Friday, July 25, 2008

Jennifer Grant Selling in Santa Monica

SELLER: Jennifer Grant
LOCATION: Fraser Avenue, Santa Monica, CA
PRICE: $2,195,000
SIZE: 1,564 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Craftsman beach home architecturally designed and remodeled on the best Ocean Park walk street – 1 block from the sand. Incredible attention to detail. Light and open with a N.Y. style 2nd story loft. 25' vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, skylights in almost every room, hardwood floors and sisal carpets. Gourmet cooks kitchen. Large master suite with all new bath and walk-in closet leading to a private deck. Great office and 2nd bedrm and bath.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Recently we were perusing the listings in Santa Monica and came across this itty bitty beach cottage in Santa Monica sitting pretty on the market for $2,195,000. Because Your Mama is nothing if not a Nosy Nelly, we peeked into the property records and much to our deelishus dee-lite discovered it's currently owned by Hollywood scion Jennifer Grant.

Your Mama realizes that many of the children will not immediately recognize the name Jennifer Grant as a "celebrity." It might be because Miss Grant is only a minor celeb at best and it might also be because she's not the sort of gal who is out flashing her naughty bits all over town for the paps to photograph nor is she cutting deals with the gossip glossies for "candid" photos like some of the other stoopidly famous folks are oft-rumored to do. Besides, Miss Grant does not need to try nearly as hard as a questionably talented celebutards like that disturbing Heidi Montag. Why? Because this gurl's got Hollywood royalty running in her veins. That's right children. Miss Grant happens to be the only daughter of screen legend Cary Grant and his Oscar nominated fourth wife, kooky and curly haired Lakers fanatic Dyan Cannon.

After stints in a law firm and as a chef, the Stanford graduate–Your Mama lurvs us an edju-muh-kated ack-tress–decided to get into the family bizness in 1993 when she landed a recurring role as Steve Sanders' gurlyfriend Celeste Lundy on the beloved boob-toob juggernaut that was Beverly Hills 90210, a program currently in the process of being reprised. Pleeze. Does anyone really care what Brenda Walsh is up to nowadays? Your Mama might care if the show placed some big advertising on our little online endeavor, but otherwise we don't give a shit. Sorry puppies, but we don't.

Anyhoo, back in May of 1997, several years after Miss Grant strutted her toothy stuff on 90210, prop records reveal that the not particularly successful ack-tress scooped up a cute little cottage on Santa Monica's Fraser Avenue for $625,000. Remember those salad days of real estate children when a diminutive domicile just a few steps from the sugary sands of the Pacific Ocean could be picked up for well under a million dollars? Oh yes, Your Mama does too...wistfully.

Listing information shows the long and slender bungalow includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms while property records indicate the house measures 1,564 square feet and contains five bedrooms. We're not sure why the discrepancy in the number of sleeping chambers but if Your Mama had to guess–and we're only guessing children–three of the original five bedrooms were prolly removed in the full tilt renovation which transformed much of the interior space into a soaring loft with a beautifully articulated 25' ceiling and a well considered ridge-line skylight that pulls lights down into the ecclesiastical second floor loft and main floor living spaces.

Ordinarily Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter do not care for loft style living–we prefer defined spaces with doors that close thank you very much. However, we're going to make an exception for Miss Grant's beach cottage. The skinny residences that line the narrow Santa Monica streets and lead down to the beach are slammed up next to each other making it nearly impossible to harness light and create privacy with windows on the sides of the house. The architect responsible for this renovation has successfully solved that particular problem with the aforementioned ridge-line skylight, an inspired notion that allowed the original roof line to be preserved but also injected a striking modernity into the modified Victorian style structure. We can understand that some preservationist minded folks will not appreciate the modern infusion, but try to imagine how dark this house would feel if it retained its original layout, which was most likely a warren of small rooms with side facing windows.

As for Miss Grant's day-core? Well children, we do feel it could use the deft hand of a nice gay decorator to pull it all together, we think the kitchen could use another re-do and we're somewhat concerned about the potential difficulty of climbing in and getting out of that shower tub combination in the master bedroom. However, we genuinely appreciate the hodge podge nature of the place that genuinely reflects the its current owner. And the books...did the children notice there are actual books in this house? Any house with books that look like they actually get opened and read gets bonus points in Your Mama's book.

Your Mama is certain that many of the children will say this would make perfect for a pied a terre at the beach but really isn't large enough for full time living. Wanna know what we say to that? Bullshit! All this drama that people go through about needing 3,000+ square feet in order to feel comfortable and cosseted is nothing but a bunch of whining and complaining. Seriously. People want to have mammoth mansions and sprawling estates, that's just fine. But Your Mama does not want to hear anybody moan about how they need a big house surrounded by an ocean of perfectly manicured lawn. Rubbish!

As far as Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter are concerned, this is the perfect amount of interior space for comfortable living. Yes, we would absolutely prefer more outdoor space where our long bodied bitches Linda and Beverly could sun their sausage shapes and we'd be perpetually annoyed about having to carry food for the barbecue through the master bedroom. However, we'd make due if it meant being able to stroll down to the sand in less than 2 minutes.

Your Mama hasn't a clue to where Miss Grant will be decamping with her Buddha things and books, but based Your Mama wishes her all the best.

34 comments:

so_chic_darling said...

What a delightful house, I love this one but it seems like the listing agent has never been to New York or seen a New York loft, New York lofts do not have slanting roofs because they are never in the roof of a house, so please don't call something New York that isn't.

My Poor Liver Podcast said...

I love it! I could live there.

Parker said...

If I didn't have all my kids, I'd live move into this cozy little nest in a heartbeat. I'd change minor things, but love the space. Fabulous. This is the way I like to live.

Anonymous said...

Love the sunroom/office space with its chandelier and all the windows. Very cute! Hate how they crammed all the working space of the kitchen into one small corner. If they had simply shifted the large refrigerator over to the storage wall on the right, that would have freed up plenty of space to properly place the range without having to cram it into the corner above the dishwasher. But maybe there was a structural reason why that couldn't happen.

Otherwise, very cute, but I've seen better for that price range in this neighborhood.

pch said...

When it comes to Santa Monica, I'm a north-of-Montana kinda guy. But this is a nifty little house.

Anonymous said...

I walk by this house nearly every day - it does have great curb appeal and the inside also looks cozy. But, agree with a previous poster, there is better in the neighborhood for the price. I have a feeling the price will reduce.

Anonymous said...

I detest Santa Monica but I can understand why people would live there - It's just so generic.

Anonymous said...

Nearby the house where Margaux Heminway died (drug overdose) in 1996... at 150.

Anonymous said...

I think it's adorable. I love the kitchen.. I wouldn't change it! I'll take the place!

Alessandra said...

It looks like she's put some money into it since she purchased it. And it is a delightful space for a beach cottage. Know and like that area very well, though I agree with PCH that north of Montana is certainly the most desirable part of SM.

However, couldn't she have gone to a big inventory liquidation sale at Linens-N-Things and gotten herself a bedspread that actually covers the bed? Why am I offended by seeing her sheets?

lil' gay boy said...

What a charming seaside cottage; it's refreshing to see a well-renovated house that's not either staged within an inch of its life nor stripped bare, either.

Granted, there may be some faux pas decorating-wise, but from the subway tile to the books to the carved bed on the deck it just says "home."

Lovely.

Anonymous said...

Lovely is the perfect word to describe this house. It's also the perfect word to describe Jennifer Grant as well has her parents.

Anonymous said...

Its funny that you mention this about Jennifer Grant Selling her home but just yesterday I was watching old 90210 and Jennifer was in it (She played Celeste Lundy if anyone is interested)..I love this site its pure awesomeness :))).

Anonymous said...

My friend went to Stanford with Ms. Grant and said she's an extremely nice and well adjusted individual. I'd say her house reflects her personality.

Anonymous said...

Mediocre!

It certainly is nothing special, and that price tag is unbelievable. LA is over priced.

Also, what is with those hideous 2X4s on the ceiling? It's like LEGO was the designer.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:15=Jeff Lewis. He gags on the house and would love to have on Cary Grant.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with Anonymous 8:39AM... My father's hobby was thoroughbred horse racing and he frequented Southern California's race tracks (Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar). A family friend from the race track was good friends with Jennifer, whose father was a horse racing enthusiast. Anyway, my friend introduced me to Jennifer years ago at Del Mar and I found her very nice and friendly as well as beautiful! I wish her well with the sale of her lovely beach house.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with Anonymous 8:39AM... My father's hobby was thoroughbred horse racing and he frequented Southern California's race tracks (Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar). A family friend from the race track was good friends with Jennifer, whose father was a horse racing enthusiast. Anyway, my friend introduced me to Jennifer years ago at Del Mar and I found her very nice and friendly as well as beautiful! I wish her well with the sale of her lovely beach house.

Anonymous said...

I don't see the charm, only the overpricing.

Anonymous said...

12:44.............a perfect description of California in general!

Anonymous said...

I'll agree that $2.2M is a lot of freaking money for a small house near the beach, but let's get real FloridaZephyr.

California might not be everyone's cup of charming tea, but neither is Florida with all its ticky tacky tract homes and mobile home parks that will evaporate in the next hurricane.

Like it or not, there's a reason Calif. is more expensive that Flor...More people want to live there. Hmm. I Wonder why.

Anonymous said...

Callie......if it's war you want.....I'm in. Far more people love alligator snow-globes and Disneyworld than your Ghetto Disney Fossil. And we have Donald Trump here and Roaches you could saddle. What have you got? Oh yes, Paris, Nicole and Britney.......and that unctuous Perez Hilton. P.S. Sorry Mama but things have been too kissyface since your big break.

Anonymous said...

Poor dear FloridaZephyr...have you never been to California to know that there's much more to offer than Los Angeles? Have you seen Big Sur? How about Point Reyes? Or Santa Barbara, or Death Valley? Or San Francisco?

Besides, if Florida is so great how to you explain all those frightening people up in the panhandle around Pensacola where backwards white trash go to, well, go to WalMart in their curlers and eat anything and everything that can be dropped in a fryer? And I've been to the panhandle to know that is the truth up there.

There are actually plenty of parts of Florida I like just fine...but there's no comparison to Cali in terms of varieties of landscapes and natural beauty.

Anonymous said...

I went by this house on my morning walk this morning. It is charming. While many of you may opt for North of Montana, I find that hood beyond pretentious. The street Jennifer's house is on is one of the best maintained streets I've seen in most of Santa Monica (north of Montana included). The small street is lined with well tended and beautifully updated beach cottages. It is absolutely lovely. While I agree it is overpriced, the house and the street are charming.

Anonymous said...

floridazephyr-you're a fuc*face. FL= bugs, hurricanes, lame realty, old people, and lame ass trolls/ haters. Don't come back. Only Mama fans are welcome here

Anonymous said...

show your tag you cowardly anon! I am among Mama's biggest fans. Mama is not California so don't try to make this about her. Your comment is the effort of a feeble mind trying to express itself forcefully. It says a lot about you that you equate old people with bugs and lame realty.

Anonymous said...

I hope you are satisfied.....I am leaving for good. They will be more welcoming at the Luxury Property Blog. People are mean here. Goodbye

Anonymous said...

I'm a little surprised FloridaZypher...you are the one who said it's been too "kissyface" around here lately, so it would seem strange for you to leap out of the fire saying people are mean.

Besides, given your inflammatory comments, isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?

Anonymous said...

well said callie. Looks like zephyr could dish it out but couldn't take it. not surprised he's a lux prop blog fan. Good riddens!

Anonymous said...

Just finished packing.......eat my dust! By the way, your Mama has a funny lisp.

Anonymous said...

Oh look, FloridaZypher appears to be a homophobe too.

I'm sure that'll go over really well around here?

Adios amigo. Or amiga. Whatever. Who cares...

Anonymous said...

oh please! stereotypes smeriotypes...do you really think florida zephyr meant anything else making mention of a lisp?

Anonymous said...

Nero had a lisp and ruled Rome

Chris F. said...

I adore Jennifer. I hear she has been writing a book on her father, but haven't seen any recent news. I thought the pictures were great.