Half Moon Bay house reflects style and sense of town

Approaching Chris Ridgway's house a few blocks from the ocean in Half Moon Bay, visitors naturally slow down to soak in all the fantastical details.

The curvy roof dips and then rises in a parabola over the front door. A nine-sided living room topped by a cupola opens into the back garden. The yard is a riot of color, as poppies, nasturtiums, geraniums, roses and more summer bloomers compete for attention. Even the custom-made gutters, which undulate with the roof, have a swirly, wavelike pattern on them.

"The house is meant to be organic, in a sense," says Ridgway, an architect who designed and built this house over a three-year period. "I'm often inspired by nature."

That's why, in the nearly round living room that is the focal point of his home, all the windows and the two sets of double-doors open fully to the south-facing yard, and there are potted geraniums and a bougainvillea in the room, mirroring the ones just outside. An apple tree and a plum tree in the garden are espaliered above the windows and will show off their fruit in summer.

"I didn't have a great view, but I wanted to create my own, a view into the garden and into the sky," Ridgway says.

That sensibility about the presence of nature is one that draws many residents to Half Moon Bay and keeps them there contented. The town recently was named in Coastal Living magazine's "America's Happiest Seaside Towns" list, which took into account beach towns' weather,

But Half Moon Bay, a San Mateo County town of about 13,000 people that's known for its flower-growing industry and pumpkin festival, is not exactly one of those sun-baked-beaches-and-balmy-nights kind of seaside towns. Like much of the Northern California coastline, it frequently features fog and chill, even -- and sometimes especially -- in summer.

Nonetheless, many longtime residents say they love life in Half Moon Bay.

Jeri Dansky, a Half Moon Bay resident for more than 20 years and editor of the local magazine CoastViews, says locals love the weather, being close to the ocean and the small-town feel of downtown Half Moon Bay.

"We're close to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, but still a world apart," she says. "There are lots of people involved in high tech, but many who aren't -- lots of artists, for example."

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Half Moon Bay house reflects style and sense of town