About 880 West Cliff #10
The Carmel building Unit 10, on the ocean-facing second floor, is perfectly positioned for the most spectacular views and rare privacy and serenity. Unlike many of the other units, this one shares no vertical walls with other tenants. The ceilings and floors — the source of the Frank Lloyd Wright-style exterior lines that signal the building’s great architectural bones — are unusually solid, made of 8 dense inches of poured concrete that thoroughly block any sound from above and below.
Lighthouse Field State Beach, overlooking the popular Steamer Lane surfing hotspot and home to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, is part of the California State Parks system. It wraps protectively around one side adjacent to the unit — a natural cocoon that buffers noise as well as the presence and sight of cars and people. The unit’s main living space looks out over cypress trees to one of the area’s most spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Part of the spacious balcony was enclosed to provide more covered interior space while maintaining the uninterrupted views with 8-foot slider doors that blur the line between outside and inside even more (another Frank Lloyd Wright hallmark), letting in light, breeze, and the sounds of the surf without sacrificing privacy.
The spacious and newly carpeted living room makes the most of the view with a mirrored wall that reflects the ocean, sea foam colors on the walls, and a horizontal light deck that echoes the clean horizontal lines on the building’s façade. Suspended cabinets in all the rooms are another mid-century modern touch.
The efficient, streamlined galley kitchen features updated appliances, granite countertops, reverse osmosis water system, decorative marine glass accents, and a cleverly angled breakfast nook with bench seating that expands from an intimate table for two to more seats — all oriented to the stunning views through an interior opening to the enclosed balcony area and its wall-to-wall windows.
A hallway with three closets for plentiful storage leads to the back of the unit, where a remodeled bathroom separates two bedrooms. The bathroom colors continue the ocean and mid-century modern themes with horizontal European porcelain tile, a floating vanity with spacious pull-out drawers & a Toto Washlet toilet. The master bedroom again features floating cabinetry as well as a remodeled closet with custom cabinetry, lighting, and sliding doors that make the most of a full wall of space, from floor to ceiling. Like the front of the unit, the bedrooms share only thick, soundproof ceilings and floors with other tenants, making them unusually private for condominium living.
Surrounded by protected parkland on one side and facing the majestic Pacific, this artfully designed unit matches the best nature can offer, creating a home that is a perfect pairing of classic and modern.
