Open House Obsession: Mario Romano’s Brilliant New Project In Santa Monica, $8M

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Where: 1016 San Vicente Boulevard, Santa Monica
When: Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2 from 2:00pm-5:00pm both days
Asking: $7,995,000
What: Designer/Builder Mario Romano’s latest project– a 6-bed, 8-bath family-sized home that’s the most innovative house currently on the market in Santa Monica.

Or in Los Angeles.

Managing to be both spacious and baautifully proportioned, it’s got an open, flexible plan, conceived by Romano as a dialogue between the occupants and the architecture, the interface between movement and texture. There’s not only the classic Californian open relationship to the outdoors, but a wealth of technological and environmental elements, especially in Romano’s work with Corian®.




The main floor is lit from above by a huge skylite.

The open staircase extends to the basement level, which holds two flexible family/media spaces, one with a full wall projection and sound system. There’s also a guest suite and an elevator connecting all three levels.


Romano’s recent work with Corian® has resulted in a line of extraordinary, multi-dimensional wall coverings dubbed MR Walls. They can be found throughout the house but are especially effective in the bathrooms, like the master suite’s spa bath– but even the stair treads are Corian®.

What We Love: It’s sophisticated but ultimately, incredibly comfortable– a place to live in, not live up to. Plus the house is perfect for photo, film, and commercial location rental, potentially offsetting pesky line items like taxes and mortgages.

More: Go to the video of Romano discussing the ideas behind the house, if only to see how the kitchen cabinets work. Additional details and images at the listing– an exceptional property represented by Pacific Union International’s Ava Domanovski and Charles Pence.