Corona del Mar’s Village

With most homes just blocks (or less) from the beach, cafés and restaurants, and boutiques, CdM’s flower streets neighborhood—or “The Village,” as locals call it—runs on either side of PCH from Avocado to Hazel, and has all the convenience of downtown living with the appeal of a small-town, close-knit community vibe.  It’s the type of friendly neighborhood where shop owners like Kirsten Prosser of On Que Style offer nearby restaurant recommendations to shoppers while helping them decide between Gucci and DVF frocks, and where the baristas at Rose Café greet you by name and open at 5 a.m. each day to serve the pre-dawn workforce with coffee and just-the-way-you-like-it breakfast burritos.

Country-Style Living

When Dan and Jean Ardell serendipitously followed a lead from a broker at an open house to check out a home with a great canyon view, they knew within minutes they had something special. Jean’s love affair with Corona del Mar began in the ’60s when she first lived in the area. “I moved away but came back in 1990 with my husband. When I walked into this house, we wanted it right away.”

Set on the edge of the flower streets, the home was different than the others. Houses here are often small affairs, with even smaller outdoor offerings. But the Ardells’ upper Hazel home is reminiscent of a country ranch abode, with its own version of the “white picket fence,” Southern-style shutters, mature trees and a large backyard with enough space for a game of croquet and even a train set.

Jean, a writer and best-selling author, and Dan, a former professional baseball player, appreciated the views, the canyon microclimate and rare space, but proximity to local offerings was also a draw—it’s city living with a country, open space feel, they say.

Originally a mid-century single-story dwelling, the house has been updated with an extra 600 square feet that includes a game room, separate dining room and expanded kitchen. Jean spends time reading in her own personal haven—a bedroom window seat, which transforms into a living mural by day when it filters in the soft palette of the nature outside. The living room has exposed wood beam ceilings, a shabby chic brick fireplace flanked by rows of books and ample seating room.

The couple enjoys hosting dinner parties that fill the tomato-red dining room (a color Jean calls an instant party) or spill out into the backyard.

With their last child away at college, the couple says their neighborhood also provides great company. Jean fondly recalls the area’s annual summer block party, where the street is closed off and neighbors bring dishes for a potluck. They have also gotten together to host progressive dinners, with each meal offered at a different home.  Jean says, “It’s just a really great neighborhood.”

FAMILY FACTS: Jean and Dan Ardell
DAY JOBS: Jean is a writer and Dan is a former professional baseball player who is now in real estate.
SPACE: 2,200 square feet.
TIMELINE: The house was built in 1955 and remodeled in 1998.
FABULOUS FEATURE: The backyard—complete with a roaring train set and mock cityscape.

 Easy Entertaining

Before moving to Goldenrod Avenue, Jack and Camie Flynn were living in a converted warehouse that doubled as an art gallery. The lease on the property was coming to an end, the place wasn’t comfortable for the dogs and Camie didn’t exactly have a kitchen to cook in. “We drove up and down every street in the area, hoping to find someone that knew someone in the area who could recommend a place,” Jack says.“My wife came across the house for rent, and it turns out that the landlords lived right next door. The landlord wanted to meet us and our dogs before signing a lease, so we had a talk with our dogs and said, ‘don’t blow this for us,’ ” he says.The couple’s shelter dogs Max and Sam behaved perfectly, and in the three years since, the family has become ensconced in the neighborhood. From their front porch, only partially hidden from the street by perfectly planted horsetail, they’ve seen neighbors’ kids grow up and couples add to their brood. “We chase the sun, starting out with a cup of coffee in the morning on the front porch and transferring to the back for a glass of wine in the evening,” Jack says.The 1950s single-story dwelling was built off site and trucked to its flower street location, where it’s remained ever since. Structurally, the owners built an addition before Jack and Camie moved in, but the real changes came as a result of the couple’s design renovation. “I’d call it comfortably eclectic,” says Jack of the home’s interior style. Like a perfectly curated gallery space, they have incorporated well thought out flea market finds like antique bread-baking pans turned garden plant holders and a former medical examination table turned office desk, along with well-chosen retail finds, such as the industrial dining room table from CB2.