If you like to tour around town like we do, you may have noticed a new development on the hills above Sharp Park. Nestled among Pacifica’s beach houses, a sleek, modern monument has emerged.
Over the last eight months, homeowner Steve Rapport and architectural designer Rocio Romero have collaborated to build, as Rapport puts it, “The Minnie House." The home is the design inspiration of Romero, who has created a series of LV homes emphasizing a minimalist modern aesthetic, a small ecological footprint, and a connection to the landscape.
Museum Quality Elegance
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Clean lines, efficient use of space and careful placement of rooms is what attracted Rapport to the idea of purchasing a prefabricated home. Chatting with him in his home, Rapport tells of his affinity for modern design, green architecture, and right angles. While the home is a simple structure, a mere 24 by 48 feet, Rapport has carefully attended to every detail.
Walnut flooring, aluminum sliding doors, in-wall speaker system, and a fingerprint-actuated fire door lock are a few of the high-tech features found in the Minnie House.
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According to the principles of Feng Shui, less is best to maximize ‘qi’ (pronounced “chee”), the energy in a space. While this includes the structure and its interior, just as much attention is given to the exterior. In fact, Rapport recently posted photographs of the landscaping he took care of over the weekend on the blog documenting the project.
A Small Footprint
Rapport's LV home has been designed to be as considerate as possible to the environment. The frame has been designed using the minimum amount of material possible. Well-placed windows and sliding glass doors and meticulous placement of the home on site provides the home great use of natural light, rivaling the best of passive design principles. Walls twice as thick as the average home's provide twice the insulation.
One of only a handful of homes in Pacifica with hydronic heating, Rapport said the additional cost was well worth the price. It makes for such clean comfortable heat that he even enjoys walking barefoot on the tile in his bathrooms.
A Room, Nay a Home With a View
Pictures of the Minnie House do not do it justice. It’s not until you walk up to the front door that you gain perspective on how simple and sleek the home is. While we had barely reached the front door, we felt as though we were already stepping on to the balcony to enjoy the skyline. Listening to Rapport talk over a cup of tea in his living/dining/kitchen area, it’s hard to ignore the majestic view. Romero’s LV series home really does bring the outdoors in; visiting Rapport home is like sitting in a treetop.
Modern Home for a Modern Man
Details for this home include a balance of the modern, functional and artistic, which appeal to his sensibilities as a photographer. A native of Stepney, in the heart of London’s old East End, Rapport has traveled the world and photographed a vast number of musicians, bands and people that include such notables as David Bowie and his greatest source of pride, Nelson Mandela. He has found on the Coastside and specifically, in Pacifica, a place to call home and an oasis for respite after martial arts training sessions at Hwa Rang Kwan Martial Arts Center.
The moniker Minnie House might evoke images of a certain mouse from “the greatest place on earth” known as Disneyland but the dream behind this home is far more meaningful. Rapport’s beloved mother, Mina Rapport, was of Polish descent and a survivor of the concentration camp at Auschwitz. This experience, we were told, might have affected how she lived her life and helped shape her contrary nature (although her son always felt the warmth of her love and affection).
Although she lacked esthetic and design sense, Rapport says she enjoyed art.
“My dad called her Min and (we) never heard her called Minnie before until very late in life when she started taking art and writing classes and some of the ladies called her Minnie,” recalls Rapport. He made a surprising discovery when she passed away and found that the name listed on her bank account was Minnie Rapport. He chuckles at this and I can only guess that he revels in the little reminders of her tenaciousness.
As he describes it, Minnie Rapport had a tough start in life and was fairly obstinate about how the quality of her life would be handled towards the end. Despite serious health issues, she did not wish to undergo procedures that would only serve to extend her life, as she viewed it, needlessly. He returned to London four times in the last year of her life. Contemplating the life of the woman whose name graces his home, he adds, “We were very close and I miss her a lot.”
Showcased in a special section of the master bedroom is an homage to the mother he loved so dearly – a wedding coffee set she had carefully set aside for him.
Open House Tour
For Rapport, this is a dream come true. He had passed through Pacifica numerous times before deciding to explore the shops and ultimately, considering it for the site of The Minnie House, which opens for tours on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
To learn more about Rocio Romero’s modern design and LV prefab architecture, potential homebuyers are encouraged to attend the presentation at Design Within Reach in San Francisco’s Fillmore District on Thursday, Sept. 8.
