A Beautifully Modernized Midcentury Marin Home Lists for the First Time in 60 Years

A four-bedroom midcentury home in Marin County’s sought-after Laurel Grove neighborhood, has come to market for the first time since it was built 60 years ago.

The house at 20 Hanken Drive in Kentfield, CA., was completed in 1966, and is listed for $3,295,00. The sellers purchased the property shortly thereafter and never left.

How the parcel came to exist at all is a smaller mystery. Public records show the house next door was built in 1906, six decades before this one.

"My understanding is that this parcel may have been created from land that once belonged to the older house next door," says listing agent Stephanie Lamarre of Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty.

The result is 0.22 acres of the rarest commodity in Marin: level ground.

"Gorgeous redwood trees, flat lawns, rarely available level land with ideal flow from the indoors to the outdoors," Lamarre says, of what draws buyers to the site.

Mature gardens and a spacious back patio envelop the shingle-style exterior, and the grounds are gated for an extra layer of privacy and security.

Inside, the livability of the 2,784-square-foot floor plan is the feature Lamarre keeps returning to. A living room with a fireplace and a formal dining room lead back to a remodeled kitchen that opens onto a family room, with both spaces flowing directly to the backyard. All four bedrooms, including the primary suite, are situated together upstairs. 

"It's rare to find such a good floor plan," Lamarre says.

The sellers spent much of this year preparing the house for market. The kitchen was rebuilt with new appliances and quartzite counters. Bathrooms were updated, and wide-plank oak floors were installed throughout, along with new lighting and current finishes. A two-car garage and what the listing describes as abundant storage round out the practical side of things. 

The location is notable as well, with the Priory Tennis & Swim Club sitting directly across the street, and the sellers holding a charter membership that will transfer with the sale—meaning the next owners can bypass the waitlist.

The Marin Art and Garden Center, a 10-acre public garden and cultural venue in neighboring Ross, is just a short drive away.