Category Archives: pool home

Mid Century Marvelous

Posted on November 28, 2016 by admin.

I recently fell down the extremely enjoyable rabbit hole of researching this piece and after reveling in all that is Mid Century for several weeks, hardly know where to begin.

As a teen and young adult, the style was not high on my list of favorites. Two or three decades after it’s heyday, it just looked “old” or “dated” and perhaps something my parents might have liked. But “sooner or later, everything old is new again.” and I’ve come to love the mid-century style. Walls of glass, clerestory windows, flat planes, the blurring of lines from indoor to out, and organic materials in the open spaces all beckon to me as a place where I’d want to live. The style is iconic but far-reaching, and many different tastes can be satisfied within this style of homes built primarily between 1940 and 1970. Many Mid-century houses utilized then-groundbreaking post and beam architectural design that eliminated bulky support walls in favor of walls seemingly made of glass. Mid Century Modern is not just a trend popularized by Mad Men, although the show definitely sparked new interest as well as reminding many of their love for this style. It is a significant design movement, propelled by the amazing minds and talents of designers and architects such as Charles & Ray Eames, George Fred Keck, his brother Willam Keck, Henry P. Glass, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and developer Joseph Eichler. Oh, so much to share with you, so much to learn! If you have a few weeks to spare, I highly recommend venturing into your own research of this style.

A house properly designed will have a certain intangible “feel” to it. When the proportions of a room are correct, you know it without knowing it. When the site is thoughtfully considered to the building itself, it makes such a huge difference as opposed to “Plan B-reversed” plopped down every 4th house, regardless of where the sun rises or the breezes come from. One home that I really enjoyed spending time in recently was 44 Palermo Walk on Naples Island in Long Beach. Designed by architects Power and Daniel, this original Mid Century is elegant by design. The clean lines and soaring great room ceiling have the perfect feel to them. The house is on a slightly wedge-shaped lot, which adds interest to the focal-point courtyard. The house is L-shaped with the garage at the rear, accessed by an alley. The water is super close and there’s a little park just a block away as well. The neighborhood is typical beach-tight but missing all of the frantic-ness of a tourist-destination type of beach. Inside the house or in the courtyard, all you feel is a peaceful oasis. The lack of clutter, both architecturally and possession-wise is refreshing and calming. I loved the bar and it’s original accouterments (built in blender base!) and immediately began planning my next cocktail party, but I would want to change out the countertops and appliances. The layout was great, with the kitchen accessible and open to the great room, but just a little tucked away in case it isn’t super tidy. One wall of the kitchen was a sliding glass door to the courtyard, making barbecues a breeze. One of my favorite features of this house was the bigger of the two master suites upstairs. This room could look over the great room in a loft-style way, or have privacy simply by sliding the built-in shoji screens to open or close one wall of the room! I loved this feature! If I had a magic wand to wave to make this home a perfect 10 hearts, I’d be adding a fireplace in the living room, bringing the laundry in from the garage (there’s a perfect storage hallway behind the kitchen right next to the downstairs bathroom). updating the kitchen counters and appliances, and modernizing some of the behind-the-scenes things like plumbing and electrical, just to ensure a long and happy future with this dream home of the 60’s. As it currently stands, 44 Palermo Walk is a swanky 8-1/2 hearts.

two story great room. sliding screens can open up or close off the master bedroom above.

another view of that fabulous feature

everything in the right proportions, including the artwork

love this bar at the side of the kitchen!

beautiful display cabinet for a well-stocked bar or just display

peaceful and private courtyard

built in dressing area in the master bedroom

the “second master” with it’s spacious deck

striking in it’s simplicity

Mid Century Modern homes do not have to be campy time capsules, full of shag carpeting and kitchens wallpapered with pictures of mushrooms or sunbursts. True, some are lovingly preserved in their original splendor. That seems especially prevalent in areas where there are entire tracts of these architectural gems and the owners tend to fiercely protect the originality of the home and the neighborhood, such as the Cliff May Ranchos in Long Beach or the Fairhaven Eichlers in Orange. MCMs who don’t share that same safety in numbers are often more updated over time to keep up with the Joneses. They keep their mid-century roots but may be more modern in amenities or finishes. Many are fresh, crisp and feel as new as the day their first family pulled up in a brand-new 1964 Plymouth station wagon.

Below are a few of my favorite Mid Century Moderns on the market today.

31741 Grand Canyon Drive in Laguna Niguel. Very classic, well maintained, and plenty of room in the price to do even more updates.

2867 Belden Drive in Los Angeles. Commercial-looking from the outside, (which I loved), modern, yet classic inside.

7536 Kimdale Lane in Los Angeles. Taking a page straight out of Palm Springs architecture with flat roof lines, a gorgeous yard and pool, and a fabulous turquoise front door. This house was a well-executed mix of current and classic.

4720 Cortland Drive in Corona del Mar. This home is has the classic clerestory windows to grab your attention from the street as well as a turquoise dutch door into the courtyard. Do you know what I love more than a courtyard? That’s right, a courtyard with a pool! This house has it all, with a fresh, fun, welcoming feel and abundant space and light.

Mid Century Modern is honest and sophisticated, but never pretentious. One of the defining tenets of this style of architecture is that a fulfilling, healthy life begins at home. The very design of the homes encourages you to connect with your environment as well as those you share the home with; ideas that may have been ahead of their time in the middle of the 20th century, but are so crucial to healthy happy living today.

I again urge you to learn more about this fabulous style. If you really want to bathe yourself in Mid Century Modern, look into Palm Springs modern architecture.

See you at the bottom of the rabbit hole,

Ophelia

Champagne Problems

Posted on September 29, 2016 by admin.

I have a friend who calls them Champagne Problems. You’ll get all huffy and puffy, complaining about something that is ruining your day, or worse, “your life”, and he’ll shake his head and say “champagne problems”… and put you in your place. You know, when your cordless vacuum won’t hold a charge for more than 5 minutes or when your Apple Watch makes a rash on your wrist. Champagne Problems. When 3 days of hot weather “ruins” pumpkin spice season, or when the laundry is in the garage. Yes, Ophelia is guilty of complaining about Champagne Problems!

Really, aren’t we all lucky that we aren’t headed down to the river to wash our clothes on a rock? (I’m not even sure how that works, but I’ve heard stories that people do that) And when the dining room is “too far” from the kitchen, aren’t we lucky that both of those rooms exist and that the house is big enough to allow them to be so far apart? Real Estate is a rapidly appreciating asset, especially in our area! Even if our houses aren’t our ideal dream, they are increasing in value every day and are a roof over our heads every night. How lucky we are!

I’ve written about the deal breakers, but here’s the flip side. There are things that may seem like a negative feature but, really? If you take a step back, they’re really just Champagne Problems.

My first “Champagne Problems” house for the week is 2593 Willo Lane in Costa Mesa. Despite being located on a street with an odd spelling of a word we all thought we knew, this house has a lot going for it! It is spacious, spacious, spacious, without feeling cavernous or pretentious. The city is Costa Mesa but the property is a few blocks from the Newport Beach border, Back Bay, and all that area has to offer. The 8,400 square foot lot has a beautiful majestic tree that is the centerpiece of the backyard and was one of my favorite features. It is described as “Cliff May inspired” and the house holds great architectural appeal. The vaulted ceiling in the living room has clerestory windows that give both the living room and the upstairs master an open, airy feeling. So what exactly are the Champagne Problems? The biggest is that it is located under the take-off pattern from John Wayne airport. Was there noise? Yes, but the house was still oddly peaceful. I couldn’t quite understand the contradiction of this house so close to the airport having such a private and serene “feel” to it. It may have been that giant tree in the back yard that watches over the house with it’s long branches, stretching out for protection. The house has recently been updated and the cabinets and counter tops didn’t have the highest quality feel. That said, they are brand-new cabinets and counter tops, as well as appliances. It’s hard to complain about that. The master suite has a bit of a quirky layout, with some bright yellow and blue tile in the giant tub and separate shower. Champagne problems. It’s a huge tub, separate shower, has a great big closet, some built-in drawers, and a balcony off the bathroom! Yes, the laundry was in the garage. And there was no direct access from the garage to the house. I started making mental plans to move the laundry inside, perhaps up to the big quirky master bath, but until that happened, I could walk myself out to my clean, carpeted garage and be grateful that I wasn’t hefting my laundry bag over my shoulder and getting on the city bus to the laundromat with a sock full of a quarters.

I give 2593 Willo Lane an easy 7 hearts out of 10. It is welcoming, interesting, full of details and interest, and lives much larger than it’s 2182 square feet. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

welcoming exterior

beautifully designed, drought tolerant front yard

kitchen with loads of counter space and storage

love this wet bar, close to the kitchen, dining, and living rooms

master bedroom is actually a loft, open to the living room below, with an ever-so-useful built in desk.

master shower and the edge of the coordinating tub

tub (yep, blue with a yellow racing stripe) with a private balcony beyond

view of the backyard, my favorite tree, and the little storage unit or cabana beyond

view from the master balcony of the backyard, my favorite tree, and the little storage unit or cabana beyond

The second house of the week that is experiencing a few Champagne Problems is 1535 Caribbean Way in Laguna Beach. This home is “contemporary ranch” style and holds great appeal for anyone who appreciates minimalism. Gallery white walls, polished concrete floors, an unexpected surprise pool in the front courtyard and serene ocean views from the other side of the house. One of my favorite features was the transom window above the front door that can pivot open with the door or swing independently if desired. At “only” 1524 square feet, it’s not for everyone (although most of our parents grew up in far smaller with plenty of siblings!) There were plans laid out in the kitchen for an expansion plan that capitalized on the hillside part of the lot, allowing the house to have a “proper” master suite, in case you were insulted by the current one. The minimal aesthetic meant that storage felt a little tight, especially in the kitchen, where there were no upper cabinets. An easy fix would be open shelving, but there was certainly room to install upper cabinets if you desired. Secondary bedrooms were on the “pool side” of the house, but only had windows in that direction. I’d love to have sliders out to the pool. The house was fairly high in the hills, up some windy roads, but did I mention the fabulous ocean views and breezes? And if I really wanted to nitpick the details, I would wish that the pool were on the side of the house that had the ocean views, but that is a definite Champagne Problem!

I give 1535 Caribbean Way 7 hearts. The house had a great feel, gorgeous views, a nice pool and jacuzzi, and some beautiful quality finishes and details. The exterior was somewhat nondescript and the floor plan didn’t hold any real excitement but it didn’t have any glaring flaws either. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

surprise pool. something of a rarity in Laguna Beach and completely unexpected behind the front wall and gate.

beautiful white-on-white kitchen

I love the thick edge of the counter top and the way the fridge sits into the wall

living room and view of the hills beyond

cool fireplace detail

oh, this front door!

lovely sunny patio right off the kitchen and living room. great place for dining al fresco

Despite the recent hot spell, Fall is here. Thanksgiving is approaching, but do we need to wait for the end of November to be grateful for all of the luxuries in our lives? If you are purchasing a home, any home, aren’t you already living the American dream? If you are reading this blog, you must have some sort of electronic device that allows you to do so – how lucky you are! If you have the privilege to be surfing the web on a personal computer or laptop, you are, indeed, more privileged than 95 percent of the world’s population. If you still aren’t convinced that you are lucky, here is another statistic for you: More than 80% of the world’s population lives on $10 a day. The next time your problems get you down, ask yourself if perhaps they are just Champagne Problems. Enjoy our lovely weather, hug a loved one, and have a great week!

Ophelia

Location, Location, Location

Posted on August 16, 2016 by admin.

Even if you are new to real estate, you are aware of the old adage: the three most important things in real estate are 1. Location 2. Location and 3. Location! Have you ever struggled with this? Have you ever loved a house that really wasn’t in a place you wanted to live? Did you try to fool yourself into thinking it would be okay? I have! Oh my goodness, sometimes a house will just make me weak in the knees and I have to give myself a serious talking-to. It’s easy to be swayed by lovely design and finishes. But once you leave the oasis of that dream home, what are you left with? Remember, you aren’t just buying a home, you’re buying a neighborhood.

Everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences. Some people think of their childhood home with a sense of nostalgia and seek to recreate that, some do not. My whole life, if my father said “that just screams 1923” I knew it was not a compliment. Why? Because the house he grew up in was built (by his father) in 1923. You think he would wax nostalgic for those vintage details but noooo. I suppose I can understand. I grew up in a mid-60’s tract home. My best friend lived at the end of my block in the exact same floor plan we had. Not exactly inspiring. I have a serious aversion to popcorn ceilings, boring boxy rooms, and cookie-cutter neighborhoods. I love unique one-of-a-kind houses in neighborhoods with interesting topography, lots of trees, and as close to the coast as possible! I don’t need (or even want) sand in my front yard, but to see or feel the ocean, or some body of water is a huge draw for me. I do not want the neighborhood I grew up in and houses of that era, unless lovingly restored, just scream “dated” to me. There’s no nostalgia whatsoever. I will occasionally get sucked into a lovely house in just such a neighborhood and it’s a struggle to remind myself: “buy a house for the things that can’t easily be changed.” What’s the hardest thing to change? Your location.

My house of the week this week is the smallest I’ve ever reviewed, just under 1000 square feet, but Oh, the location! 31731 Seacove Drive in Laguna Beach is an amazing surprise. The house feels bigger than it’s 993 square feet. The bedrooms aren’t as tiny as you’d imagine, there are 2 bathrooms (a must in my book), the kitchen has a great layout and plenty of counter space, the living room is quite generous (and smartly mirror-lined to reflect the amazing view), and the dining room is all you’d need on an every day basis. Where this house really captured my heart was what happened outside those living room doors. The ocean is literally one house away AND… drum roll, please… there is a pool! This is the dream scenario for me. Beach-close but still has a pool. I love to look at the ocean, walk along the sand, and squeal when it splashes my ankles. But I have no plans to swim in the ocean. I want to swim in a nice, clean, warm pool where I can see the bottom and no seaweed will wrap around my leg. The pool was 9 feet deep, giving away it’s age, they simply don’t make them that deep any more. You can lounge by your pool and see the ocean! If you’d like to visit that ocean, just walk out your side gate, walk past your neighbor’s house, and use your special key to unlock the gate to the famed Table Rock Beach. The location is so great, and so rare with it’s swimming pool, that I’d want to invite everyone I know to share in that unique experience, which could be a problem, given the size of the house. The lower level by the pool has a laundry room and bathroom of sorts, but it’s pretty primitive. I’d love to tear out the whole lower level and build a fabulous master suite on that level. There’s easily the room to do that, and it would bump this house into a whole new echelon of fabulous.

The house in it’s current condition was a 5.5, the location is a 10, and since the house is easier to change than the location, I give 31731 Seacove Drive 8 hearts out of 10. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

living room focal point, besides the view of the ocean, I mean.

good size kitchen

nice details and finishes in the kitchen

how could anyone resist?

laundry and sort-of bathroom next to the pool. this is the level I’d remove and start over to make a master suite.

hammock with a forever view

private staircase to Table Rock Beach

My next featured home is the exact opposite – where you love the house but don’t exactly get the feels for the neighborhood. This is not to say there is anything wrong with this neighborhood… What appeals to each individual is deeply personal, and one person’s dream-come-true is another person’s ho-hum. I’m not into tract homes and suburbia and strip malls. One woman at the Open House was raving about how this was the best street in the neighborhood and they all know each other and play golf together. That made me really happy to hear and I’m sure that this house will get snapped up by someone who feels it’s the whole package. For me, it was SO great that I really wanted to overlook the fact that it’s just not where I’d like to live, but if you listen to generations of real estate advice that have come before you, that’s just simply not the best idea.

1873 Tahiti Drive in Costa Mesa is spectacular. This property had so many features that I’m looking for in a house: entry courtyard (read: cat-escape-proof), a fire pit and water feature right in that front yard, crisp white paint throughout, including vaulted ceilings painted a glossy white. The floors were wide plank white oak, and there were 6″ (maybe even 8″?) baseboards. There was an abundance of light and sun, but the air conditioning was running on a very warm day and the sunlight was a welcome feature, not something to hide from. There were fun “porthole” details, including faux portholes (with mirrors in them) in the pantry door, and a genuine brass porthole in one of the showers. Hardware and handles were substantial and quality-feeling and light fixtures were top-notch choices. The bedrooms were all of a comfortable size and the master suite was downright luxurious, with a sitting area, a view of the beautiful backyard, and a master bath that checked ALL of the boxes for me. The kitchen was crisp and white, with tons of space and storage, and had a pot-filler above the stove and a great island with eating bar for 4 (across from each other in a friendly fashion instead of in a row). The backyard was spacious and had great details, including numerous sitting areas, raised vegetable beds, a big grassy area that would become my croquet court, citrus trees, and most impressive of all, a huge water feature. I had to ask myself if I really loved the house or I was just falling in love with the interior design, but I really did love the layout of the house, how it functioned, and it’s show-stopping backyard. It would be very easy to live in this house and love it every day. Perhaps Mesa Verde life would even grow on me.

This house is 9-3/4 hearts (I’d like the master closet to be a bit bigger) but the neighborhood (for me) is just a 6-1/2 or so. I’m going to average this house out to 8 mixed-emotion hearts. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

front entry, picture perfect

water feature in the front yard. makes a nice focal spot for the front bedroom as well.

the entry captures your heart right away

family room with it’s perfect ceiling

dining room with a view of the backyard. fun porthole pantry door on the left (if you follow my instagram, you’ve seen this pic already. if you don’t, you should! Look for OpheliaLovesIt on Instagram)

whimsical detail in one of the secondary baths

master suite, sitting area, great light fixture, unique barn door to the master bath

master bath walk in shower. so smart to put the controls out at the front!

massively impressive water feature in the back yard

so much space for creativity!

front yard fire pit with complete privacy due to the high fence around

What’s your ideal neighborhood? What location inspires you the most? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great week!

Ophelia

Yearbook Superlatives

Posted on July 25, 2016 by admin.

With the rapid approach of my high school reunion (never mind which year), I have been strolling down memory lane and marveling at the simplicity and innocence that life once had. How was it that we were able to sum up our classmates in just a few words? How did we choose, in a graduating class of over 500 people, who had the “best eyes” and who were the “most likely to succeed”? And what does that even mean? In high school, future success was definitely equated with a beautiful spouse, a fast car, and a killer house. Well, I can’t help you with the spouse or the car, but I can tell you about a few killer houses, in high school yearbook terms.

Best Smile You know the category – maybe it’s “Best Eyes” or “Best Legs”, but it’s the idea that you have one feature so great, you should be in the yearbook for that accomplishment. In theory, someone could actually have the ugliest legs but the best smile and still be featured for that spectacular smile alone. Of course, it never really worked that way, and if you saw the pictures without the captions, you wouldn’t really know which of the superlatives they captured. This week’s “Best Smile” house is 17271 Chatham Lane in the Brightwater area of Huntington Beach. The standout feature of this house is the outdoor space: the backyard and side courtyard. This particular housing tract doesn’t have the most plentiful outdoor space, so it’s even more impressive what they’ve done with this yard! The whole house is nice, well-decorated, and very livable, but probably wouldn’t win Best Anything in your high school yearbook. But when you combine an attractive home with a Standout Backyard, you suddenly have everyone wanting your autograph. In this backyard, there was a pool with a baja shelf, a spa with a waterfall into the pool, a built-in barbecue with an eating bar, a lowered fireplace area with built-in seating, and the side courtyard had a built-in raised table, with a fire and ice bowl in the center, and water that cascades down the sides of the base. Impressive! If outdoor living is a priority for you, you enjoy entertaining, and want an extremely low-maintenance exterior, this is your home!

I wish this home were just a tiny bit bigger, with just a bit more space in the side yards between houses, but for the price, I think it is a spectacular buy. I give it an easy 7 hearts out of 10, plus the award of “Best Feature”. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

built-in barbecue and raised eating counter to the right

a beautiful nook to enjoy an evening by the fire

swimming pool and raised spa

rich espresso cabinets pair nicely with the stainless steel appliances

sitting room just off the entry

a quintessential “house” house; the kind you drew in kindergarten whenever you drew a house and long to call home.

Most Likely To Succeed Does this honor ever go to someone who hasn’t already succeeded? After all, isn’t past success the best indicator of future success? So the “weird” guy that no one really understood but everyone said was super smart is far less likely to have his picture in the yearbook than the kid who was class president for 3 years running and was captain of the debate team. 3181 Remora Drive in Huntington Harbor is already a winner. It’s on the water with a 40′ boat dock and is in immaculate condition! However, what really sets this property head and shoulders above the rest is the incredible potential for the price. Someone is absolutely going to snap this home up and turn it into a masterpiece. This is a lovely home, with lots of outdoor space for entertaining or relaxing. The bedrooms are all upstairs, two with high ceilings and a direct view of the water. The kitchen could use updating, but really has some exciting potential. This house was sparkling clean and appeared to be in excellent condition. I need to make friends with whoever latches onto this success story. I’d love to spend some time on that deck, enjoying the water and watching the boats go by.

I give this house 7-1/2 hearts, many of them for pure potential for Success. I would have gone up to 8 if the neighborhood weren’t so tight, and the guest parking situation were a bit easier.

view beyond your own boat dock

fire ring and barbecue on the side patio, off the kitchen

master bedroom fireplace

living room

view from the living room, through the screen door, out to the waterfront patio. this place could be so spectacular!

Best Dressed Ah, my favorite… best dressed. This one is controversial because it’s a matter of taste and one person’s Gucci may hold absolutely no appeal for someone else. That kid in Junior High who got “Best Dressed” was soooo preppy (::eye roll::) and all of the surfers were not having it! I am a huge fan of gallery white walls. White, white, white with pops of color totally makes my day. I was walking through a boring (in my opinion) taupe-y home with my dad and he said “This is a nice color. At least it’s not that ‘punch-you-in-the-eye white’.” and I was thinking “this just looks dirty”. So to each his own. You can’t please everyone. My winner for Best Dressed of the weekend is 1001 Hampshire Lane in Newport Beach. I adore absolutely everything about this house, but I really admire that they didn’t “dress it down” for sale and take away the exciting and different touches that make it unique. If someone doesn’t like a feature, they can change it once they own it, but in the meantime, lets all enjoy the daring unique style of this masterpiece. I encourage you to look at the listing for the professional shots of this one. My snaps don’t do it justice. It has bright white walls, dark floors, touches of gold, and really daring wallpaper! Some of my favorite features are the niche for the firewood behind the fireplace, the all glass front door and ingenious front “doorknob”, the onyx fireplace surround (so intriguing you can’t help but touch it), and the spectacular dream backyard.

I love this one immensely, and if it were in my price range I would live there without any hesitation whatsoever. I give Hampshire Lane 10 hearts out of 10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

yes, boys and girls, this is the front door!

view from the top of the stairs, across the sunny living room, and out to the pool

pool + jacuzzi + fire pit = heaven

way cool kitchen

view from the kitchen, past the firewood storage and stairs, toward the front door

I love this living room so much – the high ceilings, the mcm light fixture, the glass railings above, and all of that sunlight!

upstairs bedroom with cool wallpaper and groovy lamp

What sort of personality traits does your house show? Is it winning any awards? Is it time to look around for one that does? Give Ross a call!

Have a good week and get lots of signatures in your yearbook! I hope you’re having the best summer ever! Stay sweet,

Ophelia

Fantasy or Reality?

Posted on July 4, 2016 by admin.

I create plenty of fantasies in my head, and tend to shop for houses to accommodate them. I’ve pictured friends coming in the side door to the kitchen for coffee in the morning, and searched Open Houses for sunny nooks to curl up with a good book. I envision friends and their children splashing in the pool and imagine tranquil midnight swims by myself. I wonder if dining rooms are big enough for a spectacular Thanksgiving and I mentally fill the guest rooms with fresh-cut flowers for all my visitors. Except that I’ve never cooked a turkey, I don’t own a coffee maker, and the last time I had time to read a book was on a plane.

The big unknown is this: would my life transform to fit my house, if I had the right one? Would I volunteer to host Thanksgiving if I had that 6-burner stove and double oven? Would “pool party at Ophelia’s!” become the Saturday afternoon battle cry? The ideal balance is a house that fits my reality, but still indulges some fantasies.

Once upon a time, I considered building instead of buying and got fairly deep into the design process with a talented, but temperamental architect. I loved the sleek modern design he had created but I was dying for more storage. He looked with disdain around my tiny 1100 square foot cottage where I had skillfully stuffed about 4000 square feet worth of ‘stuff’ and said “you’re going to need to throw some things out.” No duh, but I’m not throwing out my vacuum or my suitcases. Where do those go? My reality is that I need Storage (with a capital S). The majority of my clutter is due to the fact that things don’t have a place to go, so they end up on my desk or the dining room table or the floor of my closet or… I can’t be alone in this. There are huge storage facilities every 6 blocks in Orange County and people pay for a place to keep their stuff! Most Americans “need to throw some things out.”

My reality house for the week is 17021 Westport in the Huntington Harbor area. A little dated, but mostly easy fixes, and So. Much. Storage! It’s a big house for the price and has plenty of architectural appeal. Clean lines, high ceilings, big windows, and room to stand and spin like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music in the middle of every room. The beautiful saltwater pool & jacuzzi and hardscape in the back were huge selling points for me. I’ve never had a pool, but I imagine that I would love it. There was an outdoor fireplace next to the built-in barbecue and my fantasy-life began to kick into high gear. There were real hardwood floors inside and a floating staircase just begging to be updated, perhaps with walnut treads and glass railings. All three bedrooms were upstairs and HUGE! One was two bedrooms remodeled into one, another was the former master and they had turned the original bathroom into a never-ending closet. The “new” bathroom for that bedroom had a sauna! The new master bedroom is at the back of the house and has a balcony with a Catalina Island view. There are 3 mirrored closets in the bedroom (along with a fireplace, built-in cabinetry, and a view of the pool), and there is a huge wall of storage/closet in the master bath as well! The master bath had oceans of white marble, a separate tub and shower, more counterspace than most kitchens, a drop-down ironing board from one of the cabinets, and more of the Julie-Andrews-Spinning-Space. Everywhere you looked there was built-in storage. Cabinets the entire length of the upstairs hallway, built-in’s in the dining room and family room, and oodles of kitchen cabinets. I took some friends with me to see this one and they imparted two bits of wisdom/advice to me. 1. People who live in houses with stairs live 7 years longer than those who don’t. 2. That 14 -foot long, 4 foot deep upstairs hall closet could totally be a wine cellar! It would vent right to the outside! (Genius! This is why I take them places!)

This house would literally have a place for every single thing I own and could transform from “nice” to “wow” quite easily (especially once the wine cellar is installed!) Westport is around 7-1/2 hearts out of 10, but I’m bumping it up to 8 for that extra 7 years of life it’s giving me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

front of the house and it’s beautiful roof lines and clerestory windows.

privacy wall and landscaping between the living room and the driveway

vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom

master bath

storage in the master bath. the ironing board lives in that cabinet on the far left.

saltwater pool, jacuzzi, and fountain

outdoor fireplace by the pool. built-in seating along that wall.

And now, to the fantasy. This house went on to become someone else’s reality after it was my fantasy, so there is no listing to share any more (single tear) but it’s still worth telling you about. Peach Tree Lane was one of my true loves. So much so that I completely overlooked all reality. I was trying to make bedrooms out of small glass offices, move a 10′ tall glass front door that had already been so carefully placed, add closets to bedrooms that apparently were too sophisticated to have them, and figure out a way to keep the cat in the yard so that I could keep the beautiful sliding glass doors open whenever I wanted. I was researching how to take care of Carrera marble while simultaneously wondering where I would possibly put the cat box in a house like this. I would have done anything for those floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, the sleek lap pool in the front courtyard, the master closet the size of a bowling alley, and the wall of water that graced an entire side of the living room. There were shades that appeared from nowhere at the touch of a button to provide privacy in the most elegant way possible, then disappear back into the ceiling upon command. There were heated floors in the master bath and an open, airy white kitchen with a front-row-view of the wall of water and light streaming down from above. I was so in love that I was willing to overlook the laundry in the garage (that’s a tough one for me to swallow) and I even pretended that I was going to learn to mow a lawn so that I could maintain the front yard myself (I wasn’t). But when push came to shove, I had to admit that it wasn’t the house for me. The floor plan just wasn’t right for my life and the house was SO sleek and open that I didn’t know where I would put any of my stuff! Even the office was made of glass and was the first thing you saw upon entering the courtyard. One out-of-place piece of mail would ruin the vibe. Try as I might, I’m just not a minimalist, and did not want to ruin this masterpiece. On one of the several visits to this heavenly abode, the agent commented on how “sexy” the house was. I looked at my mother, clomping across the polished Brazilian hardwood floors in her Kmart tennis shoes, and thought “uh oh. we have a mismatch here. some of us are not sexy.” I had to move on, but Peach Tree Lane still holds a piece of my soul, and in my fantasy world, is absolutely worth 10 hearts.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

the glass office and front entry gate outside

oh, that kitchen!

the wall of water. open to the sky above and can be completely closed off from the living room by disappearing glass doors that slide on the tracks at the bottom of the photo

focal point of the living room. doors on both sides open completely to let the outdoors in. the wall of water is on the right, the “back” patio, complete with built in barbecue is on the left.

view from the master bedroom out to the pool. a fireplace is built into the wall on the far left of the photo

master bath details. carrera marble extends from the counter top into the shower stall.

the lap pool and the entry gate beyond

When you house-shop, do you look for a home to accommodate the life you wish you led? Or the one that you really do? Have you ever followed your heart just to find out that it actually knew what it was doing? What is it about your house that’s keeping you from living the life you dream about? Is it time to start looking for a house that gets your fantasies and realities into alignment? Let’s go shopping!

Ophelia

Sometimes My Imagination Do Go Wild

Posted on June 13, 2016 by admin.

Years ago I had the opportunity to produce some videos for a lovely lady with big ideas. English was not her first language and she had surprising and fun ways of expressing herself. After we completed the first project, she emailed me with grandiose ideas for the next one. She concluded the email with something of an apology/explanation for her ramlbings, saying: “sometimes my imagination do go wild.” Despite the grammar, it has been one of my favorite sayings ever since, although usually just inside my head.

Which houses make your imagination go wild? You know the ones, where you just can’t stop visualizing what it could be? Sometimes it’s not even realistic, the dreams you dream, but you let them roll around in your head anyway.

A project is a project and not everyone is down for that. I always love the idea of it though. because it usually means you’re getting a better price than a place that’s move-in perfect, and it means the final product is something that you’ve chosen, something that you dreamed up (perhaps with the help of a professional), and something that works for your life, not the last owner’s. I am forever moving walls in my mind and every time I see a tile kitchen I get out my mental safety goggles and sledgehammer.

It’s not every house that makes my imagination go wild; they have to have the potential to be fantastic when I’m finished with them. One of my current favorites is 2100 Baycrest Road in Newport Beach. Oh, the potential! Part of the appeal is that the current owners weren’t afraid to take chances and there is already a great deal of quality finishes and exciting features in the house. Dark floors and walls, high white-beamed ceilings, interesting light fixtures, great artwork, and a gorgeous huge pool in the backyard. Tops on the list of “to do” at this house is increasing the size of the kitchen. It’s a 2,158 square ft house, but the kitchen is proportionally quite small, perhaps 12′ x 12′. Personally, I would annex the formal dining room and be able to double the size of the kitchen! The “informal” dining room has a spectacular beamed ceiling and is big enough for even a Thanksgiving dinner, so in my world, a formal dining room, which is around the corner from the kitchen and kind of a long trek to make with dishes of food, is just not necessary. Next on my list of “to do” involves what I thought were some arched windows on the front of the house, giving a somewhat dated appearance. It turns out the windows are actually square, and the arches are part of a sort of portico in front of the house. I see great potential for doing something awesome here, but I’m not sure what. (This is where the professional comes in…) There is a cool 70’s-looking arched fireplace that sits on an angle between the formal living room and the (soon-to-be only) dining room and is shared by both rooms. It could use some updating, but is a nice feature of interest. There is apparently a cool office/studio in the attic, but the day I visited the house I was wearing a skirt and chose not to climb the ladder to see it! I am intrigued by the online pictures, however, as it certainly appears to be a full-height room. The house is on the corner of Irvine Avenue and Baycrest Road. Unlike every house I’ve looked at that fronts to Irvine Ave., you barely knew that road was there. There is a large hedge between the driveway and that street, and the garage is the only part of the house that is close to Irvine Avenue. With the front door open, as it is in an Open House, you could hear the road, but with it closed, and even in the backyard, I wasn’t aware of traffic noise at all. The great thing about 2100 Baycrest Road is that it is totally ready-to-go, and it’s possible to move right in and make those changes as the inspiration strikes.

Currently, I would give the house 7 hearts, but potential and neighborhood bring it up to 8 hearts out of 10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

the front of the house, as viewed from Baycrest Rd.

fireplace from the dining room side.

the lovely-but-small kitchen

beautiful huge pool and still room for barbecue and al fresco dining.

the formal dining room that I would sacrifice for a bigger kitchen. you can see here that the windows are square and the arches are several feet away.

that ceiling, though! and a great light fixture over the informal dining room table.

Another house that makes my imagination go wild is 16802 Channel Lane in the aquatic paradise of Huntington Harbor. This one is far more of a project but has so much potential! A true mid-century modern, this house has glass right up to the ceiling (aaaahhhhh!) on a corner lot on Admiralty Island. There is a channel (hence the name: Channel Lane) in front of the house that could be viewed from an easily-added roof deck. There’s also water behind the house, but the lot does not actually touch the water because of it’s corner location. It could probably also be viewed from a 2nd story or roof deck. There was easy access out to Pacific Coast Highway, but no noise from the highway. The house is older, and currently being rented out, so there are tile floors throughout. I have my mental sledgehammer out already! The kitchen appears original as well, with old cabinets and tile countertops. It’s a great size already, but could be enlarged if you wanted a really huge kitchen. The house feels bigger than its’ 2423 square feet. My favorite part is the courtyard/backyard with the pool, which the living room, dining room, and master bedroom all have access to. This would be a serious remodel, but could be spectacular when completed! Visions of white walls, wood floors, and turquoise or orange mid-century accents all swirled in my head for days on end after viewing it. I mentally built a spiral staircase up to a roof deck with a modern glass railing all around it. In the long-term, I would love to have a sumptuous master suite up there with views of water in two different directions. I also went so far as to let my imagination smooth out the stucco exterior to have smooth plaster. I imagine great indoor/outdoor parties and keeping the doors open for breezes without worrying about the cat getting away because of the high wall around the whole “compound”.

If i give out hearts purely for potential, it would probably be 8.5-9, but because it would take quite a bit of effort to get there (effort = dollars), i’ll keep the hearts to 8 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

pool with nice pavers all around

super original and mostly cool master shower. love the terrazzo, wouldn’t mind replacing the glass and the shower head.

master bedroom with a view of the pool

living room with the entry beyond

Stay tuned because next week’s entry is more of what makes my imagination go wild… this time for a different reason – they are complete FANTASY houses! Listen to your imagination this week and ask yourself: What makes your imagination go wild?

Ophelia

The After-Burn

Posted on June 6, 2016 by admin.

You know that feeling when you get too much wasabi? After you survive the initial bullet to your brain, you think you’re in the clear but then the burn continues to disintegrate the bridge of your nose and deter you from your hamachi for another ten minutes. You know what I mean? Yeah, I love that feeling!

On a grander scale, there are some houses that have The After-Burn. You see it and think “whoa, this place is great.” but then you find that you are still thinking about it, even three open houses later. You fall asleep thinking about a certain feature of the house and it creeps back into your thoughts during your morning commute. It may not even be the best house you’ve ever seen, but there’s something about it that continues to burn in your thoughts.

My After-Burn houses this week are quite different from each other, and in different cities. The first is in the Baycrest community of Newport Beach. 1915 Santiago grabbed my attention with it’s online pictures, but I thought the outside appeared a little dated. When the day of the Open House came, I was very pleased to see that the outside was actually very nice, with slate hardscape, a gorgeous round planter with succulents and a palm tree, and potential for an entry courtyard. The inside was just as gorgeous as I’d hoped, perhaps even more so. There was a mid-60’s sunken living room, but tastefully updated with great built-ins for the TV and books, a cool mid-century fireplace, and daring charcoal walls. Opposite the living room was a wall of glass that kept the whole room light and airy. This house had a wonderful floor plan and a big, open kitchen-dining-family room area. The bedrooms were generous, although I’m always in search of a bigger closet. To top it all off, 1915 Santiago had a big, beautiful backyard, with a grassy area, a variety of places to sit and enjoy the day, and a beautiful pool and jacuzzi! Every finish they chose was beautiful, from the wide-plank wood floors, to the clean white kitchen with light granite counters, and the zen-like master bath. But my absolute favorite detail was the white textured tile entry wall. The only drawback to this lovely home was that the laundry was in the garage, a personal downer for me. The features that continued to burn in my mind were that entry wall, the formal living room, the walls and walls of glass looking out to the lovely backyard, and the way the entire plan flowed.

I give it 8 hearts out of 10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

stylish planter sits between the 3-car driveway and the walkway to the front door.

oh, this living room! i love the built-in for the tv that separates it from the entry but keeps it feeling open.

the kitchen looks out over the picturesque backyard and has easy access to the dining room.

the pool is nestled into the corner of the yard and has a jacuzzi and a little baja shelf. What could be more perfect?

The other burn-inducing house I had the privilege to visit this weekend was in Seal Beach. This was a typical narrow-lot (25′) beach dwelling on a quiet street in Old Town with an 84 walk score. Seal Beach is quaint and fun and cleaner and calmer than many beach towns. While I love the town, 242 5th Street was an atypical choice for me because of it’s exterior. I’m not a fan of mediterranean, tile roofs, or masonry balustrade railings. The interior, specifically the upstairs, won me over. This was a flipped floor plan, with living, dining, kitchen, family room, and a bedroom and 1.5 baths all on the second level! This was a smart way to address the small-footprint issues of these beach lots. By using the second story for these rooms, you can include square footage that you would have lost to the garage on the first level. The other huge advantage is that you can vault the ceilings and include skylights, which was far and away the feature that continued to burn with me the most. I simply couldn’t stop thinking about those ceilings! For me, a certain amount of after-burn was also triggered by the fact that there were cosmetic aspects that didn’t appeal to me, so I continued to think and think how I could make this house feel more contemporary. Different balcony railings as well as interior banisters would go a long way to giving the place an updated feel. There were many plusses to the house as well. There were great storage areas (big pantry in the huge kitchen) and a wonderful roof deck with outdoor kitchen. Each bedroom had it’s own bathroom and the master closet was Ophelia-Approved!!

This house would be a 6 as-is, or worth 7 hearts with some cosmetic changes. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

first floor view from the hallway toward the front door, master suite door, and stairs to the second story

the master suite is on the first floor at the front of the house and has a lovely fireplace.

the view across the dining room and spectacular two-story entry toward the living room. Oh, that ceiling and those skylights!

spacious and bright kitchen with a view toward the front of the house.

the family room has it’s own fireplace and is situated just off the kitchen and nook. stairs lead up to the 1,000 square foot roof deck!

What did you see this weekend? Which ones faded away and which continued to burn in your mind? Thank you for reading, I have to get back to my hamachi now.

Ophelia

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Category Archives: pool home

Mid Century Marvelous

Champagne Problems

Location, Location, Location

Yearbook Superlatives

Fantasy or Reality?

Sometimes My Imagination Do Go Wild

The After-Burn

Moved Permanently