A Primary Bathroom for the Ages

Noteworthy new listings….

There are quirks in the floor plan at 21 E. Quinto Street ($4.3 million): the primary bedroom isn’t en suite, the primary’s main closet is out in the hall, and one of the guest rooms is only accessible from outside. And the whole place needs to be redone—including getting the guest quarters above the garage permitted. But the 1928 house has unquestionable curb appeal, the lot is a juicy .4 acre, and boy, do the living and dining rooms feel good. P.S. I’m pretty sure I’ve never run four photos of a single bathroom before. P.P.S. Bonus points for the diving board.

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909 Lilac Drive ($11.5 million) was on the market in late 2018 and early 2019 for $7.495 million, and I doubt much has changed since then. The house was built in 1992 but has the feel of one much older, with narrow hallways and an old-fashioned floor plan (including side-by-side dining rooms), and it’s decorated to the teeth. In its favor, the location is enviable; that floor plan is single-level; the broad south-facing terrace is half-covered and has a terrific ocean view; and the guest house, down the hill, is a world unto itself. As we all know, absence makes the host grow fonder.

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The 1960 architecture of 549 Hodges Lane ($6.85 million) is nothing special, but the inside has been given an intriguing contemporary makeover, even if the surfaces and decor didn’t get the memo. Location is likely to be the main draw: walkable to the Upper Village and in the Montecito Union School catchment.

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Ditto for 1410 School House Road ($4.995 million), just down the street from MUS, except it also has midcentury sex appeal on its side. (The primary bedroom includes a nook set up for massages, which is nice, although in my experience, finding someone willing to give a massage is much harder than finding somewhere to receive it.) According to the listing agent, the 1.73-acre mostly vacant lot (427 Pimiento Lane) abutting the backyard is owned by a neighbor with no immediate plans to develop it.

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On the hillside between the Westside and Bel Air Knolls, 2101 Mountain Avenue ($5.3 million) is reached via a long, winding driveway; at the top is the 1951 house, which has a higgledy-piggledy layout and lots of space. (I’ll say it again: a piano almost always means the stager couldn’t figure out what else to do.) Most of the five acres is unusable, with the king-of-the-hill views—particularly upstairs—being the justification for the price.

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A fascinating new-build duplex is on view at 310/314 N. Kalorama Drive ($3.246 million) in Ventura, where the previous building appears to have been destroyed by fire. “Between the two homes there are 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms with a private elevator in each home,” says the listing. “These homes are uniquely designed for a buyer that is not looking for cookie cutter.” Quite so! P.S. I’d like to have a word with the installer of those draperies.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 673 Cold Spring Road ($3.395 million): 2,020-square-footer in need of renovation but on 1.17 acres and walkable to Cold Spring School.
••• 1632 Las Canoas Road ($3 million): 1961 three-bedroom requiring a total redo.
••• 5629 W. Camino Cielo Road ($1.97 million): My, what a big motor court you have (below).
••• 0 Toro Canyon Road ($750,000): 13.32 acres of land with the best brokerbabble in a long time: “Disconnect from the ordinary and connect to the extraordinary. For those craving an escape from the frenetic pace and constant connectivity of modern life, we have the antidote. Enter a world in which paved roads give way to hiking trails, bird calls drown out spam calls, and confined spaces dissolve into boundless horizons. This sacred space will disentangle your mind and spirit from the labyrinth of rigid thoughts that dilutes and dampens the human experience.” Get it in writing.

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