Looking Back At 2024, Three Favorite Dwellings

It’s been a tumultuous year. More than ever, our homes represent so many things– sanctuary, financial security, nostalgia and long-held dreams, and for the very lucky (or clever) as objects of desire. In California (and elsewhere, of course) we hold our homes dear in the face of drought, flood, fires and earthquake, plus the municipal perils of taxation, rezoning, and the vagaries of short-term rental policies. Nonetheless, Californians enjoy an extraordinary heritage of design and architectural excellence, fueled both by climate and an economy that still ranks fifth globally. It can be an extraordinary place to live, and we’ve chosen three favorite dwellings from this year’s real estate listings. Click on the links for the full article.

As a young architect, Calvin Straub designed the Wirick House (above) on a previously unbuildable site on the edge of an arroyo, and the result was a beautifully layered composition in wood and glass set in nature. 

An exceptional urban retreat in a bustling San Francisco neighborhood: The home of John Casado, a renowned graphics designer, and award-winning interior designer April Sheldon, who took a one-story garage and remade it into the urban retreat it is today, proof that in the right hands, even a garage can evolve into an extraordinary dwelling. It sold within days of listing, represented by agent-extraordinaire Gregg Lynn.

And finally, the bungalow is a classic California dwelling, a place to call home for the many thousands of people who moved West over the decades in search of better weather and better dreams in Los Angeles. Possibly the archetypical starter home, reinvented here by architect Barbara Bestor, it is a lesson in the value of simplicity.

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