This home built into a cliff is inspired by Bhutan's Paro Taktsang Monastery
2023.10.23
【 The one of a kind property, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was modelled off of Paro Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan. 】
In the mid 1960s, Richard Clements, a contractor from San Fransisco, set out to build a one of a kind resort. The location: 9.5 acres atop a stunning bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The inspiration: Paro Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan, perhaps one of the most famous cliff-hanging structures in the world. Though the hotel never came to be, the lobby, which appears to grow out from within the rocky overlook, was constructed. And in 1992, this daring Paro Taktsang Monastery-inspired design was purchased and transformed into a single-family home, which recently hit the market for $25 million.
Described in his obituary as having an “eclectic career,” Clements previously designed Timber Cove Inn, a massive A-frame resort built along a bluff on the Sonoma Coastline, in addition to various beachfront homes in Timber Cove and Big Sur that he lived in himself. He was said to be inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and passionate about green and environmentally friendly architecture and development. When purchased by new owners in the early ’90s, the home consisted of just the main wing and had no central heat. So they hired Mickey Muennig, a Big Sur architect known for organic architecture, to renovate the structure into a livable abode.
Spanning 3,635 square feet, the two-bed, two-bath home is now known as Taktsang Big Sur. Gripping the side of the cliff, the home is anchored by four two-story concrete pillars. Full-height glass walls encircle the home, offering 240-degree views of the rocky California coastline and Pacific Ocean. Organic materials define the home’s interiors: a central stone chimney commands the main living area, large skylights and timber trusses adorn the ceiling, and stone floors expand throughout the two-story home.
In addition to the striking setting, the home offers a collection of thoughtful amenities, including a meditation cave and sunken tub in the master wing, which was added by Muennig. Outside, a stairway connects the property to an upper garden area where an amphitheater overlooks the bluff. The listing notes that this parcel could also be used to house a secondary structure or guest house, should potential buyers be interested.
“The home’s views are considered the best by many because of the positioning,” says Mike Gilson of Coldwell Banker Realty, the property’s listing agent. “You are close enough to the ocean to hear the soothing sounds and also high enough to have spectacular views up and down the coast.” According to Gilson, the sellers, who are the third to own the property and purchased it in 2002, briefly hired Muennig to explore the possibilities of another structure on the upper parcel. Though it never came to be, as the sellers remember it, Meunig reportedly told them the $25 million home was his favorite place in Big Sur thanks to its striking vistas. As Gilson reiterates, “It really comes down to the views.”
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▪ Source: Architectural Digest｜https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/this-dollar25m-home-built-into-a-cliff-is-inspired-by-bhutans-paro-taktsang-monastery/
▪ Words: Katherine McLaughlin
▪ Photography Credit: © Kodiak Greenwood
