Million Dollar Monday: 1962 Flipped Palmer & Krisel in La Jolla Crest For Sale – La Jolla, CA

Today’s Million Dollar Palmer & Krisel designed home is in the La Jolla Crest neighborhood just north of Pacifica, with ocean views from the front yard. This home last sold for almost half the current asking price in 2011, and has been thoroughly renovated. At an asking price of $1,645,000, this home includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,062 square feet, a two-car garage and an in-ground pool all on a 10,400 square-foot lot.

The home retains the same basic floor plan and shape as it originally did when constructed in 1962. The original aluminum framed windows have been swapped out for chunkier white-vinyl models, while the exterior face of the home which once featured brick veneer and large-paneled wood siding has been replaced with horizontal clapboard siding. Recently reinstated is the two-car garage, which had previously been additional livable square footage with two large sliding glass doors where there garage door now is.

The owners have chosen to treat the home as a traditional modern ranch, removing most midcentury modern remnants and Krisel hallmarks that were once in the property. There was an indoor glass atrium between the entry and kitchen stuffed with tropical plants, similar to what we seen in the Sandpiper Condominium atrium models in Palm Desert. This area has been claimed as livable square footage, and now houses a very visible and very central built-in desk.

Dining, Living,Entry and central built-in desk

Dining and Kitchen, and central built-in desk

'Before' photo of home, with plant and light-filled atrium, double door entry & modern fireplace hearth and surround - where'd those great vintage light fixtures go? Plus, check out that mod kitchen!

The living areas and the bedrooms of the home still feature the original open, beamed vaulted ceilings helping to dramatize and expand the existing square-footage. The living room sits at the front and side of the home, and while it still features the fireplace, has lost its signature Krisel modern well-designed form in favor of a simple box. Originally, the fireplace would have featured an exaggerated horizontal surround extending to the wall at one end, offset by a narrow floor-to-ceiling window at the other end, and anchored by a long, low hearth extending the full length of the wall.

Now that the atrium has been removed, the living, dining and kitchen all blend together in one large space, extending the full width of the south half of the home. The original sliders have been replaced with full-width opening glass panel sliders, which are a pretty neat feature. The kitchen is new, done in a traditional/country style with white and grey cabinet boxes offering contrast. The counters are a visually heavy marble, the appliances are all high-end and there’s trendy subway tile for the backsplash. 

Living

Country traditional kitchen

The master bedroom still retains its clean lines, and provides access to the backyard. The master bath features  a rare in-room vanity, which has recently been redone to include more marble counters, under mounted sinks, and more subway tile. The soaking tub and commode area are actually pretty interesting, with appropriate mosaic tile selected for the flooring, a frosted glass wall adding privacy for the commode, and a reeded-glass privacy window in front of the tub.

Of the three secondary bedrooms, one has a small loft added above the closets, taking advantage of the voluminous ceiling space. The hall bathroom is finishes in similar style as the rest of the home, carrying forward the traditional themes with more subway tile.  Out back there’s an in-ground curvilinear pool, an elevated concrete deck, and a generous grassy area.

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

The home is definitely not lacking on quality, and reads as an interesting and confusing architectural mix between modern and traditional. The renovation doesn’t quite respect the architectural style of the home, and makes the property feel heavier than what the original design intent was. It’s better than a teardown, and can always be restored over time. If you’d like to see more photos, including those of what the home looked like with its original kitchen and baths, check out the Zillow link below.

Guest bathroom

Pool & backyard

Front View - nighttime

Check out the Redfin listing here: 5443 Avenida Fiesta

Or Zillow here for lots more pictures of the original home: 5443 Avenida Fiesta

Renovated Palmer & Krisel in Racquet Club Road Estates – Palm Springs, CA

This 1959 Palmer & Krisel-designed home in Palm Springs’ Racquet Club Road Estates has been on the market for a few months now with no takers so far. It’s a 1,225 square-foot Alexender-built Plan B-2 home on a large corner lot with an in-ground pool, two-car garage and includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms with an asking price of $550,000.

The front yard is clean and low maintenance, done in the Palm Springs minimal style, with water-saving desert landscape surrounding the circular driveway. The front door offers a pop of yellow color greeting visitors to the home, in that great Palm Springs style. The original ¾ height wall separating the foyer and kitchen are still intact, and the kitchen has been fully remodeled and opened to the dining and living rooms.

The kitchen features a center island with white faced cabinets, while the surrounding cabinets against the wall are a smooth cherry word finish. There’s no upper cabinets in the kitchen, allowing for more wall space to display art or to be kept clean & open. For those with a keen eye you’ll note the original wall fan still in place, just above that George Nelson wall clock.

Kitchen with original 3/4 wall and original wall-mounted vent fan

Kitchen island & entry

The home features those signature Krisel open-beamed vaulted ceilings, which have been painted white. Unlike most Krisels, there’s no fireplace in the living room in this model, leaving more wall space and freeing up furniture placement options. There has been a small bonus room added between the kitchen and garage, which given that the square footage is still at the original 1,225 square feet pretty much indicates that the room was added without permits. The addition follows the spirit of the home and mimics the open, beamed ceilings found throughout the rest of the home.

The bedrooms are in their original form, and show light and bright thanks to the high ceiling, and the master provides access to the backyard.  The one photo of the master bathroom shows that the space has been updated, with simple white fixtures and a singular glass shelf for storage.

Back corner of home used for dining area

Master Bathroom

Addition off of kitchen with access to pool area

Master bedroom

The backyard has the original Alexander 15’ x 30’ swimming pool, and features two covered patios, one attached to the corner of the home, the other in the corner of the backyard. The patio which is furthermost from the home has a built-in bar, barbeque and bright-yellow accent wall. Not pictured by the listing agent is the rest of the backyard, which wraps around the northern portion of the home and provides a large grassy area , then wraps around the corner side of the home to include a private patio area screened from the road with tall, lush shrubs.

This is a neat piece of architecture that is anxiously awaiting its new owner, we hope the new owners will continue to love this property.

Bar & barbeque area at back of yard

Original pool & backyard - check out those mountain views!

Check out Redfin for more photos here: 600 East Spencer Drive

Or Zillow here: 600 East Spencer Drive

Fully Furnished Vistas Las Palmas Palmer & Krisel For Sale – Palm Springs, CA

Relatively new to the market is this 1959 Palmer & Krisel home built by the Alexander Construction Company in the dreamy Vistas Las Palmas neighborhood in Palm Springs. This 1,600 square-foot home is the same model as found a few miles to the south in Twin Palms Estates and El Camino Estates.  Featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two car garage and that standard Alexander 15’ x 30’ swimming pool all for an asking price of $949,900.

This Palmer & Krisel has been used as a vacation rental for several years, and all the furniture is available with the home. The front features a private walled-courtyard/entry area, with desert landscape outside of the courtyard wall. There’s some pretty colorful artwork on the wall, and the garage door and recessed front doors are the only penetrations on the public side of the home.

Inside the front doors the kitchen sits just to the left of the entry, at the front of the home. The trademark clerestory windows augmented by the vaulted, open beamed ceilings offer glimpses of the mountains just beyond the front doors. The kitchen has been renovated at some point within the last 15 years, and while it doesn’t completely follow the principles of modern design is functional and straightforwardly laid out.

Kitchen - Love those views out the clerestories

Kitchen

Kitchen

The living and dining rooms run the full north length of the house and provides views of the swimming pool. Anchoring the living room is a large trademark-Krisel fireplace, with solid, clean lines and a strong overmantle. The master bedroom sits at the rear corner at the south end of the home, and provides a large sliding glass door to the backyard. The room shows bright, and features more soaring vaulted ceilings which helps the space feel larger. The other two bedrooms show just as bright and are in-line along the south half of the home.

Living room & fireplace

Living Room 

The carport has long been converted to a two car garage, and sits separated from the residence by a small breezeway off of the kitchen. The pool sits behind the garage and just off the living room, and was the original rectangular model offered with the home when new. There’s a small reddish-brown hot tub just off the deep end of the pool, while the rest of the back yard is low-maintenance desert landscape.

Pool area with lots of patio space

Master Bedroom

Master bathroom

Pool area again

Hot tub

There’s some opportunity for restoration here, as it appears several original clerestories have been removed, and the front façade has been smoothed over quite a bit, losing much of the original detail that would have been in place, while not all buyers will appreciate the finishes in the home. These points aside, this is a fantastic Palmer & Krisel home that is just a stone’s throw from the mountain, in one of our favorite Krisel neighborhoods. We can’t wait to see what the new buyers do with the place.

Check out Redfin for more photos here: 996 North Rose Avenue

Or Zillow here: 996 North Rose Avenue

Clean and Sanitized Krisel in Valwood Estates For Sale – Pomona, CA

Here’s another Palmer & Krisel-designed home in Pomona’s Valwood Estates on the market. This is the smallest models that was offered in Valwood, the Plan A, and measures in at 1,200 square feet. Providing three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two garage on a 6,300 square-foot with an asking price of $320,000.

Like most homes in Valwood Estates, this one features a block and wrought iron front yard wall – we’re not sure why property owner in Valwood Estates love to fence in their front yards, but they do and this one features yet another fence. Also, like most homes in Valwood Estates, the windows have been replaced with popular white-vinyl-mullioned models – a look which definitely obscures the original glass-walled design intent of the architect, but an easy and economical switch out for property owners.

Inside, the home has been thoroughly updated and sanitized of anything that resembles a Palmer & Krisel design. The ordinarily open-beamed vaulted ceilings have been covered over in drywall, potentially to add insulation, potentially to ‘update’ the space. The room that would have originally been the den has been opened to the living room to create a larger, open living area.

Living Room & Dining beyond

Living Room

Living Room and former Den through large angled opening

The kitchen features standard big-box store-style cabinetry, with laminate countertops and beige tile backsplash. The kitchen does retain its original galley-style layout; however some of the cabinet box placement appears to be questionable.

Kitchen - the cabinet box next to the fridge appears unfinished

Kitchen

Both bathrooms are feature tile on every surface except for the ceiling, in non-offensive beige tones. They show bright; however, thanks to high windows letting in plenty of natural light. The bedrooms show bright, thanks to vaulted ceilings and large windows. The original clerestory windows are nowhere to be seen on this house, and most likely have been ‘updated’ away.

The backyard is large and grassy, with a concrete slab, pair of mulberry trees and plenty of satellite dishes attached to the eaves. There’s not much midcentury or modern left in this home, but it’s a clean example at a relatively low price, and will most likely be attractive to its new owners based on that criteria.

Master Bedroom

Hall Bathroom

Backyard & satellite dishes

Check out Redfin for more photos here: 2318 Canterbury Avenue

Or Realtor.com here: 2318 Canterbury Avenue

South Whittier Krisel For Sale – Whittier, CA

This is a newly discovered Palmer & Krisel neighborhood (we just found out about yesterday!) in South Whittier, California. This home was built in 1956 and contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage on a 5,800 square-foot lot with an asking price of $379,900.

The elevation of the home incorporates very familiar and trademark Krisel-design styles – starting with the reverse pitch garage roofline; large, aluminum framed windows, inset front door and the vertical eave line on the garage. There’s also clerestory windows on the side of the home, and a brick chimney poking up from the back. The front of the home is painted a very non-descript beige while the front yard landscape clean and green – a simple lawn with a few palms for height. The rest of it is a blank slate waiting for a new owner.

The kitchen is immediately off to the right of the entryway, and appears to still have it’s original cabinets and potentially original tile countertops and range (it’s a little tough to tell from the pictures). The dining room is just to the right of the kitchen, still at the front of the house, and features a large sliding glass door granting access to the front courtyard patio.

Kitchen

Dining Room viewed from Living Room

The living room sits at the back of the home, and hold another great Krisel hallmark surprise – a corner  positioned fireplace which features vertical block banding, offset firebox and a large proportional, clean-lined overmantle. This was a great, clean cutting edge design for 1956 which is still relevant and harmonious today.

Living Room

Living Room - Check out that fireplace - what a piece of architecture!

The rest of the living room features those fantastic open beamed ceilings, is open to the dining room and separates the divide with a small soffit which hides mechanicals. The three bedrooms show cluttered, a sign that the owners have outgrown this home, but all have clerestory windows, which help make a small space feel larger. The bathrooms look to have been updated at some point over the last 20 years, and the hall bath is preceded by the indoor laundry area.

Out back there’s a huge covered patio with a great waffle-ceiling covered patio taking up half of the space. The rest of the backyard holds mature trees, a small lawn and a potting shed. The property backs up to the Sorenson Avenue Drainage Channel, which means there’s no rear neighbors. The listing describes this as a great starter home – and they’re right, but it’s also a great piece of mid-mod architecture worthy of a new owner who will continue to appreciate it.

Master Bedroom

Hall Bathroom

Rear Patio - Love that mid-mod ceiling!

Front patio between home and garage

Check out Redfin for more photos: 9520 Bluford Avenue

Or Realtor.com here: 9520 Bluford Avenue

Foremost Park Palmer & Krisel For Sale –La Puente, CA

Here’s a pretty original looking 1956 Palmer & Krisel home in La Puente/West Covina, CA that’s been on and off the market at least three times over the last few weeks. It’s a probate sale, meaning the owner probably has passed away, which may complicate the escrow process.

Developed by the Foremost Contracting and Engineering Company, this home contains 1,370 square feet, providing three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage with an asking price of $349,999. It’s a corner lot and includes an in-ground pool in the back yard.

Diving pool

There’s no interior shots of this home, but we wanted to share it with you because it’s got great original lines to the façade. All windows appear to be original, and there’s some great wooden detailing surrounding the window openings. There’s wood blocks which jut out between two of the window openings, planked by parallel vertical 2”x 4”s which connect to the inside of the eaves. This type of detailing was such a hallmark of Krisel’s that it can be on dozens of other housing tracts from the mid 1950's to mid 60's, and far too often we see less and less of these details as these mid-century homes age.

Front view

The other two wonderful intact Krisel trademarks that are still intact on the front are the floor to ceiling four-pane windows, again seen on countless other tracts throughout the 1950s and 60s, along with the second ‘service porch’ doorway on the front of the home. Typically these were separated by a four to five-foot wooden fence to avoid the appearance of having two front doors, and the original fence on this home is probably long gone.

Side of home & garage

The garage would have been originally detached from the home, but appears to be connected by a covered breezeway in this example. Also visible are the original clerestories on the side of the home, another great Krisel hallmark.

This looks like a pretty quaint home, hopefully the new owner will retain those great original architectural details and make this home shine like new.

Check out the Redfin listing here: 1040 Feather Avenue

Or Realtor.com here: 1040 Feather Avenue