Homes catch a buyers’ wave

CRYSTAL COVE — Whether it’s the utility kitchens, e-mail-controlled ovens and temperature-controlled wine rooms, the shell-adorned mirrors or simple paintings of beach shacks or sunsets, something is making the SeaCrest homes in Crystal Cove fly off the market.

The homes are built by Laing Luxury Homes, a division of John Laing Homes, which commissioned three architects — Bob White, Ade Collie and Robert Hidey — to design the homes. They are being released three at a time. In the first four phases, 11 of the homes — soon to be 12 — have already been purchased. The community is in the hills of Crystal Cove overlooking the city and ocean, which may be another factor in the popularity of the homes.

“We asked, ‘What is luxury,’ ” said principal designer Kathy Schwendimann of Meridian Interiors. “It’s space, it’s design and it’s convenience.”

But the two components boosting sales, according to Laing Luxury president Tom Redwitz, are the presence of original and antique art on the walls and the personalization of each home.

Laing Luxury started a special art program called the SeaCrest Art Walk. Works from artists hang on the wall of each of the three model homes in order to promote the artists as well as give a more personal feel to the models. Along with a book of floor plans, people who tour the models also receive a guide to the art. Each painting has a number next to it so people can follow along and identify what pieces and artists they like.

Schwendimann and her team at Meridian Interiors thought up the idea and Redwitz happily followed. More than 70 original pieces — among them works by at least three local artists — grace the walls of the homes. She said she hopes the program will encourage potential home buyers to become interested in the art and contact the artists directly.

“I value art and value what it takes for these artists to make a living at their dream,” Schwendimann said while rearranging decorative pots on a mantelpiece. “I still have a special place in my heart for the artists, and I really believe in what art does for an interior.”

Redwitz agreed that art makes the models feel more like homes. He also said the local renderings create a sense of community that would be lacking if the walls were just white or decorated by posters.

“By putting real art in our homes it creates a more real-life environment for our buyers who would be in our caliber and typically would be placing fine art in their homes,” he said. “By having local artists, it helps create a personality to our homes within the environment they’re built.”

Pieces created by Debra Huse, who owns Debra Huse Studio Gallery on Balboa Island, Costa Mesa resident Jeffrey Horn and Newport Beach resident Elyse Katz were purchased by Schwendimann and Laing Luxury.

Katz began painting 14 years ago after the death of her husband. She usually paints on paper, but the works that are in the master bedroom of the White Residence, designed by architect Bob White, are monoprints. To create the earthy, Chinese-inspired prints, she creates the image on a plexiglass plate instead of paper and then lays the plate on a press bed, much like a printing press. The press runs over it and takes the image off the plate. She layers her art, making a collage and painting over it so the Chinese letters can just be hinted at underneath the paint.

“I love all the artwork in that first house. I think it goes beautiful with the décor,” said Katz, whose art is in a Tuscan-style home. “I think it works well together with all the other pieces in there. I really, really like everything and the views are so magical.”

SeaCrest homes are priced from the mid-$5 millions to the mid-$8 millions and have sprawling views of the coastline as well as the option to have pools, second kitchens and outdoor fireplaces. Every phase so far has sold out rather quickly.

“I definitely think the art program is a contributor to our overall success,” Redwitz said. “It creates an environment where the buyer can put themselves emotionally into the home.”