Our New Home ~ Hermosa Beach ~ My 500th Post!

Who would've ever thought that my 500th post would be about a new house!

The story behind this house is a crazy one. After my "fact finding trip" to Southern California from China I began getting emails for homes in the areas I liked. I must've looked at hundreds of houses and street views from google maps. There were many homes that stood out to me. After we decided that we wanted to rent it narrowed some things down for us. It also redirected our decision from South Pasadena to the beach areas.

It was very common for me to get the realtor emails in the middle of the night, Beijing time. Usually I would check my phone once or twice in the middle of the night, but never had I actually opened the home pics until the next morning. I don't know what was different about this one, but at 3:38am I opened the info and pics for this particular house. I fell in love with the pictures right away and could not go back to sleep! I googled everything I could about this house and waited for hubby to wake up. When he did we immediately applied for it, sight unseen.

We arrived in LA on Friday afternoon and asked the realtor if we could see it on Saturday. When we looked at it, in person, I was thrilled. Hubby was nervous to be taking this step, but liked it. Both kids really liked it. Four out of four people...sold! We signed the papers first thing on Monday! We move in on July 1st...wanna see?

Our street. You can see the ocean, just under a mile away.
We are up on a hill, great for view, bad for biking.

The outside of the home.
 I would never approve of a side entry (with all garage) unless it was at the beach. 

The Dutch Door lets in the ocean breezes.

The owners of the house have lived here for over twenty years and, like myself, never intended for their pride and joy to be a rental. The remodel is brand new and they picked everything for themselves. Then they decided to move to Maui!

Upon entering the house you find the one and only living space.
This will be a HUGE adjustment, as our current home had three living spaces.

I love the blue cabinets with white on top. The counter tops are soap stone, exactly what I woud choose. The door leads to the back yard. 

Butlers pantry with half bathroom.
I love the ample storage for all of my dishes. 

The farmhouse sink and subway tile was a huge selling point for me!

The modern touches are perfect for a beach house. 

The kids will share this bathroom.
The pulls are toothbrushes and toothpaste. 

The daughter's room. She is destined to have french doors wherever she goes. This room has a huge closet with mirrored doors. Perfect for a teen girl!

The view from the daughter's room. On a clear day you can see the LA skyline. Here is a sneak peak of the back yard. I am so excited to have a garden again with climate that won't fry my plants!

The boy's room. This is under debate because this room could be divided. We desperately need the extra space, but he is not giving it up easily. Stay tuned for how that plays out. 

The master bedroom is huge and you can see the ocean from the balcony. 

The owner had this wall closet custom built, lucky us!

The master bath has two motorized sky lights.

The backyard is one of my favorite places.
There is lighting and plenty of space for entertaining. 

The view from the yard. Those doors to the left house the laundry. I will definitely have to get used to my laundry being outside. But it still is a step up from our laundry in Beijing!

 Of course we have no idea how we are going to store all of our extra stuff, but we are excited to make this our home for the next couple of years. Stay tuned as I make it ours. . . and the welcome mat is always out for visitors!