Down in the OC

This is a bit off the L.A. path, but I went to the Orange County Philharmonic Society's showcase house, "Casa California," on Sunday. Alas, this was the final day for this event.

The 10,600-square-foot house, at 64 Canyon Creek in Irvine's gated Shady Canyon neighborhood, was designed by John Henderson of Spectrum Architects and constructed by top-notch builders Finton Construction, who have realized houses by Richard Landry in Beverly Park, among many other outstanding Southern California dwellings.

64 Canyon Creek, Irvine, under a waxing gibbous moon.

It's currently listed on the MLS with Parterre Properties for an optimistic $8.65 million.

Regrettably, there are no further photos of the show house available that I can find now, but stay tuned to sponsor California Homes magazine for a possible retrospective of the event.

"Your life or your lupins!"

Frankly, I had lowered expectations for this one, but it turned out to be surprisingly understated, tasteful, and completely engaging. The build quality was superb throughout. The participation for the first time of Los Angeles designers, including Peter Dunham, Timothy Corrigan, et al., was a nice touch.

This house kept true to its promise to embody the spirit of Wallace Neff and George Washington Smith.