Spring 2025

148 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 against the organic sensibility of the Carmel stone which was complemented by a lighter, more nat- ural grout on the rest of the buildings. “We thought, ‘Maybe it’s okay, but let’s have our daughter be the taste tester,’” he recalls. “She was maybe 11, and we took her to look at the building with the beigey grout versus the other building, and asked her, ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘Oh that one (with the beigey grout) looks happy, and that one (with the grey grout) looks sad.’ So, we had to have a team come in and jackhammer all the grout out of the entire house and put that happy grout in.” Remarkably, while being present for so many construction details, Alan was constantly com- posing, sometimes finishing up a film score on his Steinway in the living room of the almost 5,700-square-foot main house while the family and dogs relaxed nearby, and despite having to move from building to building as each one was being remodeled. “It was always great,” Alan shares. “I've never worked outside of the home.We’ve been mar- ried for a long time, almost 48 years, and I've always worked in a room in the house. I just always loved being around and we loved the idea that we could not leave the property dur- ing this renovation, which took over 10 years, because literally at the end of the day, when everybody leaves, we would catch lots of things. It allowed us to get it a lot more of the way we wanted it to be in the end.” Over the years, the home became a gathering place for friends, family, neighbors and even the location for launching a chapter of a nonprofit. “Our son was diagnosed with type 1 dia- betes on the weekend we finished the Photo: Sherman Chu Photo: Sherman Chu It took 10 years of careful restoration and retrofitting to create a family compound that the Silvestris modern- ized while staying true to the original nature of the design. The buildings provide multiple functions for work and pleasure.