By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Correspondent
French palace inspires Abigail Ahrens’ hideaway in Los Altos
Visiting the home of Abigail Ahrens is like visiting the monument which inspired it, the palace of Versailles in France. The house exudes a sense of architectural history, evoking a feeling of fascination and appreciation of its beauty.
Driving down Ahrens’ winding cement driveway off University Avenue, you sense you are entering a miniature European castle through an exquisite French ornamental garden adorned with flower beds and paths.
“I’m a romanticist,” Ahrens said. “I look back to the good times of the Romantic Movement, with its utmost care toward luxury, taste and thought in every glimmering detail.”
The main house, built five years ago, contains 1,000 square feet of European charm, implemented to the last detail. The 640-square-foot guest house, added two years later, was inspired by the Villa Trianon.
“The guest house is the inspiration of Elsie de Wolfe, an American designer who restored the Villa Trianon in Versailles,” Ahrens said. “I saw a picture of it in Architectural Digest and wanted to duplicate it. The guest house, reflected in the pool, is a replica of the music room at the Petit Trianon at Versailles.”
The guest house has one bedroom, an octagonal living room and an Amish country kitchen. The kitchen, done in a basic black, has a hearthlike tiled stove area with high ceilings and a hand-carved sink. It has rich-looking hand-carved cabinetry, stone counters and classic French wallpaper.
In the garden, antique cherubs surround the reflecting pool. The ornamental garden is filled with lavender and white camellias.
The interior of the house is made comfortable with objects from the past. The main house, with its French Aubusson upholstery, reflects the owner’s personality. Ahrens takes pride in ownership of her treasures, some of which she searched worldwide to obtain.
Opulent cottons and silks make the main house a haven of color and texture. The floors are parquet, made from 100-year-old wood beams imported from France. The windows are high and add space and depth to the rooms.
The bedroom is exquisite, with its French four-poster and its light fixtures straight out of a Paris hotel.
Ahrens researched everything in the house for authenticity. Each piece had to have the right color and texture to match its period.
A perfect example of her attention to detail is the slate on the roof of the main house. “I had to have the right color, so I drove throughout San Francisco until I spotted the shade I wanted and then had it duplicated,” Ahrens said.
Ahrens’ property was originally in the town of Los Altos Hills; but through a change in lot lines, she was able to build her residence and then transfer it to the city of Los Altos jurisdiction.
“I changed the border between two cities,” Ahrens said.
Ahrens’ was one of six houses on the Los Altos History Museum’s annual spring home and garden tour earlier this month. A small house among the larger residences on University and Orange avenues, it drew praise from those walking the tour.
The property is unique because of its formal gardens as well as its picturesque setting. Several of Ahrens’ friends have been married on the lawns, against the backdrop of the magnificent redwoods.
