Howdy again from your newest guest editor, sonarrat. Today, I’d like to talk with you a little bit about style and fashion. San Jose is known worldwide as an innovative city. We have more patents per capita than anywhere else in the world and are a Mecca for the high-tech industry. What we’re not known for, though, is having a strong cultural influence. The downtown movie theater is struggling, our music scene is fledgling at best, and for such a large city, the options for truly great dining are very limited. However, today’s house has a spark of the creative, the daring, and the unconventional. That’s why I’ve chosen to feature it today.

Beds: 4
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 2,414
$/Sq. Ft.: $373
Lot Size: 7,498 Sq. Ft.
Property Type: Detached Single Family
Style: Spanish
Stories: 2
View: Mountains, Neighborhood
Year Built: 1925
Community: Central San Jose
County: Santa Clara
MLS#: 81112924
Source: MLSListings
Status: Active
On Redfin: 8 days
Awesome Spanish Villa. A Little of Past, A lot of Contemporary Features & Upgrades. You’ll Love to Entertain in Designer Kitchen: Solid Copper Counter Tops, Viking Professional Range, Top Custom Cabinets of Solid Honduran Mahogany, Tasteful Island of Honed Emperado Dark Marble, Shaw’s Orig. Sink (Ireland), Honed Travertine Floors. Mahogany Cased Custom Windows. .. too many features to list. Come By!
Are you excited yet? Overwhelmed? Maybe a little woozy? Let’s break this listing down. It’s a Spanish villa just steps from El Royal Road, so you know what to expect: fussy shrubberies, broad-leaved trees, windows that will cost more to replace than your BMW, and, of course, a white deer. Fascinating. In terms of old-world touches, we have a throwback to the 1800’s in the form of a copper countertop. In France, hammered copper used to be quite a favored material in the kitchen. It was cheap and easy to mold using simple hand tools; no hot work was required. However, one does have to question the utilitarian value and the durability of a polished copper counter. Will it turn green like an old penny? Not to matter: the impermanence of the material is part of its character.


Despite the name, most Honduran mahogany is now harvested from South Asia due to the American market being crippled by restrictions in the 1990s. This Fijian Honduran mahogany contrasts boldly with the yellow, white, stainless steel, cream, marble, glass, and darker woods in the kitchen. You may call it confused; I call it inspired.


Unfortunately, while the bathroom begs an explanation – that sink appears to be perfectly shaped so that the door won’t hit it – the listing agent decided to stop listing features at this point. In fact, he neglected to mention the house’s best feature, so I’d like to just point it out: you don’t have to keep this wonderful house all to yourself. In fact, the whole wide world comes right to your backyard. What better way to inspire a new generation of San Joseans to follow you off the beaten path than to put your individuality on display? I salute you, house!

