tiffin unboxed: Venice Garden and Home Tour

The annual Venice Garden & Home Tour is an event I greatly enjoyed this year. The tour proceeds benefit the Childrens' Center of Venice. My friend Sofia invited me, knowing about my passion for both architecture and plants.



The tour began with check-in at the Las Doradas Children's Center with vans available to take us to various neighborhoods on the tour of 32 houses total. In about 3 hours we probably covered less than half the homes. It was nice to take our time and pick the ones in which we were more interested.

Tour Highlights

Our first stop was at the Gregory Ain designed Mar Vista Tract. We toured 5 of the 52 houses in the tract, built in the 1940's and protected by historical preservation.

The bullet planter in many of the gardens as well as the modern landscaping set the scene.

This garden outside the house's large glass windows nicely conveyed the indoor-outdoor style of the period.?

The gorgeous wood table contained a large bowl of plums for the visitors.

In homes of this era, it is always good to see kitchens that reflect their original style period. I've seen too many classic, retro homes with completely current granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Considering the kitchen is often considered the heart of the home, it's something everyone notices right away.

This bright kitchen with its original aqua counters, vintage refrigerator and built in dining table evoked its original style well.

Both the living room and adjacent master bedroom contain huge windows looking out into this peaceful garden with a large water feature stretching across the edge of the lawn.

Many of the homes in the tract have the feature of these diagonal posts above the walkway leading to the front door.

This house also exudes the indoor-outdoor feeling with large glass sliding doors displaying the whole kitchen and dining room from outside by the pool area. It has a really good flow.

Architect/homeowner Santiago Ortiz designed this wooded home, containing interesting artwork. With a baby living in the house, it functions as both elegant and family friendly.

The lush garden is filled with mature, lush plants, with a separate office behind the house.

This 50's style remodeled house contains a large art studio in the back with these colorful insect pieces hanging from the wall. Many other artwork and materials are neatly stored in the studio also.

Between the studio and the house one finds this large garden with fountain, a rabbit and several planters on the far end.

The light wood prevalent throughout the art filled house, especially the above screens, and colorful furniture conveys a warm feeling to the house. I loved the matching kids' dining table.

The vibrant colors of lavender and lion's tail in this shady garden stood out.

This gorgeous agave plant and the striped bamboo of this front yard led us to an unexpected gem of a garden.

The adorable garden is full with dozens of fruit trees, tropical plants, vegetables, fruits and flowers. The tour map aptly described it as an edible paradise and wildlife habitat.

Gorgeous red leaves in the middle of summer!

Two types of cherry trees, guarded from errant fruit pickers by a docent!

Nectarine tree - all still part of the same garden.

The elegant custom designed furniture in this contemporary home, as well as the high ceilings, really catches the eye upon entry.?

The long pool surrounded by native landscape design is visible through the full length windows in the living room as well as other parts of the house. The shady trees keep the area cool.?

The back of the house contains a large yard, an outdoor dining room and many other surprising elements. The house goes far back. Considering the front is gated and covered with hedges, one would not expect such a dramatic and large house inside.

This stunning wood open kitchen at the center of the house suits its style so well. Across from the square kitchen sits a built in wood casual dining table. This kitchen must be a joy for cooking.

Some of the gardens on the tour have their touches of whimsy. The staghorn ferns growing on the tree trunk and this crouching gnome, one of many, were spread around, providing little surprises around the corners.

Off Tour Highlights

Part of the fun of this walking tour was seeing neighboring homes that give other glimpses of life in the eclectic city of Venice, California.This front yard full of dozens of gnomes certainly made a statement.

On a very warm day with all the walking between the homes, we spotted this ice cream truck and our friend, Robert, indulged us in some nostalgic treats from our childhood.

The sour push-up bar of sherbet really hit the spot, and brought back many taste memories.

Another interesting, modern house.

This house, like many adjacent homes, has features built around the tree. Another we passed by has a tree-house in the front yard.

This carved tree trunk gem lay on the front lawn of one of the houses in the Mar Vista tract.

Attractive plants appear on several houses along the way.

On the way to the car, we saw these large artichokes growing in front of a house. Overall, not only the homes and gardens were delightful, but the event was meticulously organized , down to the logistics such as finding bathrooms, water, food and locating each stop on the tour from the map. It was a very successful event to anticipate in the coming years.

Source: http://tiffinunboxed.blogspot.com/2012/10/venice-garden-and-home-tour.html

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