Casual, on ahigher level
Set on a bluff-top acre, the two-story captures an exotic feel with ipe wood siding, a live-coral aquarium and tropical palms and tree specimens. A rooftop putting green and indoor-outdoor wet bar further a casual yet contemporary atmosphere..

Luxury market showing signs of life
AGeorgian-style traditional in the 700 block of North Alta Drive sold for $4.095 million less than the November list price of $24.995 million. The seller was Alta Property Group, a limited liability company based in West Hollywood; the buyer was another entity based out of Beverly Hills.

Thor’s smaller Malibu footprint
On the sale side, the couple saw asolid return on investment in the deal for their Point Dume-area home. The renovated Victorian formerly owned by fellow Australian Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski fetched $500,000 over the asking price, or $2.2 million more than what Hemsworth and Pataky paid for it three years ago: $4.

Higher education: a smart move
While the campus of UCLA rose to the north, the Jansses made another far-sighted decision that would cement Westwood’s status as a destination neighborhood: They created a Mediterraneanthemed master-planned commercial development dubbed Westwood Village.

Here she can put her feet up
The “King of Queens” star, who also did a stint on “Dancing With the Stars,” worked on key room makeovers for free. That balcony looking into the neighbors’ yard? It became a cozy oasis with a privacy wall, bench and fire pit. The underutilized dining area? It’s been transformed too.

Where young, old get along famously
The airy, loft-like warehouse decorated with unique home furnishings, live foliage and thoughtful touches of feng shui was recently used as a location for “The Bachelorette” — and previously starred on episodes of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Putting their subjects in the best light
Professionally photographed homes sell faster and for more money than homes listed with point-and-shoot photos, according to a 2013 Redfin study. The report found that for homes priced between $400,000 and $499,999, those with professional pictures sold for an average of $11,200 more than homes with amateur photos.

An embrace of the wide, open spaces
Since launching his Culver City-based firm 25 years ago, Wilkinson has blown open corporate cubicle culture with his nonconformist designs. He’s likened the boxy office chambers to “chicken farming” that are “humiliating, disenfranchising and isolating.