Where inside feels like outside
Over the last 15 years, this 1960s two-story French farmhouse in unincorporated North Tustin has been transformed into an Asian-inspired contemporary with an emphasis on open space, built-ins and angled walls.
Windows at the entry frame the dark-stained wood door. A thick glass surround supported by a metal frame brings light into the hallway but blocks the ability to look inside from outdoors.
In place of a railing for the L-shaped walkway around the stairs leading to the first floor, a floating cabinet serves as both a stair rail and storage.
Columns and a coffered ceiling separate the dining area from the living room. Sheer drapery covering the dining-area side window filters the natural light, and a circular etched-glass Kovacs light fixture hangs from the ceiling.
In the recessed living room, angled stucco shelving leads the eye to French doors that open to a wraparound wooden deck overlooking the pool. The opposite wall is angled above the fireplace with two shadowbox windows.
“The shelving was designed to be part of the architecture,” said Douglas Johnson of Newport Beach-based Environs International Planning & Design.
In the master suite, mirrors divide the built-in cabinets and bedside drawers, and an upholstered wall fills the space above the bed.
“I don’t care for mirrors to look just like mirrors,” Johnson said. “I want them to extend space. That’s why you have things running into the mirrors. . . . It looks like they continue.”
On the subterranean pool level, a combination workout and recreation room has a fireplace, flat-screen television and bar area. A private entrance leads to a bathroom, a laundry area and another bedroom.
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Two-story in North Tustin
Location: 1182 Hyde Park Drive, North Tustin 92705
Asking price: $949,000 short sale
Previously sold for: $385,000 in 1996
Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 3,162 square feet
Lot size: 12,300 square feet
Additional features: G.E. Monogram side-by-side refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Thermador four-burner cooktop, home theater system with eight speakers in the living room and six on the pool level, his and hers walk-in closets, plasma TV, covered patio areas on both levels, three-car garage
Around the neighborhood: Through June, 131 single-family homes sold this year in the 92705 ZIP Code, according to MDA DataQuick, at a median price of $574,000. That was a 16% price drop from the first half of 2008. There were 189 homes listed for sale last week in 92705 at Realtor.com priced from $170,000 to $8.9 million.
Listing agent: Bonnie Gausewitz, Seven Gables Real Estate, Tustin, (714) 746-7173
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