Combining Proximity to the Westside’s Best & Mesmerizing Ocean Views, This Architecturally Vibrant Pacific Palisades Home is Truly Divine
Los Angeles is unparalleled when it comes to forging a life that entwines proximity to nature with accessibility to finer pursuits. Perfect weather? Check. Stunning produce? Check. Gorgeous beaches? Check. World-class museums, exquisite shopping and restaurants?
Obviously.
It stands to reason, then, that the ideal home is one sequestered enough to feel like a private retreat yet within easy driving and walking distance of the desired amenities.
Throw in stunning views of the fabled Pacific Coast, and space created to take advantage of quintessential Southern California indoor-outdoor living designed by an award-winning architect, and this description of a dream becomes reality: This is 234 Monte Grigio.
Tucked into the enclave just south of the Getty Villa and located just up Porto Marina Way, this home is accessible from both the Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset, a boon in these traffic-dense times. Despite its proximity to the casual-cool of Malibu, the sophistication of Santa Monica, and the small-town feel of the Pacific Palisades, step inside and the outside world disappears.
Seen from the street is an exterior stairway that zig-zags up the façade of the open glass structure’s central portion, grounding the home’s two wings, which appear poised for flight (the northern end, which lifts slightly, practically confirms this initial impression). The sculptural nature of the design reveals architect Colby Mayes’s time working with the iconic Frank Gehry: wood and glass, steel and concrete are perfectly proportionate for a modern house that exudes warmth and welcome.
Once inside and through the home’s main second-floor entryway, one enters the central living space. Polished light oak floors and large expanses of sliding glass doors and delicately framed windows work in tandem, bouncing light about. Mayes has untangled the confusion of the great room that has dominated most homes designed in recent years, cleverly assembling a floor plan for the main level that encompasses the benefits of a great room while hurdling past its challenges. The interplay of public and private spaces, light and shadow, creates a rhythm that harnesses modern architecture in service of the messy, chaotic realities of life.
For formal entertaining, the living room, dining room and kitchen are primed to be called into action: the trio works together to provide the ideal backdrop for a number of occasions. Before dinner, cocktails in the living room features an atmosphere warmed by a crackling fire, treetop views of the water and the lush central atrium. Pass the chef-prepped hors d’oeuvres then adjourn to the dining room, which is hidden from direct view of the kitchen where discreet culinary orchestrations are accompanied by a 270-degree view of the sun’s farewell, which blares a rainbow of colors into the sky.
Throughout the home glass railings ensure unimpeded views. Open the sliding glass panes and let in cooling ocean breezes while guests, mesmerized by the visual spectacle, are drawn to the balcony. There are few homes to mar a view that spans from the Queen’s Necklace to Point Dume with Catalina visible in the distance.
Beyond the elegant affair, this home is just as suited to handle the informal activities of day-to-day living. Take the large kitchen: playing peekaboo with the home’s more formal rooms and open to the comfortable family room and the lush backyard, it forms a nucleus for togetherness.
This generous space is anchored by an expansive marble-topped island with a long breakfast bar and inset with a microwave, convenient for young kids mastering their independence; a smaller breakfast bar creates a subtle divider between the kitchen and the family room, while Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances and double dishwashers equip the space to manage a crowd. Surely this home should expect one.
To that end, there is an outdoor shower, fire pit and built-in barbecue paired with a salt-water pool and spa, making for a space that is equally well-equipped to cope with weekend parties, late-night cocktails, or quieter Sunday mornings. The office, which overlooks the pool, makes work here more appealing, as well. Poised high above neighboring homes, this space enjoys privacy from prying eyes. Go ahead, enjoy an evening swim or a stolen moment before slipping off to bed, which is integral to what continues this sweetest of dreams.
Cloistered behind the northern end of the second floor, and cleverly secluded behind a living room wall, the master bedroom is a secret retreat. Fling open the walnut door to find a true sanctuary, anchored by book-matched stone. Sliding glass doors open the room to the deck and exterior, embracing a picture-perfect view of the landscape that outshines any art. Skylights illuminate a marble and walnut bathroom, whose visual elegance is supported by its luxuries: a steam shower, a soaking tub and double basin sinks. A walk-in closet and a fireplace, meanwhile, complete a picture of sensuousness and rejuvenation.
That peacefulness is also a facet of the serene lower level, which radiates a diffused glow from sunbeams filtered through the home’s central landscaped atrium—koi pond included—that tucks three large en-suite bedrooms into its expanse. There’s also a second family room here, as well as a theater, gym, and oversized laundry room complete with a laundry chute and pet spa. Teenaged children and their parents will love the anonymity this level offers.
On clear nights, with stars visible through the thick blanket of the night sky, one envisions ascending the exterior stairs to the third level deck. While marveling at the vista seen from the dining room and magnifying it with a bird’s eye view, one is reminded why Los Angeles is called the City of Angels. Heavenly, indeed
Presented by
Anthony Marguleas | 310.293.9280 | DRE 01173073
Amalfi Estates
List Price $9,200,000
