Property of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin I. Power, Inverness, California | Architect: Francis E. Leighton

Perched like a bird's nest on a hillside forested with bishop pines, coast-line oaks, wild lilac, sword fern and monkey flower, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin I. Powers' miniature vacation house on the Point Reyes Penin-Sula, Calif., contains all the simplicity and naturalness of a hideaway in the woods with none of the discomforts of roughing it. Steel posts ift the steel-framed hexagonal house from the hillside and up to the level of the tree tops. And glass walls on three sides give superb, un- fettered views of the Pacific Ocean, Tomales Bay, rolling hills and high, wooded ridges. To negotiate the steep climb, the Powers installed little cable car that lifts them and their guests quickly from the bot- om of the hill up to the entrance deck of the house. You can also reach he back of the house up an emergency spiral, metal staircase that leads from the top of the hill to a balcony outside the kitchen.

The house is big enough to sleep only two although the Powers have found there is plenty of space to entertain up to sixteen guests for luncheon. The one great room plus tiny kitchen and bathroom, laid out in an hourglass-shaped plan, total about 612 square feet. With the addition of open decks that fill out the hexagonal platform-a diamond-shaped deck on each side of the house and a strip across the front-the house almost doubles its size. The glass walls, of course, also add to the feeling of uninhibited space, particularly since no curtains are necessary in this secluded spot. (The only curtain is on the western side of the dining area to screen the strong light of late afternoon sun.)

The bedroom comes into existence only at night. On the rear wall of the house, between the doors to the kitchen and bathroom, a double bed drops down from the wall. And, small wonder within this wonderful house: An automatic device turns on an electric blanket on the bed as soon as double doors concealing the bed are opened back at bedtime.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | April 1964