Unique Homes Blog

By Camilla McLaughlin

Every once in a while, just the first glimpse of a property tells the story and one look at the limestone façade makes it clear: This issue’s cover, appropriately named La Belle Vie, is an elegant, refined, luxurious, restrained and perfectly executed expression of neoclassic architecture inspired by the Louis XVI period. Clearly, life here is beautiful.

Inside, sunlight streams from oval windows set three stories high at the top of an overhead dome, playing on the Italian and Brazilian marble of the floor, illuminating the entrance hall and sweeping up the winding limestone stairs.

Timeless elegance is a phrase often cavalierly applied to luxurious mansions, but in this instance it is well deserved. Nothing better describes the sense of age and substance this residence conveys. Architect Michael C.F. Chan and interior designer Bebe Winkler’s updated interpretation of the period style is masterful, but also pays homage to the home’s lush Southern California setting. The residence is laid out with east and west wings, classic architecture’s signature symmetry. Painstaking attention to detail was applied to the execution of each facet of the residence. Every limestone stair and pilaster in the house was individually crafted. Foliage details on the black iron balustrade and railings found in the entrance and elsewhere were hammered, not cast.

The property occupies one of Los Angeles’ most coveted addresses near Bel-Air Country Club, making it one of the very few premier properties globally. The setting itself is as harmonious as the architecture. One-and-a-quarter acres of gardens, towering trees, lawns and winding paths offer sheltered seclusion. Offered at $53 million, a property of this magnitude is often described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

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