Serene pool a highlight of home tour

Joyce Rudolph

The natural beauty of the outdoors reflects gracefully back into

the hillside home of Morey and Irene Goodstein. They have remodeled,

adding a den and master bedroom suite. A serene view of the patio and

pool area is seen from each through the glass doors.

At the far end of the pool, a waterfall splashes down over

stair-stepped boulders. Morey said he enjoys sitting in a garden

chair, mesmerized by the water’s flow.

“The sound is soothing,” Morey said.

“I can see the waterfall from my bed,” Irene added.

The Goodstein residence was one of four stops along the Holiday

Home Tour on Dec. 14 benefiting the Family Service Agency of Burbank.

The agency provides professional counseling for women and children

who are victims of domestic violence, teens who are having trouble at

home or at school, parents dealing with troubled teens, couples and

grieving seniors.

In the Goodstein’s kitchen, a garden scene has been painted on one

wall. Swans are swimming along the pond, and a white gate is swung

open, a hint that guests are always welcome.

Retired after owning Morey’s Shoes for more than 48 years in

Burbank, the couple gives their time to charity work with the Burbank

Healthcare Foundation and the Burbank Civitan Club. They have been

hosts for many Civitan parties in their home of 43 years. The decor

has a Far-East flavor, and wall displays showcase several

collectibles like Morey’s model trains and Irene’s miniature shoes.

Guests on the tour also saw the Glendale home of Richard and Lynda

Willner. The home was built in 1938, and the Willners purchased it

more than two years ago. They have redecorated it completely with a

contemporary design, refurbishing the hardwood floors and painting

the walls with a textured finish in mellow tones. An original art

work by Richard graces a wall in the powder room.

The kitchen’s chandelier caught the eye of many visitors. Lynda

called it a party thrown on the ceiling. Curls of metal swirl down

from the base, each wrapped around a colorful glass or utensil. The

curls are duplicated in the fabric of the window treatments and

colors complemented by a collection of bottles and the wall clock.

Guests were charmed by the whimsical home of Al and Gayle Cottriel

of Burbank. More like a Santa’s workshop, the living room and den

have hundreds of holiday decorations complemented by Gayle’s doll and

teddy-bear collections. A miniature snoring Santa was tucked in his

bed under the staircase.

As a special treat, the committee added the new Buena Vista

Library to the tour. Guests checked out the children’s library and

its legendary oak tree, tapped on the new computer keyboards and

gazed out windows facing Abraham Lincoln Park.

Betty Carrington, who has lived in Burbank since 1954, was

impressed by the library’s acoustics.

“There are a lot of people in here, but the atmosphere is quiet,”

she said.

Anne Sorensen, a resident of Burbank since 1922, decided to renew

her library card.

“I still had the one from the 1950s or ‘60s,” she said.