Auction of Pint-Size Houses to Benefit Homeless
Dream houses comes in all sizes and shapes:
These are small (100 square feet) and whimsical (shaped, for instance, like a teapot, a mission, a stage, a sailing ship, an old general store.)
As for amenities, well, there are heart-shaped windows, bell towers, slides, a flying bridge, a wishing well, velvet curtains and lots of trompe l’oeil and faux details.
And curb appeal? Oh my, yes, charm to burn. Especially for the trike and bike-with-training-wheels set.
Welcome to Project Playhouse, 1998, which will auction eight one-of-a-kind children’s playhouses on Oct. 17 to help the homeless in Orange County.
The playhouses are on display at the Fashion Island shopping center in Newport Beach until the auction.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit HomeAid, the nonprofit organization that builds and renovates shelters for temporarily homeless men, women and children.
Since its founding in 1989, HomeAid has completed 28 shelters with more than $12 million in donated cash and materials and the help of 1,500 companies and 25,000 volunteers.
Now in its seventh year, Project Playhouse has raised $790,000 through the charity auction. The playhouses have sold for prices ranging from $1,800 to $27,500.
Tickets for the auction party, to be held next to the Hard Rock Cafe in Fashion Island, are $20 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Children under 3 are admitted free. The party includes dinner provided by the Hard Rock and family entertainment.
A virtual tour of the playhouses is available on the HomeAid Web site at https://www.homeaid.org, where visitors can see interior and exterior photos of the playhouses.
This year’s playhouses, their builders and architects:
* “Presley’s Tea Party” by Presley Homes and JBZ Architecture & Planning: a life-size teapot created in a storybook style, accented with heart-shaped windows.
* “Out to Sea” by Mark A. Falcone Builders and JBZ Architecture & Planning: a ship complete with a flying bridge, authentic ship wheel, a loft bunk and a treasure-map floor.
* “All the World’s a Stage” by the Irvine Co., Tony Valentine Construction and architect John Worden: a child’s theater with a copper wishing well on the roof, extensive woodworking and cabinetry and a red velvet curtain.
* “The Little Mission” by the Orange County chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, Pridemark Contractors and architect Stephen L. Ball: a pint-sized California mission-inspired playhouse with a functioning bell tower, fitted with a stage that reverts to a table, bed and tent.
* “Oz” by Osborne Development Corp. and architect Tony Nissen: a quaint English country cottage with a thatched roof, prominent chimney and stained-glass windows.
* “Playazal” by Taylor Woodrow Homes and EBTA Architects: a grand manor modeled after luxurious homes along the Newport Coast, featuring a tower and a slide.
* “LPJ Company Store” by Lyle Parks Jr. Inc. and Langdon Wilson Architecture Planning Interiors: a Western-style general store outfitted with the wares of an old-time mercantile.
* “The Tommy Bahamas Bungalow” by Tommy Bahamas Tropical Cafe and Emporium and the architectural firm Foundation: a Caribbean-inspired getaway nestled in a lush grove of palms, at the edge of a lagoon.
For more information, call (949) 553-9510.
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Playing House Just Got Lots More Fun “The Little Mission,” left, and “Presley’s Tea Party” are two of eight playhouses being auctioned to benefit HomeAid, a nonprofit group helping Orange County homeless. K2
