Rebecca Oppenheimer’s House in Tenino, WA (Listed for $11 Million)
Rebecca Oppenheimer, the heiress to the De Beers diamond fortune, is selling her mansion in Tenino, Washington. Rebecca and her family called this mansion home from 2003 are now on the market priced at $11 million.
The mansion, named Merkaba, was designed by a South African architect inspired by the Garden of Cosmic Speculation. The 8,462-square-foot main house has six bedrooms, five baths, dining rooms, a large kitchen, a music room/library, a media room, a family room and multiple vine-covered and open terraces. The landscape boasts of a free-form swimming pool at the entrance with stairs from an upper level that appears to go into and below the pool but instead exits into the car park and a glass-enclosed, saltwater lap pool. The self-sustaining mansion gets its power from generators, solar and geothermal systems.
The listing agent is Michael Morrison of Morrison House Sotheby’s International Realty in Gig Harbor, Washington.
This view of the front of the house shows the beautiful white modern exteriors of the house complemented by the surrounding lush green landscaping that is filled with various shrubbery along with a large walkway of gray concrete with sets of steps leading to the main entry of the house. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This charming living room has two sets of beige leather curved sectional sofas flanking a wooden coffee table customized to fit the shape of that the two sofas that match well with the light tones of the surrounding walls and ceiling that has exposed beams. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
A few steps from the living room is the unique spacious and airy kitchen that has a dark wooden kitchen island in the middle that houses the cooking area topped with a stainless steel vent hood. This island stand out against the surrounding beige walls, pillars and ceiling thata re brightened by the glass walls. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
From the kitchen, you move through an entryway to the formal dining room that is bathed in natural lights lights from the wide sliding glass doors on one side. This illuminates the beige walls and ceiling that hangs a decorative lighting over the rectangular dining table surrounded by beige cushioned chairs. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is the music room with beige curved walls that has several layers of floating shelves making the black piano stand out in the middle that is topped with a decorative lighting adorned by pieces of paper. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This side of the house also has a dark brown cylindrical structure same as the main entry. This structure stands out against the white exterior walls of the house and augmented by low shrubs at the base. This area has a large walkway that is festooned with gogeous landscaping of shrubs and trees on both side with a view of the pool. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This view of the house give you a better look at the unique roof as well as the large balcony of the second floor that has a set of stairs going into the pool below. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The gorgeous landscaping surrounding the house is adorned with a pyramidal structure that is said to invoke positive energies as well as look great for the garden. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a closer look at the set of stairs that goes down into the pool. You can see here that the stairs goes beyond the pool into the area beneath the pool. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This side of the house has a couple of large cylindrical structures same as the entryway. This large space is fitted with a large lawn of well-maintained grass perfect for the rustic playground. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
Just a few steps from the playground is this long covered pool surrounded by glass walls that can open to the lawn beyond. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is an aerial view of the said covered pool by the playground. on the other side of this pool is another large lawn of grass adorned with a few decorative stones and bordered with shrubs. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
A little further from the covered pool and its lawns, is this gorgeous area filled with flowers, herbs and vegetable gardens that encourage a lovely stroll through blooms. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This aerial shot of the lovely house shows the two pools on either side with a breathtaking background of tall trees and mountains in the distance. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This view features the various solar panels installed onto the home that it uses as one of its power sources. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This view of the house gives a glimps of the large balcony of the second floor and the set of stairs toward the hole in the middle of the pool. This view also makes you appreciate the beauty of the surrounding green landscaping that seem to encroach onto the bright white house. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This view of the house shows the level of isolation and luxury that the house affords with its surrounded lush lands of tall trees and lovely green lawns of grass that frames the house wonderfully. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
Here, you can see the large forest of tall trees surrounding the property then the driveway appears next to the large pyramidal structure then onto the house and the lawns and gardens. At the edge of the property, you will see a wooden structure beside the greenhouse. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
Here is a better view of the house at the edge of the property with the greenhouse beside it. There is a wide driveway leading to the area that has its own large parking area. This area can be seen next to the large garden of flowers. Images courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The heir of the De Beers diamond fortune, the company that created the famous ‘Diamonds are Forever’ tagline and controlled much of the world’s diamond supply for many years, Rebecca Oppenheimer is selling her 80-acre self-sustaining Tenino, Washington property. Named Merkaba, its design was inspired by the Garden of Cosmic Speculation that highlights science and math in Scotland. The three-dimensional, 8-point star made from two pyramids, which is a symbol often associated with positive energy, harmony, and balance, Merkaba is now for sale, priced at $11 million.
Rebecca is the granddaughter of former De Beers Chairman Harry Oppenheimer, the family that ran most of De Beers from 1926 until 2011 when they sold their stake in the company for over $5 billion. Today, De Beers has operations in 35 countries with mines in South Africa and Canada, exploration, marketing in other parts of the globe and also has ventured into created diamonds. As the number of competitors has grown in recent years, De Beers still lays claim to 35% of today’s diamond industry.
Though Rebecca could choose any location or mansion her heart desired, and she did live in opulent mansions growing up, when it came to designing her own home, she took a more spiritual route. She and her husband purchased the home in 2003 and spent three years renovating it, instructing her South African architect to create a design along the order of Guggenheim Museum meets UFO with a landscape that would include a saltwater pool, chicken coop, honey bees, barn with three extra bedrooms and a greenhouse. During the remodeling of the existing house, Oppenheimer and her husband lived in the barn, where her children were born.
The 8,462-square-foot main house is a study in swirls and circles with many custom pieces of furniture designed for the unusually shaped spaces. The simplicity of the unadorned curved walls creates a calming effect that continues across the molded curved landscape. The six bedrooms and five baths keep company with living and dining rooms, large kitchen, music room/library, media room, family room and multiple vine-covered and open terraces for dining, entertaining or enjoying the pastoral views.
The landscape includes an interesting open, free-form swimming pool at the entrance with stairs from an upper level that appears to go into and below the pool – but in reality exits into the car park and a glass-enclosed, saltwater lap pool with sidewalls that raise and invite warm summer breezes. The flower, herb and vegetable garden beds are designed in a formal pattern that encourages leisurely strolls among the blooms. The house comes with its very own beekeeper to look after the honey bees. Power sources for the property come from generators, solar and geothermal systems making it completely self-sustaining.
Now moving back to South Africa with her children after divorce, Oppenheimer will not be able to spend as much time in the U.S. and has put Merkaba on the market, priced at $11 million. The listing agent is Michael Morrison of Morrison House Sotheby’s International Realty, Gig Harbor, Washington.
