Houses with history

Five homes chosen to exemplify the charm of Laguna’s architectural hodgepodge will be featured on the annual Charm House Tour, presented by Village Laguna beginning at noon May 16.

The homes, ranging in style from a Craftsman-style bungalow to beach loft, will be open only to ticket holders. Knowledgeable volunteers on the tour buses and at the homes will provide factual information and local lore to enhance the experience.

“While we appreciate the appeal and popularity of an ocean-view home, I also look for much-loved-yet-friendly homes, proud owners, sustainable and green homes, small yet sophisticated and definitely historical homes since May is Heritage Month in Laguna Beach,” said Charlott Masarik, chairwoman of the selection committee. “This year’s Charm House Tour homes are a very good profile of the intimacy and neighborliness of the Village.”

Here’s a peek at the homes on the 2010 tour, with information provided by Village Laguna. All of the homes on this year’s tour are in the central village portion of Laguna Beach.

First stop

La Maison des Lunes is the first stop on the tour.

The 1930s home, which was remodeled in 2009, has a documented pedigree for the land reaching back to an original Mexican grant in the 1880s. Joseph Yoch, builder of the Laguna Beach hotel, owned the property in 1900. His daughter Florence designed the wide curving streets in the neighborhood.

Highlights of the interior include a Didier painting, a cherished African drum and Sally Miller painting above it, a black-and-white bedroom suite with a French accent, a grand piano rescued by the owner’s father from the fire that destroyed the Fox Arlington Hotel in Santa Barbara and a David Cooke painting displayed nearby.

Tour tickets and will-call tickets will be available at this home.

Second Stop

The Brayton-Eschback Home was built by internationally known potter Durlin Brayton in 1939. The late Jack Eschbach moved to the home in the 1980s.

Eschbach had a penchant for French architecture. He conducted his florist business in the Normandy-influenced building occupied by art galleries and a jewelry store in the 300 block of Forest Avenue. He also created the quaint Peppertree Lane, where his folks had a potpourri shop and Eschbach lived upstairs before moving to the Brayton home.

The fireplace, windows and white oak floors are original to the home. Old French pavers in the dining room lead to the courtyard and pool.

However, the owners have added their own touch.

Dark wood was painted white and the interior was opened up. Oversized botanical paintings created by Laguna College of Art & Design instructor Jeff Peters adorn the walls. Landscapes by local artist Geoffrey Krueger depict Orange County scenes that no longer exist.

Third Stop

The Beach Loft is the only new home on the tour. The home combines the character of a Laguna Beach cottage with the style of a New York loft. It was designed by architect Mark Abel.

Open staircases lead from the child-friendly lower level, painted concrete flooring, to the adult area, giving a light and airy feel throughout the home. The master bedroom feels like a tree house.

The owners relish the time relaxing with friends in their modern beach cottage or on the front patio with a fire pit they use on cool evenings.

Fourth Stop

The colors of Provence flow throughout La Palette, a chic beach cottage renovated by architect Lance Polster and contractor Mark Walpin.

Actress Bette Davis built the home for her mother in 1939, one of several properties owned by Davis when she lived in Laguna.

Rooms have been enlarged, structural elements and vaulted ceilings added. Sunlight bathes the new kitchen, with its blue and yellow glass mosaic-tiled backsplash accenting the French country décor.

The owner selected paintings by local artists John Cosby and Michael Jacques, who teaches at LCAD, to spice up the walls.

Fifth Stop

Gardeners Muse will not only be featured on the Charm House Tour, it will be spotlighted in the December issue of Shelter magazine, “Bungalows and Cottages.”

The Craftsman-style home was bought by the owners in 2008. It was redesigned by Gregg Abel.

Exquisite gardens enhance the home’s style and add to its charm.

Water flows from a Thai Buddha into a tiny koi pond. Cymbidiums, ferns, bougainvillea and Japanese maples create a shady oasis in which to relax and dine al fresco.

On warm days and evenings the owners enjoy the large deck off the master retreat.

Special features on the interior include a television room, a silk Fortuni chandelier, stained concrete floors, etched windows and toned and textured walls.

An eclectic art collection with plein air landscapes by Jacobus Baas, Ebrahim Amin and Gaylor Doss (1930), and a bold, contemporary multimedia piece by Orlando adds to the ambience.

Go at own pace

The tour can be completed at one’s own pace, probably in less than three hours. Homes on the tour will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served in the Rose Garden of the newly refurbished Laguna Presbyterian Church at the end of the tour for those who wish to partake. Docent tours of the church will also be offered.

Bus transportation to the homes is provided and non-ticket holders may board the bus to the first stop where ticket sales and will-call will be located.

The buses will depart from noon to 3 p.m. at the bus stop in front of the Festival of Arts Grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, and return there.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit Village Laguna programs, an annual scholarship to a Laguna Beach High School graduating senior and donations to local charities.

The group was founded to prevent the transformation of Laguna’s coastline with high-rise hotels. With the establishment of a height limit, the group turned its attention to the preservation of Laguna’s downtown and the city’s cultural resources and the protection of environment, including participation in the successful efforts to stop development in Laguna Canyon.

Tickets may be bought at www.villagelaguna.org or at various shops: Animal Crackers for Pets, 30822 S. Coast Hwy.; Coast Pet Supplies, 880 N. Coast Hwy.; Copy & Print Center, 240 Beach St.; Fawn Memories, 384 Forest Ave.; Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy.; La Casa del Camino, 1289 S. Coast Hwy.; Laguna Beach Books, in the “Old Pottery Place” at 1200 S. Coast Hwy.; Laguna Nursery, 1370 S. Coast Hwy.; Monarch Bay Optometry, 13 Monarch Bay Plaza; Rock Martin Custom Jewelry, 268 Forest Ave.; and Silver Images, 311 Ocean Ave.

Call (949) 472-7503.