A Tour of the Philharmonic House of Design

I had the privilege of getting a private tour of the 19th Annual Philharmonic House of Design this week. The house—a mini-mansion, really—is a three story custom home in Newport Coast, high in the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

As I strolled through the house, I couldn't help but think that it's the kind of place I could get comfortable in. And why not? My childhood Barbie had a place almost this nice, and she didn't even have an income (and Ken was always out of work).

Well, maybe Barbie's pink Dream House wasn't as nice as the House of Design. OK ... not by a long shot.

It is more than 10,000 square feet with a total lot size of 20,000 square feet. Built in the tradition of French farmhouses, the home has architectural accents reminiscent of Provence. There are six bedrooms, which includes guest quarters, seven bathrooms and three powder rooms. My Volkswagen, along with Barbie's pink Corvette and convertible Jeep, should fit nicely in the 3,200 square foot six car garage.

Some of the highlights for me were the chilled wine cellar with adjacent wine tasting room, elevator, three story floating staircase and home theater. Barbie didn't have a wine tasting room (she did spend an awful lot of time hanging out with kids, after all), so I guess I'm not too jealous of her Dream House. The home theater had plush leather seating, a super-sized widescreen and a pool table in an adjacent game room. I think Ken had to take Barbie to the if she wanted to play pool. 

Each room in the House of Design was put together by a different interior designer. My absolute favorite room featured the whimsical design of Melinda Ritz, a former set designer for Will & Grace. Her guest room design stood apart from the rest—a playful space with materials inspired by nature and colors layered over a green base.

The master bedroom was nothing short of spectacular. There were separate bathrooms for him and her. And separate walk-in closets. Genius! The girl's closet was like on steroids. I was envisioning Manolos lined up sweetly on the shoe shelves. Don't worry Barbie, your plastic boots would look fine here, too. Downstairs, the table in the Great Room was set with Hermes fine china. In fact, Hermes played a large part in accessorizing the whole home. Tres Chic!

Step outside and there is a beautiful infinity pool and hot tub. Tell Ken he must put on swim trunks, plastic underwear do not count as a bathing suit. There is a large outdoor area surrounding the pool that would be great for parties and entertaining. The home is made for outdoor entertaining, with a kitchen and three fireplaces outside. 

The Philharmonic House of Design is being shown through March 27th. Tickets are on sale and proceeds benefit the Philharmonic Society Youth Music Education Program. The home is open Tuesday through Sunday, closed on Mondays. There is a shuttle that will take you to the undisclosed location. Visit Philharmonicsociety.org.