Celebrating Coastal Orange County
Long before it was home to some of the most sought-after real estate in the world, the ten-acre Smithcliffs estate in Laguna Beach was party central for a pioneering aviator. Photographs by Bill Agee 1991. Courtesy of Library of Congress. Taken as part of Historic American Buildings Survey of the National Park Service. As Montage Laguna Beach celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, we recall that the global destination resort and residential project was made […]
What are the most important buildings in Orange County—the most architecturally significant, the most beautiful? What built spaces and public places make us unique? These are the questions Blue Door Magazine will address (with the aid of experts, architects, authors, and our members) in coming months as we explore Iconic OC. Photos by Marvin Rand | Drawings by Stanley A. Westfall | Photos and architectural drawings from Historic American Buildings Survey, 1968 Designed by Rudolph […]
If you want an opinion about design-centric destinations, ask an architect. That’s what magazine editor and author Sarah Miller did in her guidebook to hotels and resorts, Where Architects Sleep. Miller, the founding editor of the British edition of Condé Nast Traveller, reached out to 270 architects around the world, including renowned names and Pritzker Prize winners. Daniel Libeskind, Amanda Levete, Charles Renfro, Sir Norman Foster, Annabelle Selldorf, Fumihiko Maki, and Richard Meier, the lone […]
A Dana Point compound blends contemporary lines with cowboy inspiration By Alexandria Abramian | Photos by Darlene Halaby As far as home design unions go, the pairing was far from typical. On one side of the aisle was the clients’ penchant for Western design and art; on the other, the property’s enviable oceanfront location at The Strand in Dana Point. Presiding over the project were two of Orange County’s top design talents, architect Geoff Sumich […]