ESTATE OF GRACE

Written by Blue Door Magazine on June 3, 2022

A sprawling Laguna Niguel property commands attention from its eight-figure, bluff-top position

By Alexandria Abramian

PHOTOS BY THE LUXURY LEVEL // ATEAM

With more than 13 planted acres, the property is one of the largest estates in all of Orange County. And the home fittingly comes with its share of boast-able stats: A 500-foot driveway with circular motor court; 95 solar panels; 20 skylights; an 8-car garage. Then there’s the not-inconsiderable 14,500 square feet of living space inside the ultra-contemporary compound.

“This house has trails, a vineyard, and its bluff-top location means you also have the panoramic ocean, city, and hill views,” says listing agent John Stanaland of the John Stanaland Group. “It’s exceptional in all ways.”

Stairs connect levels of more than 13 planted acres.

The 14,500-square-foot home makes an unforgettable first impression where an award-winning 18-foot iron and glass pivot front door leads to an art-filled foyer.

The Laguna Niguel location also makes it a standout. “The area is starting to see huge appreciation and is catching up with Orange County’s two other most expensive areas, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach,” says Stanaland. “I sold a home in Laguna Niguel two and a half years ago that will easily sell in the high teens today. Dana Point is another area that is quickly catching up as well. I just sold a home there for $20 million that was the highest sale ever in Monarch Bay record. I held the record for 48 hours before another agent closed on a home for $33 million!”

Listed at $50 million, this home has the potential to take Stanaland, a fifth-generation resident of Orange County, back to gold metal status.

An expansive game room includes new and vintage collectors’ arcade games while featuring expansive ocean views.

Designed by architect Stan Schrofer and built in 2014, the home is in many ways tailor-made for a post-pandemic world: “A lot of people now want bigger homes and more privacy and a lot of the upper end of the buyer pool wants things that are more unique,” says Stanaland, noting that scarcity is also at work. “In general, there are not many of these very unique homes, then add to that the fact that inventory is at an all-time historic low. At this time last year there were 4,500 homes on the market. Two days ago, it was under 1,000.”

A chef’s kitchen includes one of 20 skylights found throughout the home.

With in-home luxuries like a gym, movie theater, game room, and infrared sauna, the house also has size and scale for large-scale, indoor/outdoor living and entertaining. The six-bedroom, 10-bathroom estate, which was designed in collaboration by David Phoenix and Newfield Design, has grand lines and soaring spaces throughout, starting with the entrance, where an 18-foot iron and glass door pivots into a sprawling foyer. Oversized Fleetwood glass windows are trained to the ocean views, while the outdoor areas include 2,500 square feet of decking and a BBQ area with a full kitchenette. Other next-level amenities practically preclude the need for five-star resort travel: There’s a negative-edge pool with Baja shelf and glass bridge to the pool’s fire pit that seats 25, a grand spa, waterfalls, and not one but two putting greens.

Perched high up on a secluded hilltop, the sprawling estate looks onto ocean views that span from Laguna to La Jolla from almost every room.

“This home has everything the ultra-high-end buyer wants: It’s secluded and gated, has the views and, of course, the acreage,” says Stanaland. “It has definitely got the wow factor.”