California has been long known as “the land of milk and honey”. It’s where you go in search for great weather all year round. It’s where you indulge into divine tasting foods, even more stunning wines and all sorts of other delicacies. But there’s more to the Golden State than Silicon Valley, Hollywood and those amazing yellow poppies fields that leave you in awe. Every corner you turn, you feel inspired. For some it’s business, but for others, and that includes us at Decoist, it is the design that strikes you.
When it comes to design, California is unique in its own way. While styles and periods mix, the results are always the same — highly aesthetic residences that make you fall hard for their stylish sophistication. Therefore, we have decided to inspire you with some of the most amazing dream homes we’ve ever featured.
Let’s start our journey …
Ralston Avenue Residence, Mill Valley
First thing that strikes at the Ralston Avenue Residence is the openness and the inviting feel it has. An amazing terrace tricks you into dropping your bones on the outdoor sofa and relax for the rest of the evening with a cold drink and a good book. The whole project has been conceptualized and created by folks Urrutia Design.
It sits among beautiful oak trees and manicured gardens on a half acre lot, and has a total of six bedrooms with luxurious furnishings, five and a half bathrooms with eye-catching amenities and a rather stunning open space kitchen with a modern feel.
33rd Street Residence, Manhattan Beach
Beach houses have their own inner beauty. Not only because you live by the ocean, see the amazing blue line, hear the wind blowing and get to play in the fine sand, most of them have a distinct design that seems to somehow blend with the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape. A great example is the 33rd Street Residence in Manhattan Beach (somewhere in the southwestern part of Los Angeles County) by Rockefeller Partners Architects.
Clad lavishly, the house shouts out luxury while also offering a classic and stylish look thanks to its wooden surfaces. It was designed to offer the best view of the ocean with the public area, the kitchen, dining room, and living room, all set onto the top floor.
Left you drooling already?
Rustic Bungalow House, Mill Valley
A house doesn’t need many floors and uber-expensive furniture to look chic. It only takes good taste and a good eye for details that can make the difference. Guilty for the good idea are the creative people from interior design studio Artistic Designs for Living. They are the ones who have taken this old bungalow in Mill Valley, Marin County, and revamped it into the cozy home you can see. No excessive use of glass and metals! No floor to ceiling windows! Just a dark brown interior decor with chocolate shades. Priceless ….
The result is a warm and welcoming home that seems to be largely clad in various hues of wood […] The standout character of the home is its largely traditional look that still seems intact while embracing a more present-day open design.
Corona Del Mar, Corona del Mar
Colin and Carolina Cormac have traveled the whole world. They seem to know a few things on what makes a home feel like a home. The jet-setting couple, together with their two children decided on a wreck of a house in Corona del Mar, in Southern California, but not before they’d do some major renovations. They had help from Craig Schultz of Laidlaw Schultz Architects who had the tough job of building them a dream home. That’s because one had a modern minimalistic approach in mind, while the other wanted a warm look, with plenty of wood and color.
The eventual design of the home is a beautiful amalgamation of both well-defined lines borrowed from modern design merged with sporadic and stylish use of wood to create a minimalistic and spacious house.
Coastlands Residence, Big Sur
I’m not sure about you but when I see the Coastlands Residence I feel like I’m in a luxurious home featured in one of those fancy Hollywood flicks. The outside view and the sophisticated way in which it blends with the whole hilly terrain and the ocean is breathtaking. Kudos go to Carver + Schicketan for this stunning property in Big Sur.
Mines Road House, Livermore
A traditional 1950s ranch in the Californian countryside underwent a rather tedious renovation to become the amazing home we’re looking at. The project for the Mines Road House has been undertaken by a team from MacCracken Architects. They turned it into a real gem for the beautiful community of Livermore. How do you like it?
Modern Home with Panoramic Views, Mill Valley
If you’re looking for the ultimate retreat in California, you may have found it. It’s located on a half-acre lot in the hills of Mill Valley and offers some stunning panoramic views of the canyon and the surrounding forests. And while it looks simple and void of style from the outside, your jaw drops upon entering as it’s full of color and joy.
Russian Hill Residence, San Francisco
Right in San Francisco’s heart. That’s where the Russian Hill Residence is located. This 5,800 square foot LEED Platinum home is the work of a talented team of people from the John Maniscalco Architecture studio. For the $7 million price tag it has three bedrooms, five bathrooms, an elevator and more design porn than you could imagine. Totally love this!
Green Themed Lago Vista, Beverly Hills
Painting it in shades of green to mimic the surrounding canyon of trees, that’s how Aleks Istanbullu Architects have managed to make the Lago Vista guest house stand out from the crowd. The sculptural house has a small footprint (855 square foot) and is located on Wood Drive in Beverly Hills. It’s built on two volumes, the wing concentrating on the kitchen, the bedroom and the bathroom, and the upper part with the larger cube where the more relaxing area is.
Definitely a quiet, meditative and earth-friendly retreat, don’t you think?
