Classy and Fabulous

In May I met a friend who is both "classy and fabulous" to photograph her Malibu beach house.

Cindy and I first met as freshman in high school - she moved away and we lost touch, but coincidentally we both chose to attend San Diego State University, were assigned to the same dorm and became roommates.

Cindy and her husband Tony live in a contemporary house overlooking the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

My photography skills and equipment cannot do justice to this unique home which was featured in Architectural Digest.

The two art collectors have filled their home with spectacular artwork and I did not feel my photos captured the essence of the art, but you will spy pieces in many of the photos.

A glass stairway on the street level begins your journey up and down the multi-level (7 if I counted correctly) house which is a work of art in itself.

A wide expanse of ocean greets you at nearly every angle.

On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island off in the distance from almost any spot in the house - it was neither a clear or sunny day in May when I took the photos.

If you were sitting here, on the lowest level of the house,

this would be your view.

This deck is right above the previous level, but in between the two levels

is a lovely little spa retreat Cindy and Tony have created

 to relax at the end of a long day.

 If you are sitting at the table facing the cabinets (the refrigerator is hidden behind those doors) you don't see a view,

but sitting on the cabinet side of the table you look at water all the way to the horizon.

Here's a view from the dining room into the living room and the railing of the stairway.

This is a shot looking back toward the kitchen

and this shot shows you the street level entry and the beginning of the glass stairway.

How about this view while soaking in the tub

or this one when you wake up in the morning?

 The views from the rooftop deck and garden are spectacular in almost any direction.

Below the rooftop deck is Cindy's dressing room - she loved clothes even in college and I distinctly remember shopping with her for the perfect little black dress for her first fraternity dance.

Cindy is holding a Judith Leiber bag

Cindy put her love of clothing to good use by volunteering for many years with the Costume Council of the LA County Museum of Art.

Tony has his office on this level

and like every space in the house, it too is filled with beautiful art.

There is so much more I could show you, like the powder room on the entry level, but I wasn't happy with the photos

so I'll leave you with a photo of Jet Set Romeo - the third member of the family.

You can find Cindy at @pickyandpushy on Instagram

or read her blog Picky and Pushy - the most recent post is Legendary Beverly Hills Garden Tour.

I enjoy Tony's daily posts at @tonycanzoneri on Instagram - this is his friend Herman who appears in his posts now and then.

I hope you have enjoyed this look into the fabulous home of my classy friend.

Remember me?

Steve commented the other day that I haven't posted in weeks and I told him that I haven't done anything worth writing about.

That isn't exactly true because I took photos (248 to be exact) of a friend's beach house in Malibu, but I am still in the editing process.

While taking a break from editing all the Malibu photos, I decided to spruce up the guest room for summer.

The inspiration came from this driftwood heart I made a few years ago - it was hidden in the garden and I decided to reuse the driftwood for a project.

The heart was taken apart and the driftwood was painted in shades of blue

 to create a summery garland for the old door in the guest room.

This is one of my favorite spots for seasonal changes.

The vintage Underwood got a new quote,

shells were gathered for the little cubby

and I always love an excuse to use a few of my clock faces.

The softer palette for the room comes from this triptych, "In Another Life I Was a Surfer".

The dresser is a new addition - it was in the living room with the drawers painted red,

 but I'm loving the soft blue.

The guest room definitely has a more feminine feel

 than the rest of the house.

Steve rarely enters the guest room, but Lulu can be found there at any time of day.

Now it's back to editing photos and I'll leave you with one of the photos that's ready for my post

and I hope it won't be two weeks before I get the post written!

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Join me at Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for SYC.