Palm Springs | $2.488 Million
A midcentury-modern house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse, on a 0.2-acre lot
This 1957 house was designed by William Krisel, a prolific local architect, and has been owned by the same family for four decades. It was recently renovated, and additions included new appliances and cherry-wood cabinets in the kitchen and round soaking tubs in the bathrooms.
The property is in the Twin Palms neighborhood, near the city’s main thoroughfares, about a five-minute walk from a coffee shop, several restaurants and the Ace Hotel & Swim Club. It is 10 minutes from Palm Springs International Airport and half an hour from Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge. La Quinta is 45 minutes away. Los Angeles is a two-hour drive.
Size: 2,205 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,128
Indoors: A path leads from the sidewalk, through a yard landscaped with drought-tolerant plants, to the entry.
The front door, carved from African mahogany, opens into a living room with an original fireplace, exposed ceiling beams, concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on a patio and swimming pool.
This space is open to a dining area and kitchen with Fisher & Paykel appliances, a built-in bar cabinet and a large window over the sink with a view of the pool.
All three bedrooms are off the living area. The primary bedroom has a custom-built platform bed with coordinating night stands, large windows and a private, canopy-covered patio with an outdoor shower; the en suite bathroom has a deep green, Spanish-style tile floor and a generously proportioned round soaking tub. The other two bedrooms also have custom-built furniture; they share a full bathroom.
The guesthouse, on the other side of the pool, has a custom-built wood shelving unit that divides the sitting area from the bedroom. A curved wall separates the bedroom from the bathroom, which has another round tub.
Outdoor space: The pool is surrounded by a paved deck, with a built-in kitchen at one corner. The driveway has enough space to park two cars.
Taxes: $31,104 (estimated)
Contact: James Gault, James Gault & Associates, Compass, 310-621-7765; compass.com
Angwin | $2.495 Million
A 1978 house with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, on a 3.8-acre lot
This house is in the hills of Angwin, a Napa Valley community about 90 minutes north of San Francisco, not far from several wineries, a grocery store and Pacific Union College, a private liberal arts school founded in 1882. Larger stores and services are in St. Helena, about 15 minutes away. Lake Berryessa, a popular spot for boating and water-skiing attached to a 2,000-acre nature preserve, is 40 minutes away.
Driving to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, where hiking trails wind up to the top of Mount Saint Helena, or to Santa Rosa takes less than an hour. Sacramento is about just under two hours away.
Size: 3,440 square feet
Price per square foot: $725
Indoors: A long deck leads from the driveway to the front door, which opens into a foyer with access to a powder room. The foyer flows into an open living area with high, beamed ceilings, a rock fireplace, and a wall of windows and sliding-glass doors that open to the main deck, with mountain views in the distance.
The adjacent kitchen has black limestone counters; stainless steel appliances, including a Viking range; a breakfast nook with a built-in banquette; and another fireplace.
The primary suite is on this level, off a hallway extending from the living room. The bedroom has access to the deck and a walk-in closet with a custom storage system; the bathroom has a double vanity, a walk-in shower and a deep porcelain soaking tub.
Two more bedrooms and another two full bathrooms are on the lower level, reached from stairs in the foyer. A family room with a brick fireplace and sliding-glass doors that open to another deck is also on this level, along with a space currently used as a home office and yoga studio.
Outdoor space: All of the main spaces have access to wood decks that have plenty of space for chairs and offer sweeping views of Napa Valley; one also has a hot tub. The property is planted with mature trees, including some that bear Meyer lemons and avocados. There is also a small patio that currently holds a picnic table. The attached garage has space to park two cars.
Taxes: $31,188 (estimated)
Contact: Josh Dempsey, Vanguard Properties, 707-637-6123; vanguardproperties.com
Topanga | $2.499 Million
A 1992 house with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse, on a 1.2-acre lot
This house is just off Topanga Canyon, about 15 minutes from the center of Topanga and from the Commons at Calabasas shopping center. The property includes a recording studio with a stage and a 1920s hunting cabin used as a guesthouse. It is about five minutes from Calabasas High School and from a Gelson’s supermarket, and about 10 minutes from a number of hiking and riding trails.
Driving to Malibu or Thousand Oaks takes about half an hour. Los Angeles International Airport and downtown Los Angeles are about an hour away.
Size: 2,436 square feet
Price per square foot: $1,026
Indoors: This house sits on a steep lot, with stairs leading up from the street to the front door.
In the foyer, more stairs lead up to the main living area, which has Saltillo-tile floors; a wood-burning fireplace with a stone chimney; floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that open to a patio; and access to a powder room. This space is open to an updated kitchen with soapstone counters, an Italian limestone sink, a green-tile backsplash and vintage Holophane light fixtures. Around the corner is a sunny dining room with wood pocket doors salvaged from an 1890 estate in Ohio.
Stairs continue up to the bedrooms on the second level. The primary bedroom has large windows overlooking a deck; the en suite bathroom has a walk-in shower with pale blue Heath tile and a wall of glass brick. The other two bedrooms are each big enough to hold a queen-size bed; they share a full bathroom with concrete counters and cabinets made from salvaged wood.
The guest cottage perched above the main house has a living room with a cast-iron stove, a kitchen, a bedroom and a full bathroom. There is also a detached recording studio with a partially covered deck.
Outdoor space: The patio off the sitting area has a built-in grill and space for a dining table, as well as a sunken conversation pit around an outdoor fireplace. From the patio, a staircase leads up to a large ipe-wood deck. The roof of the main house can be reached from stairs off the second-level hallway. The attached garage has space to park two cars, as well as an area the sellers use as a workout room.
Taxes: $31,236 (estimated)
Contact: Chryssa Lightheart, Sotheby’s International Realty, 310-663-3696; sothebysrealty.com
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