Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/18929
WRIT TEN BY JOEN GARNICA PHOTOGRAPHED BY MAT T FUKUSHIMA PHOTO ASSISTANT ALEX SERRANO HOME TOUR COORDINATOR JOEN GARNICA A Designer's Pick People often ask me what my decorating/design style is. My answer is always the same, "I don't design in only one style. Personally and professionally I enjoy an eclectic mix of styles." My favorite Home Tour homes of 2010 reflect this precisely, not only in style but also in neighborhoods. A luxurious mansion in the Virginia Country Club, a Craftsman home bursting with color in California Heights, a sprawling early California Ranch home in the Old Country Club Estates of Lakewood, a perfectly decorated modest Spanish style home in Wrigley and a dialed-in designer's loft Downtown. Can't get more diverse than this. The key to a beautiful interior is to surround yourself with items that make you happy and represent who you are. These homes demonstrate this beautifully. A Luxurious Mansion When I first walked up to this impressive mansion that sits on almost an acre the day of the scout, my very first thought was "Wow! I didn't know homes like this existed in Long Beach." I have seen a lot of homes over the years in Long Beach. This mansion was something out of the Hollywood Hills. Once you pick your jaw off the floor right past the grand entry, a sense of warmth and dare I say — coziness — comes to play. Louis and Kevin know fine living. With exotic chickens (and the colorful eggs they produce), pheasants, roosters and fantail doves, roaming the property along with gorgeous artwork and a collection of pianos Beethoven would envy, their backyard aptly has hosted the Gypsy Kings. But, the most significant element of the home is the welcoming ambience — to their humble abode.