Open House Report, LA Bling Edition: 5 Over-the-Top Houses to Tour This Weekend
Author:Philip FerratoLos Angeles doesn’t have a monopoly on bad taste, but it often seems like the city is the nexus of highly individual tastes and money. To celebrate President’s Day Weekend, we offer a random sampling of five houses in the Hollywood Hills that will take a lot of presidents— of the Grant, Washington, and Lincoln variety— but which are open and free this weekend. Priced from $1.495M to $4.65M, just walk in like you already own it.
8932 St. Ives Drive, Sunset Strip/Hollywood Hills, $4.65M (pictured above)
Despite being five levels and having a second 2-car garage on an alley behind the house— which the agent helpfully mentions is handy for avoiding the paparazzi— the house has no elevator. Newly renovated, the 4-bed, 8-bath (that is not a typo) is built to party vertically and horizontally. Frankly spectacular and the perfect house to celebrate anything in, not everyone agrees. It’s been on the market since August, 2011. Open Sunday, February 19 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
1352 Miller Drive, Sunset Strip/Hollywood Hills, $4.395M
Out of this selection, probably the house with the highest design values. With a plunge pool overlooking the driveway (above) and a roof deck that most of us would kill for, this 4-bed, 4.5-bath house is a great pace to party. There’s an interesting interior space and stairway which reminds the realtor of NY’s Guggenheim Museum, but not really. Beautifully staged, the house appears to have great finishes and it’s certainly got a spectacular master bath. Open Sunday, February 19 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
8003 Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Strip/Hollywood Hills, $2.494M
Invoking the Hollywood of the silent era and ranging from Art Deco to Moorish to Hip-Hop, this c.1925 mansion has a name— Villa Raphael— and comes with 4 bedrooms, 7 baths and 10 parking spaces along with the requisite outdoor kitchen, pool, spa, and pool house (above) which has probably been in a music video. Some astounding decor (and a master bath not to missed) in a house that was extravagant when it was built. And still is today. Open Sunday, February 19 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
8020 Zeus Drive, Sunset Strip/Hollywood Hills, 2.69M
Built in 1975. Out front, we give you Versailles, while out back, a suburban version of a Pompeian villa. The Mount Olympus neighborhood was developed in the early 70s, and this classical 5-bed, 5-bath house has great views along with a pool table in the kitchen. Worth a visit if you’ve ever wondered what these houses look like inside, and the neighborhood is full of similarly over-the-top classical references and details. Open Sunday, February 19 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
8430 Edwin Drive, Sunset Strip/Hollywood Hills, $1.495M
Cowboy Bling is the style here, where the owner has taken a fairly standard 60s ranch and taken it to… Montana. We’re loving the vaguely Frank Lloyd Wright fireplace (above) and the house is a testament to the creative craft skills available in Los Angeles via the film industry. The 3-bed, 2.5-bath house has a remarkably cohesive esthetic, plus a sexy outdoor shower. Open Sunday, February 19 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
