Sweeping views, grand style
A fusion of classic Venetian style and modern convenience can be found in Villa Allegra, a Hollywood Hills mansion with custom details including an oak-and-limestone-striped floor in the kitchen and laser-cut design work in the travertine tiles of the boudoir.
Built by owner Richard Tuil, a designer and architect, the house was constructed in stages from 2003 to 2009. It is split into four levels, with the upper floor set up for entertaining. A formal entrance with a parking terrace for eight cars leads to a grand ballroom that can be converted into a movie theater with built-in projector and a powder room.
A bar by the staircase opens onto an outdoor living room with two powder rooms and a Roman-style spa. Enclosed on three sides under an arched ceiling, the spa has water flowing out of three lion’s-head fountains in one wall.
On the terrace are an outdoor barbecue and a kitchen, with an elevator that connects the first three levels.
“You can entertain 300 people with no problem, and they never have to enter the privacy of your home,” Tuil said.
Below the entertainment level are a guest room with bathroom and a bedroom suite with walk-in closet and a bathroom with double spa and a shower.
The main level of the home features a boudoir with fireplace that leads to the master suite, which has two bathrooms and two walk-in closets. Intricate wrought-iron-framed glass doors and windows line the corridor leading to the bedroom.
One wall of the master bedroom is a 15 1/2 -foot-tall sliding glass door that opens to an outdoor spa and a 100-foot infinity swimming pool. On the other side of the bedroom, the second bathroom features a spa with a rain-head shower in the 16-foot ceiling, a copper-colored glass-mosaic-tiled tub, and a fireplace with the word Allegra engraved in its mantle.
“Allegra was my mother’s name, and the word means joy,” Tuil said. “I designed this home to be an expression of love and joy.”
Also on the main level are a dining area, a living room, a gourmet kitchen and a powder room. The glass wall of the dining area swings open to a second swimming pool.
On the lower level is a guest bedroom with bathroom and an office with a built-in movie projector and screen and a bathroom.
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To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos with caption and credit information on a CD and a detailed description of the house to Lauren Beale, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Questions may be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
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Classic and modern
Location: 1754 Sunset Plaza Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Asking price: $15.9 million
Size: There are six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and four half-baths in about 14,000 square feet.
Additional features: Limestone mosaic floors, three fire pits on the terrace, swim-up pool bar, climate-controlled wine room, smart house technology that controls audio-video, lights and security system, massage room with steam shower, staff room and bathroom, laundry room and two two-car garages. City lights and ocean views.
Around the neighborhood: In the first quarter, 20 single-family homes were sold in the 90069 ZIP Code at a median price of $2.1 million, according to MDA DataQuick. That was a 1% price drop from the first quarter of 2008. Realtor.com listed 138 single-family homes last week in 90069, ranging from $600,000 to $24.95 million.
Listing agent: Michael Glover, Keller Williams Realty, Beverly Hills, (323) 230-7174