30th Annual Home Tour Returns Nov. 22

The Pacific Palisades Home Tour, which attracts approximately 1,000 visitors, ranks as one of the most highly anticipated annual community events. The 30th annual Home Tour is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Home Tour, planned by the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club (PPWC), has raised over $1 million, which has been donated to more than 30 local charitable organizations.

This year’s Home Tour will feature four architecturally distinct and beautiful homes. Here is a sneak peek at this year’s homes.

VILLA AURORA

The Villa Aurora was built in 1928 in the hills of Pacific Palisades by Arthur A. Weber, who designed it after a castle he had seen in Sevilla, Spain. A few years later, Weber went bankrupt and the Villa sat empty.

During the Nazi occupation in Germany, Marta and Lion Feuchtwanger were forced to flee for their lives, leaving behind their home and a vast library. The hills of the Palisades reminded the Feuchtwangers of the Tuscan countryside, and in 1943 they purchased the then-dilapidated Villa for $9,000.

Spending their first days at the Villa sleeping in sleeping bags in the backyard, the Feuchtwangers spent their lives turning the Villa into a spectacular residence and a gathering place for German emigrants and American friends. Very quickly the Villa became – in Thomas Mann’s words – “a true castle by the sea”. Many notable guests gathered for readings, concerts, and social gatherings. After Lion died in 1958, Marta dutifully continued her lifestyle at the Villa. A fervent wish of hers was to preserve the Villa as a memorial to Lion.

Today the Villa is a Historic Landmark. Feuchtwanger’s substantial library of 22,000 volumes remains on permanent loan in the Villa. In addition 8,000 of the most valuable books are housed at USC in the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library. In 1995, the Villa opened its doors as an international meeting place for artists, carrying on the work of the Feuchtwangers as a focal point in the lives of many intellectuals and artists.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS

This traditional-style family home with five bedrooms and four baths was remodeled in 2013 to take full advantage of its location at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. It features majestic canyon views from nearly every room, and a grand entry infused with natural light.

A focal point is the Ocean Series canvas by Carmel artist, Winston Swift Boyer, in the art niche. The living room provides drama with a coffered ceiling, rich blue paneled walls, rectangular mirrors with rosettes and an antique gold fireplace screen framed by shining brass and surrounded by gray and white granite.

The dining room is furnished with family heirlooms, including the chandelier and buffet. The kitchen is well equipped with state of the art appliances and a round oak dining room table. A mahogany banister leads to the second story living quarters.

Each child’s bedroom contains something special. A full spectrum watercolor ceiling is in one, and another has a personal library built in. The master bathroom is luxurious with lyptus wood and stone floors, a walk-in shower and step-in tub. The master bedroom has plenty of windows with views of the greenery and hillside surrounding the property.

The builder was TMC from Pacific Palisades, along with Dave Fliflet of Centron Construction. Designers that worked on the house include KS Design Studios, Felicia Bushman and Brende Home.

MODERN MAGIC

This home presents a harmonious blend of the homeowners’ taste—clean and modern lines with accents of bright colors, light, warmth and texture. This family home is magical in décor, with the epitome of gracious Southern California living, bringing the outdoors in.

Gray is the home’s neutral, with plenty of blue for sky and ocean and a rainbow of bright colors for accents. The spacious, professional kitchen has quartz countertops and wooden cabinetry. A large square island leaves room for upholstered stools for in-kitchen dining. The kitchen flows into the family room, perfect room for casual family togetherness. The furnishings include a Missoni-inspired multi-colored orange side table and pillows that continue the thematic splashes of radiant colors. The family room’s glass doors reveal the beauty of the glass-tiled turquoise pool outside, charming English garden and outdoor entertaining area.

While the patio and garden are redolent with scents of citrus, back inside the formal dining room is a gorgeous Chihuly-style chandelier. The living room is a peaceful palate of neutrals set off by oil paintings in fanciful colors. The open floor plan continues with a downstairs guest room bursting with burnt orange and red hues.

Up the modern circular staircase is the master bedroom where the king size bed cozies up to a beautiful fireplace next to a balcony. Two vintage chairs from the 1930s sit beyond the bed on the way to the Italian “Calcutta” marble master bath. Spacious and grand, a delightful barrel ceiling above the champagne bubble tub makes for luxurious spa moments.

The upstairs continues with the children’s rooms as well as a gallery of windows, which purposefully have no window treatments.

R&R Construction was the builder and architect. Designer was Storm Interiors.

EXOTIC RETREAT

This house has an amazing personality, built on one-of-a-kind purchases collected over time. In 1978 the owners emigrated from South Africa and bought the then-2,100 square-foot house.

As their family grew larger, the couple added rooms upward and outward until the house became about 4,900 square feet.

He designed the architectural changes, and she did the interior decorating, with a fine attention to detail. The architecture, art collection, and furnishings are eclectic, including South African sculptures, Chinese children’s hats, East African textiles and well-known Modern Artists.

The couple has acquired art objects and furnishings from traveling, estate sales and pawnshops. The living room and bedrooms incorporate wooden corbels found in New Orleans along with recycled columns found in Agoura. The dining room features 19th century Belgian antiques around an Art Deco light fixture from New Orleans. In the kitchen – the most recent expansion – the countertops and long center island counter are made of an Italian granite and the cabinetry is made of English ash. In the bedrooms, the bed headboards are doors from Indian temples.

The bathroom counters were designed by the owner—one incorporates an ornate Portuguese desk with a sink, while the other mixes an onyx sink with a beautiful wooden desk.

A downstairs sitting room has all MacKenzie-Childs furnishings – loveseats, coffee table, end tables and lamps.

The stunningly beautiful silk drapes in the MacKenzie-Childs room were repurposed from an estate-sale find. In the upstairs hallway, notice the angel and glass light fixture just before you descend the steps. Don’t miss this exotic and lovingly created retreat.

The builder who executed the owner’s plans was David Contreras at david-contreras@sbcglobal.net.

For more information or to purchase tickets online for this year’s Home Tour ($55 before Nov. 21; $60 day of event), visit www.theppwc.org.

TWICE THE FUN AT TWO-DAY HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE

The Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club (PPWC) and Palisades Charter High School Ed Fund have joined forces to present one unique Boutique with two days to shop. Enjoy a wide range of vendors with gift ideas for the holidays as well as hostess gifts for any of your upcoming celebrations. This year’s Boutique will take place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-22 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Boutique, which will take place in Mercer Hall at Pali High, is open to the public and free of charge.