House Porn Friday: A Stairway to Heaven, Plus Auto Art Gallery in Montecito, CA

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I’m cheating on my house again, but it is totally worth it for this one. Oh my, oh my. I saw this house and it took my breath away. I cannot help my feelings. It was a total Jedediah Leland/Citizen Kane moment: this house is my “girl in the white dress”.¬† I immediately flashed back to Mies Van Der Roh’s Farnsworth House, near where I grew up. But this home is called The Glass Pavilion, designed by Steve Hermann, and it is almost 14,000 square feet! A little big but I am still head over heels in love!

Set within a 3.5+/- acre estate of oak groves in Montecito, this almost entirely glass home allows occupants to be enveloped by  nature. As you drive down the long gated driveway, it slowly comes into view.

And it appears weightless, through the use of massive structural steel beams, as if it hovers above the expansive lawn. As you can imagine, the budget to build this home was virtually limit-less and it took six years to complete — well, this is California. The glass panels are all created of Star Fire glass, an incredibly clear glass usually reserved for jewelry displays. Kitchens and baths by Varena, Poliform and Antonio Lupi. The home has five bedrooms, five and a half baths, grand hallway and large wine room. (Do you see that walk-through shower?) The glass pavilion includes an art gallery where the owners currently display their vintage car collection. The space is so generous that it is capable of holding up to 32 cars within its walnut lined walls. I mean, you could practically hold the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in there!

The price is $23,900,000 and it has been reduced. I have been telling you — this is a great time to buy a house. Or maybe just buy love! And for a real weekend treat, sit back with a crisp glass of Pinot and watch this video — from the “mahvelous” Kevin Day Media. Crank up the volume! Enjoy!

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

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  1. Amy Clarke on March 4, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    This is my dream home! I had imagined a wooded lot with an open home where the woods and house sort of blend. Wow. So cool this is…….

  2. Amy Clarke on March 4, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    This is my dream home! I had imagined a wooded lot with an open home where the woods and house sort of blend. Wow. So cool this is…….

  3. Jennifer Fordham on March 4, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    This house has ruined me for all others. Gorgeous!

  4. Jennifer Fordham on March 4, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    This house has ruined me for all others. Gorgeous!

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