February 20, 2012

Inside the House: Beverly Hills Farmhouse

Our Current “Lust Over It” LA Listing

Real Estate
blog

We have a confession to make: You weren't supposed to be reading this.

We had intended for today's article to be "Ten Houses We Love in LA Right Now" but we kept getting stuck on this listing so we decided it deserved its own article. Besides being just plain beautiful, the Beverly HIlls Farmhouse - as we around here call it - is significant for a few reasons:

The pedigree. The house was designed by Sandy Gallin, a legendary Hollywood manager and TV producer who has the Midas touch when it comes to real estate. Gallin, who has refurbished/built around forty houses, sold the approximately 7,200 square foot house to mega-producer Roger Birnbaum in 2007, and it's now listed for $15,750,000 (around what Birnbaum paid for it). Birnbaum is another one of Hollywood's elite; he's produced (or executive produced) literally dozens of movies over the last several decades, including “Rush Hour,” “The Lookout,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Seabiscuit,” “Bruce Almighty,” “The Recruit,” “Inspector Gadget,” “While You Were Sleeping,” and lots of et ceteras.

Interestingly, for those of you real estate buffs, Sandy Gallin was the first well-known Los Angeles high-end developer to do something brilliant: His houses tend to be sold furnished down to plants, art, linens, and towels ... and his lucky buyers pay handsomely for his taste. After all, in Tinseltown what's real estate without the tinsel?

Secondarily, and more importantly, even if you're not in the market for a $16 million Beverly Hills pad, this one's really wonderful to peruse for decorating ideas. Sure, maybe not all of us have Gallin's taste or pocketbook, but there are some great DIY tips you can take away.

LIke?

Take a look at the outside sitting area. Lighting is so important and need not be expensive. Buy can lights and spot them on trees to get the effect (we got ours at Home Depot). Likewise, Gallin's houses are so beautiful because they're so appointed. There's not an inch that's forgotten about. The bookshelves are stacked perfectly with not only books, but with decorative items (get them at flea markets). The bar is stocked with beautiful glassware illuminated by in-shelf lighting. The walls are art-filled, flowers and plants sit on tables, and colored pillows make sofas cool (by the way, the faux fur ones we recommended can do the trick too ... see how Gallin uses fur pillows in the living room). Check out the master bath: Even simple things like the towel display make a huge difference in the look and feel of a room. And, of course, Gallin's famous for the luxury look he creates with wood. While you may not achieve the dramatic two-story living room look at home or be able to order take-out from the Beverly Hills Hotel down the street, we promise you can get some great tips for glamming up your own homes by looking at this one.

Stay tuned for more listings in the City of Angels, but for right now we encourage you to click below to see all fifty pictures of this remarkable home. Quite a few of the photos have made our inspiration board and we're sure you'll find some for yours as well.

Oh, and feel free to send us photos of how you incorporate Gallin's look because we'd love to share your stories and photos with other readers.

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