There’s no place like a home tour

KAREN WIGHT

It’s spring, it’s May and it’s time for the Newport Harbor High

School Home and Garden Tour.

This year’s tour will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 6 with a

reception following at Barclay Butera in Westcliff Court.

Chairwoman Ann Ramser will receive an award for leaving no stone

unturned this year. There are six homes on the tour, a garden setting

for breakfast and a French courtyard setting for lunch.

The homes display an amazing variety of moods and style concepts:

Cape Cod, Balinese, contemporary, updated traditional, beach cottage

and country French. The tour is from West Newport to Eastside Costa

Mesa and includes literally everything in between.

You may start the morning in Dover Shores with breakfast pastries

in a beautiful backyard setting. From there, rev your engines and

wear your comfy shoes, there’s a lot to look at and you don’t want to

miss a thing.

A sophisticated cottage in the Castaways captures Eastern seaboard

charm. The home showcases a crisp palette of blue and white along

with hardwood and sea-grass flooring. The living and dining rooms

have beautiful English and Asian antiques. Take note of the

collection of exquisite tea caddies.

One of the family’s three daughters requested a “Pink Princess”

bedroom. Another feminine delight is a soft blue room featuring an

antique leather and bamboo chest and bamboo headboard. The nursery

has a mural of bunnies in the grass painted by Cathryn Hatfield. The

table settings are from Les Interieurs.

Eastside Costa Mesa hosts a remodeled beauty on Paloma Lane.

Light, bright, open and airy, this family home evokes a dose of

calming tranquillity. A muted palette of soft blues and greens

provide the perfect backdrop for the clean-lined dark wood

furnishings.

Take notice of the beautiful suede sofas in the living room that

front a concrete plaster fireplace with honed Absolute granite. This

is one of two fireplaces in the home modeled after the W Hotel in New

York City. .

All interior doors are solid cherry wood. The flooring throughout

is cherry wood, limestone and polished concrete. The large family

room flows into the lush outdoors with large mahogany sliders that

completely open up to expose a beautiful pool, spa, outdoor fireplace

and seating area. The fireplace here is a mini version of a Four

Seasons design. The outdoor table settings are from Dupuis, South

Coast Plaza.

Behind the Honduran mahogany garage doors, the owner, who is a

Harbor graduate, proudly displays his Sailor letterman jacket and his

‘67 Corvette.

Dover Shores is the setting for a completely remodeled home that

blends traditional and country French styles. As you enter the home,

you are awash with the freshness that the Dijon yellow and spring

green color palette provide. The distinctive French tones are called

out immediately in the entry hall as you are greeted with the Hermes

“Scarf Art” of the Deauville umbrellas.

“Bring it on home” became the mantra for this family as they

combined all their travel collectibles to create a unique signature

and charm. Decorating with the things they love includes Japanese

fans, Russian nesting dolls, birdhouses and a glass fish collection

from St. Bart’s.

The main portion of the house combines the kitchen, family room

and billiard room to maximize family living space and create a warm

and inviting mood. The kitchen is a cook’s dream with all the latest,

including a great walk-in pantry. The family room is complete with

built-in entertainment center, bar and billiard table.

This area of the house looks out to the beautiful yard hosting a

pool, spa and barbecue area that is perfect for family entertaining.

Upstairs in the master bedroom the owners have a “secret room” to

burn calories in, lounge with the cat or read and relax. The owner’s

grown children, both Newport Harbor High grads ... have a “suite”

deal. Each room holds the children’s favorite things; a passion for

golf and original skateboard designs for the son and USC

paraphernalia and favorite artwork for the daughter.

The beachfront provides a beautiful setting for a special tour

home. As you follow the cool green, azalea-laden path that leads to

the front door you might feel like you have stumbled into someone’s

private palace. A stately door allows you entry into a home that has

been meticulously presented.

The home enjoys the advantage of the blue Pacific view and the

sounds of the surf. The living room doors retract to let the outside

in. The owners often gather with friends to play sand volleyball on

the beach just beyond their patio.

After a day in the sun, friends convene in their kitchen with its

handsome cherry wood cabinets. The dining room is elevated and has a

beautiful view.

Make sure to appreciate the beautiful and rare Tiffany china that

graces the table. After a meal, guests can adjourn upstairs for a

movie or a game of pool.

The home theater is designed to resemble the old Egyptian Theatre

in Hollywood complete with gold leaf embellishments on the wood

moldings and pilasters.

Bali-inspired style makes one of this year’s tour homes a

delightful surprise. Enter through Balinese gates and see artifacts

from Africa, Fiji, Tibet, Bali, Hawaii, China and Mexico that are

artfully displayed. Move slowly through this home: there are fabulous

details you won’t want to miss.

The living room fireplace mantle and the beautiful mahogany

countertops, which were created in her own garage woodshop, exemplify

the owner’s incredible woodworking abilities. The walls have been

hand textured and glazed, creating a great foil for all of the many

treasures accumulated during her travels.

The outside of the home is an extension of the interior living

space and is full of fun and surprises. The Lanai area, which is

anchored by a handcrafted Indian table with intricate carvings is a

perfect place for the owner and her sophomore son, a second

generation Newport Harbor Sailor, to discuss the days events while

relaxing to the sounds of bamboo wind chimes. Next to the Lanai, is a

soothing Koi pond below a backdrop of bamboo, tropical plants and a

“Fish of Life” overlooking the pond.

Moving to the side yard the Thai “Lying Buddha” greets you as you

walk by the hot rock fire pit toward the pool. The pool is so

inviting with the Pebble Tech bottom and the hand-laid stone

backsplash.

Who wouldn’t love the mosaic turtle that playfully hovers at the

bottom of the pool just under the fountain? This South Pacific theme

even includes the outdoor bamboo shower reminiscent of Gilligan’s

Island.

Tickets for the tour are available through the Butera Home

Collection, Brett’s Photo Express, the Newport Harbor High School

office or by calling (949) 222-2325. See you there.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.