Same place, same thing… If you’re old enough, you remember the commercial that chided us for being creatures of habit. If weren’t fortunate enough to experience this iconic commercial the first time around, here you go! Same place? Same place. Same thing? Same thing.

Sometimes after enough Open Houses, they all start to look alike. I found that I kept going to the same neighborhoods and seeing the same sorts of houses. Same place, same thing… It was time to break out of the rut! Last weekend I ventured beyond the Orange curtain, into Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.  It was only an hour away, but oh-so different! The hilly terrain made for a different feel and added an extra layer of adventure as my navigation stopped working and I spent a good half hour lost in the Hollywood Hills. My reward for not giving up was a unique architectural gem on Hollywood Hills Road. 9044 ended up being situated on a quiet little cul de sac at the end of a long and winding road. Built in 1957 by a creative (but apparently not famous) architect, this house oozes with the love of it’s current owner and potential for future spectacularity. It is located on a huge and mostly un-tapped lot, surrounded by greenery and quiet. Everything about the house invited you to slow down and have a cup of green tea and just enjoy some solitude.  How much work the house “needed” would depend completely on it’s new owner. As an Orange County girl. it was difficult to not want to completely refurbish everything. But for someone a little more laid back, it could be perfect in it’s current state.  My sister-in-law lives in New Zealand and she immediately popped into my head as someone who would love the house exactly as it is. She is earthy and zen and very connected with her environment. She doesn’t need marble counters or fresh paint or brand-new appliances. The changes I was tempted to make could ruin the place for someone like her.

The enormous butt-glazed windows in the living room were certainly a prime focal point, but I loved the huge traditional window in the kitchen just as much. The secondary bedrooms were a little small but the master bedroom was a good size. Two of the bathrooms had completely unique bump-outs for the sinks that were just such a refreshing change from the “same place, same thing” doldrums. The dining room was immediately off the kitchen and floated out over the edge of the living room, enjoying all of that glass. This house could host lovely parties (especially with some work done in the backyard) but is equally as comfortable being a refuge of solitude and sunlight.  For anyone looking for a unique house in this area, it is an easy 6 hearts out of 10.  With a little sprucing up (perhaps some refinishing of the wood surfaces and repair of a cracked greenhouse window in the bath) 9044 Hollywood Hills Dr. steps right up to 7 hearts. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My second LA-adventure home was located in the Olympic Hills area, just above Sunset Blvd. 2416 Apollo Drive was a more typical modern home, but still possessed a certain LA flair.  Perched on a hillside with vast sweeping views, this home had plenty of sophisticated square footage and a ginormous outdoor deck, almost half the size of the house itself! The primary architectural feature of interest was the staircase, just inside the front door.  It was completely surrounded by simple-but-stunning 2×4’s, sanded down and spaced apart just enough to create an exciting visual effect.  Sunlight streamed through, creating graphic-lined shadows, and views across the house both appeared and disappeared, depending on the angle you were looking through. Bedrooms were upstairs and my favorite part was the master closet that ran the entire length of the large bedroom and had doors on both ends. You could step into the closet just out of the luxurious bath, walk along dressing yourself, and emerge out the other end ready to go!  The canyon views could be appreciated from all of the upstairs bedrooms and the master bath as well.  Downstairs was an opportunity to be creative, with room for storage, laundry, office, potential wine cave, and full bathroom to go with a bedroom or home theater. On the middle level was the garage, living, dining, and kitchen.  The kitchen was quite large in relation to the dining and living, which I really liked. There were interesting touches with a butcher-block wrapped island and eating counter.  More of the spectacular views could be enjoyed from the kitchen sink as well as the living and dining rooms.  The deck was the place to be, especially in the first part of the day, enjoying a ton of morning light, but evening gatherings would be lovely as well. Built in 1979 and remodeled quite recently, this house needed no changes or updates. It was ready to be enjoyed immediately!

I enjoyed this lovely home and didn’t want to change a single thing, but I did feel it was lacking a bit of je ne said quoi, so I simply can’t go above 8 hearts. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

It was nice to not be a creature of habit and get out and explore! I’d love to do it again, soon. Have you thought about expanding your horizons? You don’t have to go all the way to another county, but maybe you want to explore some new neighborhoods give something else a try for a change.  You could pick me up some Del Taco while you’re at it!

Ophelia