24301 Elise Court, Los Altos Hills, California 94024

One look at the rendering Swatt-Miers showed me and I said, “that’s the house I want!” said owner for the three-story dwelling with its sculptural massing of rectilinear forms and astonishing architecture. Starchitect ” Robert Swatt in turn, translated that vision to reality. Add to this a formidable roster of talented interior designers, a battalion of artisans, contractors, engineers, consultants, and in consultation with Lutron Home Automation, created a smart home befitting this iconic Silicon Valley residence. Considering its mass, the house makes a relatively discrete impression from the quiet street, with much of the structure’s bulk atop a knoll and concealed from view via a mahogany wood clad gate. Once encountered straight on, however, the scheme is a tour de force of architectural acrobatics, its breathtaking steel cantilevered overhangs and column-free spans invoking a palpable sense of weightlessness. Inside, details were worshiped and “value engineering ” not an option.