Part IV- Sherman Library Private Gardens Tour ~ Fantasy Gardens ~ Inside a Designer's Home and Garden

 Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wish I could take you behind this home. To share how vivid the blues of the pool water are reflecting off tiny blue glass mosaic tiles. To view the Pacific Ocean from the deck above the well-equipped bar. To see the Victorian Playhouse with  a stained glass frog waiting for his princess wanting to kiss him. To walk around the back to see the double french glass doors beneath a stained glass transom of a castle, the sunlight streaming through, lighting up the imagination. To hypothesize what doggy goes with the equally architecturally wonderiferous tandem dog house. 

As photography was not permitted, all I can do is tempt you with that description to buy tickets for next year's tour and hope this polished gem owners open their doors to the public again. 

The layering of details begins at the driveway delineated with a low planting.  A tracery of vine  frames twin flattened archways over darkly stained garage doors. 

 Fortunately, I can not only take you behind the gated entry of a very exclusive enclave above Pacific Coast Highway, Mike Vaupel and Lynda ( the proprietress of Roese Interiors) escorted Nikkipolani and I through garden and home. 


The well-traveled couple's 6,000 square foot home by Taylor Woodrow Architecture is the California coastal community interpretation of a European tour.  Mediterranean architecture, French formal detail, Tuscan hospitality and English love for color come together with a decidedly American flair. 

Bright white, terra cotta and tile are reminiscent of fabled Santa Barbara.

Note the subtle shadow-line where the two stories meet. Click on the picture line to see the color punch of the tiled- riser pattern. Remember the recessed arch to the right of the stairs. It is the entry to the ultimate in indoor-outdoor lifestyle. You will see why with just a tiniest bit of patience. 

First I want you to see the magnificent detailing in the front side  side yard.  The firm footing of rustic pavers is visually softened by a carpet of baby tears encouraging a stroll through a hall of rose bushes backed by greenery.

A subtle shift of my trusty Canon camera records a scene that is more about texture than color. 

The archway entrance to the elongated foyer is guarded by an elaborate iron gate 

leading through a center courtyard with a luxurious casual dining area at ready across from 

Not shown: the wall fountain. 

 an outdoor den with all the amenities, including fireplace.  

all open to the family kitchen.  

Moving into the home in the spring of 2001, the home as evolved with the owners, who originally envisioned a very neutral setting of tan and taupe. 

As they began to collect art, they realized how much they love color, weaving it into their living spaces.  

Not just inside, but in the gardens, where the interior designer's  exuberant personality is echoed in exactingly maintained garden.   

An intimate garden in so grand a space is rarer than yellow diamonds.  The tiered fountain tops the koi pond banded in greenery. Living in gratitude for their blessings, home and garden are filled with lessons of their travels. With this as home base- who needs to leave home for a fabulous vacation?  

The tiled underside of a balcony -this is luxury defined.

Which is lovelier- looking outside- in through the curvaceous window;  

Or inside, looking out?  The designer-owner home is like a menu in a fine restaurant. How do you choose? 

Nikkipolani nailed the curve-linear symmetry here

Sometimes you have to see to believe. I would not have thought a leopard print would stir my heart. 

But on a sweeping staircase where Lynda had the ironwork tortoise- shelled, I became a believer  that served by the right hand in the right setting, opulence can actually be quite homey. 

Impressionist art hung on the same wall as windows brilliantly protects the paintings from the same sunlight which enhances the colors through back-lighting . The paintbrushes on the ledge make the collection all the more personal. Great art is always personal.  

Nikkipolani photographs Lynda Roese giving me the grand tour .

Scouting homes for publication I'm always on the lookout for great ideas to bring home. Ever wonder how a dresser is modified for use as a functional bathroom cabinet? The center  is not so deep in return as the sides. 


And so ends our tour of gardens on the fabled coast of Orange County, California. In a home that so exemplifies the Southern California of my youth and dreams. Through its design, it proves that many cultures can live together successfully. 




Roese Interiors offers a full scope of Residential & Commercial Interior Design services, including custom fabrication & manufacturing of draperies, bedding & furniture. 949.497.7491