JS4 SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011 OC
IN THE NEWS
RetRo with a PedigRee
CLASSIC SUNSET BEACH HOME IS A MODERNIST ERA ORIGINAL BY ONE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S SIGNATURE ARCHITECTS
16461 SOUTH PACIFIC | SUNSET BEACH
This rare California-classic beach house, designed by the late celebrated modernist architect George Vernon Russell (Samuel Goldwyn residence, Beverly Hills; Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas; mobile headquarters, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower; tri-level addition to L.A. County Natural History Museum, Exposition Park) is an authentic example of what made the modernism of the late 1950s to mid- 1960s so popularly iconic.
The approximately 3,200-square-foot threebedroom, three-and-a half bath home, constructed in 1975 on elevated pier-style pylons over the sand of Sunset Beach about 100 yards from the breaking surf, reflects the clean, serene, subtly organic restraint of the mid 20th century’s best architecture. A sweeping openness enhanced by 16-foot-high wood-paneled ceilings, vast windows, and skylights maximizes simplicity of design, letting nature dominate the scheme.
Highlights include a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows in the living and dining rooms directly facing Santa Catalina Island, also taking in views of Palos Verdes, Port Los Angeles, the Long Beach city skyline, and the Queen Mary. A gloriously open floor plan feels even more expansive due to a huge skylight spanning an open staircase suspended by steel cables.
True to the era’s design ethic, the main living area has simple and eminently practical terra-cotta tile throughout, in pitch-perfect harmony with the room’s natural-stone fireplace and taupe-colored wood paneling. The colors and textures seem calculated to emphasize not their own material presence, but rather the grander beauty of the coast environment.
Yet for all its open embrace of sand, sea, sunlight, sky, and cityscape, by design the home retains remarkable privacy. The house enjoys an elevated vantage over the beach and a 20-by-70 foot treelined side yard, on a 59-foot wide beachfront lot, giving unparalleled light and privacy.
Directly off the dining room, the kitchen has a breakfast nook or small office and gives vistas of the ocean as well as the home’s charming side yard. Appointed with neutral-toned quartz counters and a five-burner gas stove, the kitchen is discreetly divided from the living area by an interior wall, yet directly accessible to the dining room at one end, and to the living room’s built-in bar at the other, as well as a small powder room.
The home’s two bedrooms and loft are upstairs, where the flooring is high-quality hardwood. The forward section and loft are open to the living area below, enhancing the home’s pervasive aura of easy spaciousness. With built-in bookshelves, wet bar and spectacular views, the loft is a particularly inspiring retreat ideal for use as a lookout perch, office, or informal bedroom.
The master bedroom features a step-down sitting area with windows overlooking the garden patio and an expansive skylight above, plus separate his-and-her bathrooms and his-and-her walk-in closets generously appointed with built-in cabinets and shoe shelves. The second bedroom has a cozy window nook overlooking the garden patio, and direct access to a bathroom with dual access from the hall.
Designed for group entertaining, the side-yard – unusually large for a beachfront lot – connects to the beach and the street. Two showers and a bathroom open directly onto the patio for the convenience of family and guests socializing or coming in from the beach. The yard has ample room for al fresco dining and features an arbor and a shuffleboard court.
The home’s other features include built-in benches, shelves, and cabinets, plus recessed lighting throughout. A front deck off the living and dining area and a wood patio on the sand allow for private beachside lounging. The attached two-car garage has finished interior walls and a small builtin workshop for creative tinkering. Street parking is plentiful amid shaded public areas and lush medians.
This property is offered at $3,995,000. For more information about this historic and spectacular beach home, call Sean Stanfield of First Team Real Estate at (714) 421-3377 or visit www. seanstanfield.com.
