latimes.com — Art and architecture blend seamlessly in this contemporary Laguna Beach home tucked in the gated community of Irvine Cove.
A heavily detailed three-quarter inch layer of French Combebrune limestone encloses the steel-framed structure, creating the illusion that it’s one monolithic column of limestone.
On both sides of the main entry, curved glass panels are accented with rivets.
A bridge leading from the entrance to the great room expands over the atrium.
Inside the gallery-styled great room, an art wall features a sculptured circular black brick fireplace with stainless steel trim.
“Every element of the house is done very artfully,” says Newport Beach architect Christian Light. “My clients were interested in making sure it wasn’t going to be just another rectilinear home.”
Adjacent to the kitchen and morning room, a striking Lolli e Memmoli custom crystal chandelier, which hangs over the dining table, is another example of how a fixture doubles as a piece of art.
Five columns were strategically placed to support the 9-foot ceiling that vaults to 12 feet for unobstructed panoramic ocean views.
Honed limestone flooring—nearly 5,000 square feet—stretches to the edge of a saltwater pool, which is trimmed in black granite.
The great room and pool patio area are separated by mahogany-framed doors that open to create indoor-outdoor living space.
Two 48-inch gas firepots, which appear to float on black granite pads, flank both sides of the pool.
The ceiling on the main floor is a 1,500-square-foot skylight that covers the entry, great room, art wall and atrium. It links the front of the house to the back master bedroom and entertainment spaces.
The subterranean level has a large open media room, office/studio, guest suite, spa area and wine cellar.
Location: 2555 Altamar Drive, Laguna Beach 92651
Asking price: $20,500,000
Size: 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths in 10,300 square feet
Lot size: 11,325 square feet
Additional features: Five-zone control heating, Poggenpohl-designed kitchen with dual Sub-Zero refrigerators, Dacor and Gaggenau ovens, two Bosch dishwashers, Dacor microwave and warming door; Bang & Olufsen sound systems in all five bedrooms. The atrium kitchenette has a Bosch dishwasher, U-line drawer refrigerator and stainless-steel sinks.