$5 Million Homes in California

Santa Monica | $4.995 Million

A Spanish-style house built in 2007, with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot

This house, on a hillside above Santa Monica Canyon, was designed by Kevin A. Clark, an architect whose work incorporates elements of the Spanish- and Mediterranean-style architecture built in Southern California in the 1920s and 1930s. It was featured in “The Spanish Style House: From Enchanted Andalusia to the California Dream,” published by Rizzoli in 2021.

Canyon homes are popular with buyers looking for easy access to Malibu and the Westside area of Los Angeles: The beaches of Malibu are less than 20 miles away, and Century City is about a 20-minute drive.

Size: 3,037 square feet

Price per square foot: $1,645

Indoors: Behind neat rows of hedges and a gate is a brick path that leads to the arched front door. It opens into a bright foyer with a view of Santa Monica Canyon through floor-to-ceiling windows. Just off this space is a powder room with Moroccan-style tiles lining the walls.

To the right of the foyer is a living room with a fireplace, hardwood floors, a beamed wood ceiling, tall windows facing the terrace and custom-made hardware, including door and window pulls. An alcove next to the fireplace is lined with bookshelves and has a window overlooking the front yard.

To the left of the foyer is a kitchen with bright green paint and sunny yellow tile reminiscent of that found in early-20th-century Spanish-style homes. At the far end of the room is a built-in banquette upholstered in deep red leather.

A staircase in the foyer — with a custom-made wrought-iron railing and colorful, tiled risers — leads to the three bedrooms, all on the lower level. The primary bedroom has a fireplace with a brick hearth and an en suite bathroom with bright blue-and-red tile, a walk-in shower and a separate bathtub. On the other side of this level are two guest rooms, one of which currently serves as a home office. They share a bathroom with muted green tile and a combined tub and shower.

Outdoor space: A brick terrace off the living room has ocean views, and the breeze coming off the water helps keep it cool on summer evenings. There is a small yard in the front, behind the hedges, with a citrus tree. The attached garage has two parking spots.

Taxes: $62,436 (estimated)

Contact: George Ghiz, Avenue 8, 310-283-8877; avenue8.com

Ojai | $4.995 Million

A 1925 Tudor Revival house with three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two half bathrooms and a one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse, on a 1.2-acre lot

This home is one of the earliest extant works of William Albert Edwards, a principal of the architecture firm Edwards and Plunkett, which was responsible for a number of notable local projects in the 1920s and 1930s, including the original terminal at the Santa Barbara Airport. While some of Ojai’s grand homes are fairly remote, this one is about a five-minute drive or a 10-minute bicycle ride from the city center.

Santa Barbara is 45 minutes away by car; Los Angeles is about a two-hour drive, depending on traffic, making this area popular with buyers who want to stay within a reasonable distance of the city.

Size: 3,673 square feet

Price per square foot: $1,360

Indoors: This house is set back from the street, with a stone path and wood steps leading to the front entrance. The foyer has hardwood floors and original plaster walls that continue throughout most of the house.

To the right is a study lined with bookshelves. The windows in this room and in the attached powder room face the front yard. Straight ahead is a sitting room facing the backyard. To the left of the foyer is a living room with high, beamed ceilings, a stone fireplace and a tall bay window with a built-in bench.

Behind the living room is a dining room with a wrought-iron chandelier and a large window overlooking the front yard. A butler’s pantry off this space connects it to a kitchen with a black enamel AGA range and a long center island topped with butcher block. A second pantry is at the far end of the kitchen, along with a half bathroom.

The primary suite is on this level, off a corridor extending from the foyer. The bedroom has a windowed alcove overlooking the gardens and is flanked by two full bathrooms. One has a stall shower, and the other has a shower and a separate soaking tub framed by large windows.

Two guest rooms are on the second floor. They share a bathroom off the hallway with a chandelier and a combined tub and shower.

The one-bedroom guesthouse has a living room with a fireplace, a full bathroom and a bright studio currently used as a home gym.

Outdoor space: A brick patio behind the main house steps down to a fenced swimming pool. A path winds from the patio through the grounds, which include fruit trees, a lavender field, raised vegetable gardens and a chicken coop. There are several patios off the guesthouse with enough room for outdoor dining.

Taxes: $62,246 (estimated, but the home is eligible for reduced property taxes under the Mills Act, which provides economic incentives for homeowners to preserve historic properties)

Contact: Cristal Clarke, Berkshire Hathaway Montecito, 805-886-9378; bhhs.com

Los Gatos | $4.988 Million

A Craftsman-inspired bungalow built in 2000, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot

Almond Grove is a lively neighborhood a few minutes from downtown Los Gatos with wide, tree-lined streets and historic homes. This house, more recently built than some of its neighbors, is a short walk from a number of restaurants on North Santa Cruz Avenue, the main drag, and from an area with several bars, a toy store and a gelato shop.

Driving into San Jose takes about 20 minutes; San Francisco and Oakland are about an hour away.

Size: 2,895 square feet

Price per square foot: $1,723

Indoors: A white picket fence encloses the front yard, which has a mature flowering tree and rose bushes. The entry is set in a porch with white wood railing, brick flooring and room for several chairs.

To the left of the entry is a sitting room with hardwood floors, windows with white shutters and a wide doorway facing the dining room, which has a built-in china cabinet with drawers and glass-front doors.

A butler’s pantry connects the dining room to a kitchen with dark stone counters and stainless-steel appliances, including a six-burner Viking range and a double oven. Both the kitchen and the dining room have direct access to a comfortable family room with white cabinetry flanking a fireplace.

To the right of the foyer is a guest room that doubles as a home office, with a built-in desk and shelving. Next door is a full bathroom with a walk-in shower and a vanity finished in marble.

On the second floor, a laundry room and a storage closet are just off the landing, opposite a bathroom with black-and-white tile floors. The primary suite is a few steps away, with two custom-designed walk-in closets and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi-style bathtub and a separate shower.

Two more bedrooms are at the opposite end of the hall; one has an en suite bathroom with a shower that has a skylight.

Outdoor space: A wide brick patio runs along the back of the house. On one side is a fire table under a white-painted wood pergola; on the other side are a built-in barbecue and mini fridge. A more private sitting area off the family room has a brick fireplace. A hot tub at the far end of the backyard is sheltered by a gazebo and surrounded by mature trees. The detached garage holds two cars.

Taxes: $62,352 (estimated)

Contact: Amy McCafferty, Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, 408-387-3227; sothebysrealty.com

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