Hiller Highlands Home Tempts With Great Views

Table of Contents

The views from the home can’t be beat, unless you’re dangling from a drone. You can see to Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and, on a clear day, beyond. But the inside views are just as tempting.

It’s the rare home that can be described as a “supermodel.” But hey, if the glam fits — live in it.

The multilevel 670 Hiller Drive home struts its stuff on the catwalk all right, poised on the stage of Hiller Highlands in the Oakland hills. Its lush, terraced yard drapes around its shoulders, showing off its contemporary figure to the bay below.

Indeed, the views from the home add to the swank — and they surely can’t be beat, unless you’re dangling from a drone. You can see Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate, and, on a clear day, beyond.

But the inside views are just as tempting. This 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home built in 1993 is definitely “long, lean, and glamorous and living like a supermodel,” according to agent Carla Higgins of The Grubb Co. in Oakland. “It has a serene and sophisticated aesthetic. I’d say the ideal buyer for this home is anyone wanting wonderful views, without having to travel so far away from BART and Rockridge shopping,” she said.

Let’s start at the top. As with many homes in the hills built to take advantage of the views, the garage is at street level with the bulk of the home seated below. That often means a boring entryway. But here, a slate walkway — flanked by the two single-car garages — leads to the front door through pillars supporting an Asian-style trellis, making for a suitably dramatic entrance.

Once inside, the space opens up to 20-foot ceilings rising above the foyer. The slate path continues, then yields to hardwood flooring in the living room to one side, the family/media room and kitchen to the other. A striking bronze-tone, metal-clad gas fireplace anchors the living room, and subtle Asian touches, such as shoji doors, connect rooms and serve as peaceful, Zen-like backdrops.

The family/media room, with another gas fireplace, blends right into the kitchen, a sleek streamlined space where Judy or George Jetson might feel at home with plenty of hidden storage, high-end finishes, and appliances like a new Sub-Zero refrigerator and a built-in Miele coffee system, embedded just above the oven. Bronze/brown marble countertops and backsplash warm the look, and a single chrome/glass pendant fixture hovers over the island like a small UFO.

Of course, the entire western side of the structure soaks in the views through walls of windows and glass doors, which in turn lead to large decks. Higgins called it a “yin-yang” effect, letting the outside world in, yet balanced with spaces designed for privacy. Recently installed solar sun shades let in natural light and preserve the views but decrease heat and glare.

Down the stairway, holding onto the modern ironwork as you go, you’ll find the three bedrooms, two full baths, the laundry room, and generous storage. One bedroom is configured as office space, with built-in dark-wood cabinetry and granite desktops. The master suite and bath are expansive. There’s a glassed-in shower but also a large soaking tub — yet another vantage point for big views through big windows.

Hillside lots such as this are often of little practical use because of the steep slopes. But the elegant terracing here changes all that. There are stone paths through swaths of lush grass, fountains, sitting areas, and even space for a relaxed afternoon of gardening.

Just what a supermodel needs after a hard day in the public eye.