Artist’s colorful mosaics fill the walls of this one-of-a-kind California home

A hillside San Luis Obispo home whose walls are filled with colorful pebble mosaics is now up for sale — and it’s so dramatic, it got a shout-out on the social media feed Zillow Gone Wild.

Owners Suki and Bruce Mason recently listed their four-bedroom, three-bath home at 295 Santa Maria Ave. for $1.9 million. It’s located on the hill above Highway 101 near Cuesta Park and offers panoramic views of the city and Cal Poly.

In 1979, the 2,436-square-foot house won the San Luis Beautiful Home Award, according to Zillow.

Beyond the views and architecture, the home’s most unique feature is its art, according to listing agent Lindsey Harn.

Almost every room has at least one wall, accent or feature decorated in mosaics made of glass pebbles, stones and even seashells.

Some of the mosaics are full-blown murals, like the scene of Avila Beach that fills the staircase, while others are random patterns.

Two giant peacocks fill the double front doors, flamingos decorate the fireplace, and a waterfall, angel and sea turtle are featured on the balcony walls.

In the master bedroom, a mosaic mural features a white cat sitting on a tree branch looking out at a pink backdrop.

In the kitchen, multi-colored mosaic tiles in a skylight are illuminated by the sun.

All are the handiwork of Suki Mason.

Artist spent two years creating the mosaics

When Suki followed Bruce up to San Luis Obispo County in 2006, she had to find a way to fill her time in retirement, she said.

So, she started painting.

Suki said she has around 120 paintings, some displayed around the house and others that decorate Bruce’s Sushi Kukko restaurants in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach.

Soon enough, Suki was experimenting with mosaics.

She started in the kitchen, decorating the back splash with red, blue, white and teal pebbles.

Bruce was put to work lugging in loads of tiny tiles for his wife.

“I said, Honey, I need a blue, I need a yellow. Find it for me,” Suki told The Tribune during a recent tour. “He says, ‘I wonder why I have back problems.’”

Eventually, the whole house was decorated with different murals and mosaics.

Bruce estimates there may be upwards of a million tiles around the property, but perhaps the most impressive thing might be how quickly the work occurred.

Suki said she started in 2017 and completed her last mural in 2018.

“She never stopped doing it,” Bruce said about Suki’s dedication. “She got up in the morning, had a coffee, started and she stopped at 11 or 12 o’clock at night.”

At one point, the couple assembled scaffolding in the stairway to help Suki work on the Avila Beach mural.

Suki said that their friends and family love her art.

During the COVID quarantine, her nieces and nephews stayed over at the house, and one day, her niece Regina was in class over Zoom and her teacher remarked, “Oh my gosh, what’s behind you. ... It’s awesome.”

Her niece responded, “Oh, that’s my aunt’s art.”

The couple is selling their home because they are moving to Portugal, but they hope the buyer can appreciate all of Suki’s art.

“It gives a lot of energy, a lot of happiness,” Suki said of the colorful mosaics.