DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
Issue link: https://www.southbaydiggs.com/i/1153046
82 DIGS.NET | 8.9.2019 M A R K E T R E A L E S TAT E | 3 0 P O R T U G U E S E B E N D is residence, designed by Hahn and an architect who worked with him on commercial projects, was constructed to offer up the choicest views at strategic points inside and outside of the home, which spans 6,200 square feet and includes six bedrooms and six baths, along with an abundance of fresh-air spaces. Cherished privacy, too. "I would drive by the property over the years before I bought it," says Bizoumis, who's lived in the area since the late-1980s. "As you drive by on the street you can see all the land, but not the house." e pool deck is one of many secluded escapes: a spacious area neatly landscaped with lavender and other plants, and flanked with mature, overhanging trees for shade. Framed with decorative stone, the swimming pool is home to a spacious built-in spa, and sports a Mediterranean touch in the form of three jets flowing water from the stone and into the water. Adjacent to the pool is a roomy outdoor kitchen and dining area with a grand wood-burning oven as its centerpiece. In all, this space calls for sun-splashed, afternoon parties where more is the merrier. Bizoumis recounts the many fundraisers he and his wife have hosted over the years, "where we have 100, 150 people and the guests wander around the property." en there's the intimate gatherings, he points out, "where everybody goes out in the garden and picks their favorite vegetable or fruit, and we come back and cook all together." Another inspired spot is an al fresco viewing deck accessible from the great room via an oversized sliding glass panel. Step outside and it feels like one might be at a hilltop resort far away—especially at sunset, surveying the brilliant shift of colors across the ocean and sky. Or at night, when backlit by the glitter of city lights below, the blackness of sky creates a stunning canvas. "It's an experience, it's a lifestyle," Bizoumis describes life at the top of the hill, likening the property to a piece of artwork, exceedingly rare, "like a beautiful Picasso, or Renoir or Matisse." He says: "You wake up in the morning, you see the surroundings, you have breakfast from your own fruit—and then you get inspired." Returning at the end of the day one can retreat into one's private idyll. "is house is truly one of the absolute best lots in the city of Rolling Hills, maybe in all of Palos Verdes," says Gerard Bisignano, who himself grew up in the community. "Not only for its spectacular views, but for 5 acres of nearly all usable land." e current owners have christened the place Villa Oniero, which means "House of Dreams" and is a fitting descriptor for the ethereal maze of vineyards, gardens and grassy spreads, sunlit and situated on the hillside, with the Pacific Ocean not far away. Nearby is the sophisticated, airy residence that Ernest Hahn, a master of creating pleasing spaces, meticulously fashioned many years ago for the maximum enjoyment of this majestic slice of Earth—a vision that's been smartly carried on and expanded by its current owners, and is now ready for its next chapter.