~ WASHER and DRYER

~ FREE STREET PARKING

Your HOSTS:

We are a friendly, kind and considerate couple - landscape architect/designer ( Nikolay ) and a psychologist ( Albena ).
We are both born and raised in Europe, lived in different cities around the world and made San Francisco Bay our home.

We've designed and built our dream house here - ask us for before and after photos! :-)

We have put a lot of time, money, love, sweat and tears in it - please treat it with care and respect!

We love sharing it with lovely folks and take pride in hosting the world in it!

We love traveling, art, design & architecture, gardening, outdoors, books, dancing and experiencing different cultures.

We are both vegetarians and we believe in random acts of kindness.

This is our home and we love it, please treat it with kindness and respect!

If you need anything essential to your stay that is NOT on our list of amenities please communicate PRIOR to your booking!

We’ll do our best to accommodate if possible.

FUN FACT:
The amazing movie star / singer /designer / activist - Z E N D A Y A was our next door neighbor when we first bought the house. Yes, we have witnessed her blossoming into this amazing artist and activist she has become! She is the ultimate inspiration and when she was here visiting our space, she shared that her dream growing up was to have her own little space in the attic under the stars! YEAY!

LOCATION:

A strategic central location - close to anywhere in the Bay area.

Emeryville is just across the BAY BRIDGE from San Francisco.

It's an easy commute to downtown San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and moments away from public transit, Emeryville Marina and bay side nature trails.

It's located in the heart of Emeryville, close to highways, shops, local restaurants, and groceries;

~ walking distance to animation studio Pixar, Novartis, LeapFrog, Stanford Health Care Outpatient Clinic, Bullseye Glass Gallery, Survey Monkey, Imperfect Produce and numbers of Emeryville local businesses;

~ 10 - 25 min drive to downtown San Francisco ( depending on the traffic)

IMPORTANT: Bay Bridge requires one way Toll to the city;

~ MOSCONE CENTER in the city - 9 miles away;
~ Oakland Convention Center - 2.8 miles away

~ 10 min drive to Berkeley and Oakland;

~ 40- 50 min drive to San Francisco International Airport; Napa; Silicon Valley

~ FREE SHUTTLE to BART ( Metro ); groceries

With easy FREE street PARKING!

WALK SCORE: 84 very walkable ( out of 100 )
BiKE SCORE: 72 ( out of 100 )

THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

We are on the border of Oakland/ Emeryville/ Berkeley.

It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and Silicon Valley has been a catalyst for recent economic growth. It is the home to Pixar Animation Studios, Peet's Coffee & Tea, The Center for Investigative Reporting and Clif Bar. In addition, several well known tech and software companies have made their home in Emeryville: LeapFrog, Sendmail, MobiTV, Novartis, Wargaming America, and BigFix.

• Celebration of Arts:

Emeryville is designated by the California Arts Council as one of only 14 cities across the state that serve as premier Cultural Districts, highlighting thriving cultural diversity and unique artistic identities. The Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition serves as a celebration of the city’s thriving collective creativity and an invitation for community members and visitors to experience a sampling of artwork created by Emeryville artists.

San Francisco Bay Ferry now offers ferry service to Chase Center in San Francisco for Golden State Warriors home games and select special events and music concerts. It’s our favorite way to go see our favorite artist.

OUR VISION:

• We have tried to design and build a GREEN, beautiful and fully FUNCTIONAL space for a comfortable, modern, SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE living while preserving all the original house feel and original elements!

THANK YOU for assisting us in keeping it that way by:

• conserving energy and resources

• recycling

• treating your hosts, our neighbors and our property with care, kindness and respect

Guests have access to the entire Guest Loft with a separate entrance, laundry is in the unit.

We respect each other time and privacy but We are just a text away.

LOCATION:
Very strategic central location - close to anywhere in the Bay area - Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Wine country ( Napa, Sonoma,etc.).

We are on the Emeryville / Oakland border - a local favorite and just across the BAY BRIDGE from San Francisco.

*** Please note: our location is NOT a touristy spot, although we have lovely local bars, cafes and restaurants with a great food within walking distance.

This is a fantastic location to get away from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, yet close enough to reach all three within 5-30 min by car.

It's ideal for business travelers since we are super close to all the booming businesses Emeryville and North Oakland have to offer.

Emeryville is rather a local favorite creative place, tech heaven and an artist underground - home to award-winning animation studio Pixar, small local businesses and big bio-tech companies ( Novartis, TubeMogul, Greenberg, Gracenote, LeapFrog, JambaJuice, Tanium, Kodak Gallery, Tethys bio-science, ART, Pete's coffee, Clift bar), authentic food scene ( Public Market, Ike's famous joint, Town house, Summer Summer Thai) and small boutiques ( Bay street shopping plaza)

This location is for you, if you prefer quite, residential and underground culture over being right in the middle of city life, which translates into:

~ easy and FREE parking
~ FREE shuttle that takes you to BART or Berkeley Bowl
~ QUIET residential experience
~ urban OASIS feeling
~ FRIENDLY neighbors
~ LOCAL cafes and bars in walking distance

Just to align expectations: If you think we are not worthy 5 stars on location, please book somewhere else, where you'd rather be.

We cannot pick up our house and move it right next to Golden Gate Bridge, you see....

We take great pride in our hospitality and we absolutely love our neighborhood and location.

It's rather disheartening to get 3 or 4 stars on location, where Airbnb system keep bugging us to improve this?! THANK YOU! ***

NEIGHBORHOOD:
Great, hip, quite and safe neighborhood, 2 blocks away form Animation Studio Pixar, Novartis, Bayer, Stanford Health care clinic, One Medical and just across the beautiful Bay Bridge and San Francisco.
Walking distance to great local bars and restaurants, Trader Joe's, Berkeley Bowl, Boutiques, Movie theater, Emery Train station, Shopping plaza, etc.
Very strategic central location - close to highways and anywhere in the Bay area.

GETTING AROUND:

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

•FREE SHUTTLE to Bart ( metro), PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS, Emeryville Marina, Grocery shops, boutiques; emery-go-round HOLLIS LINE - 3 min walk down the block

• 2 bus stops within 2 min walk

• TransBay bus ( Line F ) will take you to the new stunning Salesforce Transition Center in downtown San Francisco - it takes about 20 min via beautiful Bay Bridge; to get to the bus stop is about 10 min walking from us

• walking distance to ANIMATION STUDIO PIXAR, coffee shops, bars and restaurants;

• FordGo Bike station on our street
Pick up a bike and ride into San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville or San Jose

• 10 min drive to UCBerkeley or Berkeley downtown;

• 10 min drive to Oakland downtown;

• 10-30 min driving distance to downtown San Francisco, depending on traffic;

• 40 - 60 min to San Francisco International Airport

• 40 - 60 min drive to Silicon Valley;

• 40 - 60 min drive to wine country Napa, Sonoma

• 4 hours drive to beautiful lake Tahoe ( skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer);

• 4 hours drive to Yosemitte;

• 3 hours drive to Big Sur;

• 6 hours drive to Los Angeles

• 10 hours drive to Las Vegas

RENTING A CAR:

~walking distance to several major rental car companies
~zipcar location down the street ( zipcar is a car-share start-up; if you need a car per hour or per a day - low driving rates
(from $8.25/hr and $89/day)

TAXI ALTERNATIVES, we recommend:

~ LYFT
~ UBER
~ GETAROUND

GROCERIES delivered in an hour to your door:

~ try INSTACART app ( we highly recommend it)
first delivery is free

This is the house' top floor attic apartment.
Must be able to climb stairs.
Ideal for guests traveling light.

There are people living downstairs.

We look for quiet and respectful guests to share our home with.

Please be considerate and add to the serenity of our space.
No loud noise, please.

You may experience no cell phone coverage inside the apartment depending on your cellphone network.

You can turn wi-fi calling on your mobile device, in order to make phone calls.
Works great! ( just go to settings > wi-fi calling ON )

Or,
You might want to step outside on the beautiful patio in order to make your phone calls.

Pros:
Modern open-floor plan, sunny, spacious, beautiful, modern and energy-efficient home with plenty of storage, lovely views overlooking our beautiful gardens

Cons:
Stairs involved;
the reward is a tree-house feeling with tons of natural lights and gorgeous views overlooking the lush garden and water Lilly koi fish pond

THANK YOU for treating your hosts, our neighbors and our home with kindness and respect!