Olof Dahlstrand-Designed Midcentury Modern Home Hits Market for $2.2M

A rare Olof Dahlstrand–designed home in Orinda, CA, has come on the market for $2.2 million. After less than two weeks, the listing went into pending sale status. 

For those who appreciate a well-preserved, midcentury modern design, this gem is just one of eight residences (only seven remain standing) designed by the Carmel-based architect in the 1950s in the East Bay. 

After this “burst” of activity designing the homes, which are now collectively known as “The Magnificent Seven,” he moved to Carmel and continued to work as an architect until the 1980s. Dahlstrand died in 2014 at the age of 97.

“There’s been an emphasis on preservation with every owner,” says Erin Schroeder, who is co-listing the property with Traci Miller. “It’s relatively untouched. Everyone just really respected the architecture and stayed true to what it was intended to be.”

Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, Dahlstrand’s work reflected “organic architecture, and its ideas that a building should follow forms that are in harmony with its natural environment,” according to the architect’s archives.

Wright-inspired elements include the built-in furniture, original lighting in the living room, and flooring with radiant heat. 

Built in 1955 on 1.29 acres near a stream, the four-bedroom home is known as the Brook House. It was last on the market 10 years ago, when it sold for $1.8 million.

The 4,098-square-foot home was designed for indoor-outdoor living. The main living space has easy access to the pool and terrace. Polished concrete flooring runs throughout the house. Walls of windows flood the interior with natural light, and provide stellar views of the landscape. The flexible space continues on the lower level with an office, and a library with built-ins which could be used as an extra bedroom or office. 

Constructed of concrete, wood, glass, and metal, the home has been thoughtfully updated over the years. You’ll find new paint, carpet, and kitchen counters and appliances. One of the bathrooms was updated, while maintaining the original style of the house.

And now, the “magnificent” home will also be getting a new owner. Shortly after its debut, the listing drew interest from people “who knew their architecture,” Schroeder says. “People recognized that it was a significant home pretty immediately.”