Writer Amy Tan, 62, photographed with her dog, Tux, in her home office. Ms. Tan spent her childhood moving from house to house. ‘Today, the house in Sausalito where I live with my husband, Lou DeMattei, reflects our desire for permanence while the interior takes into consideration a health crisis I faced 15 years ago,’ says Ms. Tan, a sufferer of Lyme disease. Ms. Tan and her husband built the house in 2006.

The home has a living roof of sedums and wild strawberry plants. Other green features include a water-catchment system and storage cistern, and outlets in the garage for charging an electric car and two Segways–the couple’s means of getting around town.

The view of San Francisco Bay from the home. Michael Rex and his associate, Michael Matsuura, maximized every bit of the view, says Ms. Tan. ‘The house took five years to complete, and we moved in 18 months ago. I’m hoping to be as physically fit as I am now until age 140, and this is where Lou and I will be able to live,’ says Ms. Tan.

Architect Michael Rex designed the Sausalito home. ‘In keeping with our idea of a sustainable future, the final structure was 2,600 square feet, but it seems larger with its sweeping views of Sausalito Harbor, San Francisco Bay and Angel Island,’ says Ms. Tan. It’s a modern craftsman house with Greene and Greene architectural influences.

Glass folding doors run across the length of the house’s great room and dining room, allowing the living space to extend to the veranda and patio.

‘The interior was designed as an all-accessible house, with an elevator from the garage level. Very few custom homes are built with accessibility in mind while the owners are healthy,’ says Ms. Tan. The house is designed with roll-in showers, walk-in bathtubs and wide sliding doors.

Bugatti Type 41 1926–1933

Better known as the Royale because of its intended customer base, the Bugatti Type 41 was an enormous car. It weighed 3.5 tons, stretched 21 feet, rested on 24-inch wheels, and was powered by a 12.7-liter straight-8 engine. The car, which could cost $40,000 or more when new, depending on the bodywork, arrived a few years before the world economy plummeted into the Great Depression. Consequently, Bugatti built only six, each with unique bodywork, and sold only four.

Duesenberg Model J/SJ 1928–1937

Duesenberg Motors Corp. built 481 examples of the Model J and its variants, including the supercharged SJ (said to be capable of 140 mph), which debuted in 1932. Owned by such luminaries as the kings of Italy and Spain, the queen of Yugoslavia, the Duke of Windsor, William Randolph Hearst, Howard Hughes, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper (the latter two drove the only two 400 hp SSJ short-wheelbase convertibles), the Model J became a symbol of wealth and glamour.

Bugatti Type 57 1934–1940

The original Bugatti Type 57 was designed by Jean Bugatti, a son of the company’s founder, Ettore Bugatti, but the marque also built a number of Type 57 variants, including the Type 57S. Set on a lower chassis, the Type 57S (the S stood for surbaissé, or “lowered”) had a V-shaped dip at the bottom of its radiator. Bugatti produced only four examples of what has become the most coveted Type 57S body style, the Atlantic. The Atlantic’s signature design element is the pronounced dorsal seam that runs the length of the car. The seam contained the rivets that held the aluminum body panels together.

Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B 1937–1938

With a top speed of 120 mph, the 180 hp Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B was touted at the time of its debut as the world’s fastest production road car. It marked the debut of the Superleggera (Italian for “superlight”) body by the Italian studio Carrozzeria Touring. In addition to reducing the weight of the car (and thus increasing its speed), the style also allowed for innovative body shapes such as the one on the 8C 2900B Mille Miglia Spider. Alfa Romeo built a total of about 30 2900B models.

Talbot-Lago T150C 1937–1939

The Talbot-Lago T150C’s signature teardrop silhouette is credited to Figoni and Falaschi’s Joseph Figoni, an Italian coachbuilder who had opened a shop in Paris in the 1920s. Figoni’s design is said to have been inspired by the aerodynamic pontoons that covered the landing gear of that era’s aircraft. Many of the 14 T150Cs that Talbot-Lago built also displayed Figoni’s innovative use of metallic paints and two- and three-tone color schemes.

Bentley Continental R-Type 1952–1955

The Bentley Continental R-Type was the two-door version of the R-Type, a car that, except for a larger trunk, looked similar to its predecessor, the Mark VI. Bentley built about 2,500 R-Types during the model’s production run, and 207 of those were Continentals. H.J. Mulliner and Co., now the custom-coachwork arm of Bentley Motors, bodied most of the Continentals, fashioning them as fastback coupes. Powered by a 4.6-liter (later a 4.9-liter) straight-6 engine, the Continental achieved a top speed above 100 mph.

Ferrari 250 GT 1954–1964

Ferrari produced a variety of high-performance 250 GTs, including cabriolets, berlinettas, roadsters, and coupes, though perhaps the most revered variation of the 250 GT is the 250 GTO. Ferrari produced 36 examples of what has become known as the Series I 250 GTO, and those that have survived are among the world’s most valuable collectible cars. They are coveted for their rarity, their racing heritage—Ferrari’s team of 250 GTOs won the world championship of its racing class in each of the car’s three production years—and the beauty of their slinky Scaglietti-built bodies.

Jaguar E-Type Coupe Series 1 1961–1967

The first of three distinct versions of the Jaguar E-Type is regarded as a work of art—not just by auto enthusiasts, but also by museum curators: The car, in convertible form, has been featured in exhibitions at London’s Design Museum and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Its bullet-like shape is based on arcane mathematical formulas employed by the designer Malcolm Sayer, an aerodynamicist who had worked in the aircraft industry before joining Jaguar. Sayer’s design plus a 6-cylinder, 3.8-liter engine (increased to 4.2 liters in 1964) enabled the vehicle to reach a top speed of nearly 150 mph.

Lincoln Continental (fourth generation) 1961–1969

Originally a proposal for the Ford Thunderbird, Elwood Engel’s design for the Continental has been credited with saving the Lincoln marque from extinction. Robert McNamara, Ford’s president at the time, was prepared to terminate the Lincoln brand because of declining sales, but he saw sufficient promise in Engel’s Thunderbird design to reconsider that plan. The car was an immediate and long-term success, achieving sales of 25,160 in its first year and more than 30,000 in each of the next eight years.

Lamborghini Miura 1966–1972

The Miura, the first viable mid-engine sports car, might be Lamborghini’s most celebrated model, for both its mechanical and aesthetic attributes. A rolling chassis prototype of the vehicle debuted at the 1965 Turin auto show, and though the car lacked a body, showgoers still placed orders for it. The 350 hp Miura, then called the P400, received an even greater reception at the 1966 Geneva motor show, where it appeared with bodywork that was designed by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini.

Arabella is one of the leading landscape designers working in the UK today and has an unrivalled command of both landscape design and the highest quality plantsmanship. Italian by birth, she has been working in the UK for over 40 years designing over 400 gardens worldwide including 6 Chelsea Flower Show Gold medal gardens, including best of show in 1998.

Her many commissions range from small town gardens to large historical country landscapes, Mediterranean garden to commercial projects including the iconic roof garden at No. 1 Poultry in the City of London included as one of the sights of London in Danny Boyles film celebrating London for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games and the first large landscape for the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Charity in Dundee. Larger projects include the gardens at Eaton Hall, Cheshire; roof gardens for in Hong Kong, a garden and park in Dallas, gardens in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, Barbados, Canada and the USA. Currently she is working on large projects in the UK, the US and the Ukraine amongst others.

Arabella is at the forefront of planting design in the UK, with particular emphasis on the uses of trees and shrubs in her gardens. She is a member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee and a patron of the Painshill Trust and also serves as a Trustee for the Chelsea Physic Garden. She is on the Council of the International Dendrology Society and on the Scientific Panel. She is a trustee of The Tree Register T.R.O.B.I and The Yorkshire Arboretum Trust. She has served as a Trustee of Kew Gardens for nine years, was a member of The Historic Parks and Gardens Panel of English Heritage and sat on the Heritage panel for six contemporary Heritage gardens and was a founding member of the Marin McLaren Horticultural Scholarship.

Arabella was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Design (HonDDes) by the University of Greenwich where she is also a member of The Assembly, the RHS Veitch Memorial Medal for her outstanding work in horticulture, the International Prestige Prize Tor San Lorenzo in recognition of her lifelong commitment to innovation in design and the prestigious Premio Firenze Donna prize for her outstanding achievements both as a landscape architect and as a business-woman.

Arabella has written three books, Traditional English Gardens, Private Gardens of London, and in May 2002 published a book on her work, Designing Gardens. She has lectured on her work in the UK, Italy and the USA.

Arabella has spent the last 30 years building her own garden at Gresgarth, near Lancaster where she has not only designed a truly remarkable garden, both in design and planting terms, but is also developing one of the most exciting new arboretums in the country with plants often collected on her many plant hunting trips. She also propagates rare trees and shrubs from her travels for herself and other plant lovers.

  When Bette Midler moved to New York from Los Angeles in 1995, she was horrified by the litter strewn across the landscape. The singer and actress not only launched a one-woman pickup operation, but also founded the enormously successful New York Restoration Project (NYRP) to revitalize neglected green spaces. Just two decades later, NYRP has acquired 52 community gardens in underserved communities across the five boroughs and redesigned nearly half of them, enlisting residents in all phases of the work, from design to ongoing maintenance.
In addition to gardens, NYRP has expanded its mission to include planting more than 840,000 trees in partnership with the city, with a goal of one million by 2015. The nonprofit also teamed up with Urban Air Foundation, TEN Arquitectos, and Buro Happold to design low-cost kits for modular casitas that can serve as sun- and rainproof gathering spots and also, by way of roof-mounted photovoltaic energy collectors, provide off-the-grid community nodes where neighbors can charge phones in the wake of a blackout. And, with support from the Thompson Family Foundation and innovative porous design by architectural firm Bade Stageberg Cox, NYRP will build a boat storage facility and an outdoor classroom and science cove along the Harlem River that will host environmental-education classes. Beginning this June, it will launch a green-space takeover of an entire neighborhood, revitalizing everything from its parks and schoolyards to street trees and median strips.
“We want to build stronger communities,” says NYRP executive director Deborah Marton, “and public open spaces are places where people can encounter each other in ways that can do that.” NYRP’s gardens, which range in size from 2,000 to 15,000 square feet, are the perfect low-stakes opportunity, she says. “It’s not the workplace; it’s just a place of beauty and pleasure. You go there to plant some stuff, grow some stuff, and get to know your neighbors.”

Age 27. From Brazil. Earnings $47,650

Adriano De Souza rode his first wave at eight years old and eight years later the surf world would take notice of this young, talented surfer at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. At the 2004 event, he defeated opponents four years his senior and was named the youngest ASP World Junior Champion ever at 16.

Spectators observed his fast, energetic surfing and he quickly became known as one of the most exciting surfers to watch. In 2005, he won the ASP WQS by the widest margin in history. That win took him into his first year on the ASP World Tour where he finished an impressive 18th in the world. Although his style is more conducive to smaller beach breaks, he is showing his competitors that he can also handle big wave surf, giving his country hope that he has what it takes to transition from a junior champion to something much more. To date, he’s one of the most ferocious competitors the sport has ever seen and it shows in the ratings, with consistent top 10 overall finishes since 2008, positioning himself as a serious contender for a world title.

Ceilings are reaching new heights.
These days, “10 feet is the new 9 feet,” said architect John Cetra of New York-based CetraRuddy Architecture, noting that home buyers love high ceilings because they allow room for tall windows. They also give architects more space to play—with features like domes, mosaics and vaults. In contemporary homes, a wood or tile ceiling can provide texture and warmth.

Here’s a sampling of dramatic design options.

Barrel vaults were originally structural in purpose, often used in industrial buildings to support heavy machinery. In Manhattan’s 19th-century Puck Building, brick vaults with steel beams were installed in the floors underneath the printing presses that were once housed in the space, said Mr. Ramirez, who designed six residential units in the building for developer Kushner Cos. In converting the space to condos, plaster was removed to expose the original brick vaults and beams.

Made by nature

New condominiums and modern houses are generally known for simple ceilings with clean lines. But many buyers of contemporary homes now want natural materials, like wood, rather than “just a white box,” said Chad Oppenheim, founder of Miami-based Oppenheim Architecture + Design. “We’ve been seeing a movement to make modernism more warm, more comfortable,” he said. “People are tired of that cold aesthetic.” In a contemporary home in the Bahamas, Mr. Oppenheim designed ceilings made of 8-inch-wide cedar planks.

Wooden beams and boards have long been popular in traditional-style homes, said Randy Correll, a partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects and co-author of the book “Designs for Living.” For a basement wine cellar inside an oceanfront house in Dartmouth, Mass., the firm designed a structure of white oak beams. In what they call a “Crown of Thorns” pattern, the beams are stacked symmetrically in a circle. “It’s at the end of this long passageway, so it was like a little surprise when you get to that room,” Mr. Correll said.

“Crown of Thorns” beamed ceiling: $15,000 to $20,000;
Cedar-plank ceiling: $21,600

A coffered ceiling is typically a series of sunken panels that are square or rectangular. The effect is somewhat akin to an upside-down egg crate, Mr. Cetra said. Popular in traditional homes, coffers are often made out of wood beams, plaster or drywall, then decorated with molding and lighting. They have “an element of formality without being over-the-top ornate,” said designer and home builder Bobby Webb, adding that he often uses them in dining rooms, libraries and home theaters.

A groin vault—a series of intersecting arches—is a classic architectural feature that has been used for centuries, said Andrew Scott Kirschner, co-founder of Jackson Kirschner Architects and Associates in Melbourne, Fla. A groin vault “creates a mood or feeling as you walk through,” he said, and signals that “the space you’re going into is really special.” A 25-foot-high groin-vaulted ceiling he designed for a client’s home in Orchid Island, Fla., was decorated with a hand-painted fresco showing tropical birds and flowers

Groin-vaulted ceiling with painted fresco: $80,000

Everyone loves a secret.

  Hidden rooms and passageways might seem like the stuff of a Victorian murder mystery, but these spaces are increasingly popular in homes, with owners installing them for reasons of design, security and just plain fun.

“No one knows it’s there,” says Jerry Stubbs of the secret room he built under the garage of his Spanish Fork, Utah, home. “I put valuables in there, and our food storage and guns.”

Mr. Stubbs, a general contractor, excavated the space, then bought a Creative Home Engineering bookcase with a secret door for access to the room.

Since launching in 2004, Gilbert, Ariz.-based Creative Home has sold about 500 secret doors, says founder Steve Humble. Sales have increased in each of the past three years, he says, with 2014 on pace to be its best year.

Security is a prime consideration for many customers, Mr. Humble notes, but hidden spaces aren’t all a matter of safeguarding against potential intruders.

Hidden wine cellars and children’s playrooms are homeowner favorites, adds John Witt, president of Witt Construction, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Secret rooms aren’t Witt’s focus, but with word-of-mouth driving demand, the company takes on several such projects a year, he says.

Cardok, based outside Geneva, builds garages that rise out of the ground on hydraulic lifts, allowing owners to tuck their cars neatly out of sight when they aren’t in use. “It saves space, and it’s a very discreet design,” says Izabela Waligora, a project manager at the company. “It doesn’t spoil your entrance or your garden.”

A secret door is cool, but the real fun is in how you open it, says Mr. Humble, of Creative Home Engineering. His bookshelf installation, for example, can be rigged to open via any number of mechanisms: twisting a wine bottle, pulling a candlestick, pushing on a book. “Any kind of secret switch you’ve seen in a movie, I guarantee we’ve done that for a client before,” he says.

The company has seen a growing demand for biometric access devices like fingerprint and iris scanners.

Price: $2,500 up to $50,000.

The U.K.-based Spiral Cellars company sells underground wine cellars built around a spiral-staircase design. Offering storage for a many as 1,776 bottles, the cellars are topped with trap doors that can be finished to match the surrounding flooring.

“So you have a good functional wine cellar, and it’s also very discreet,” says Lucy Hargreaves, co-owner and director of the company.

Of course, she notes, not everyone is interested in discretion. Some customers are opting for glass trap doors that let them show off, rather than hide, their collections below.

And then there are those who want the best of both worlds, and add a little mystery, too.

“We have a client who really liked the glass trap door, but he doesn’t want to see it all the time, so he keeps a nice rug over it,” Ms. Hargreaves says.

Price: $25,000 to $100,000

Single Family Home Sales

Santa Monica

Average Selling Price:$ 2,708,413
Average List Price:$ 2,745,130
Avg Sales Price/Avg. List Price: 98.7%
Median Price:$ 2,160,000
Average Days on Market:49
Number of Listings Sold:23

Pacific Palisades

Average Selling Price:$ 2,941,000
Average List Price:$ 2,968,863
Avg Sales Price/Avg. List Price: 99.1%
Median Price:$ 2,550,000
Average Days on Market:44
Number of Listings Sold:33

Malibu Beach

Total Sold Dollar Volume:$ 31,580,000
Average Selling Price:$ 6,316,000
Average List Price:$ 5,788,000
Avg Sales Price/Avg. List Price:109.1%
Median Price:$ 5,600,000
Average Days on Market:128
Number of Listings Sold:5

Malibu

Total Sold Dollar Volume:$ 29,760,000
Average Selling Price:$ 2,705,454
Average List Price:$ 2,856,272
Avg Sales Price/Avg. List Price: 94.7%
Median Price:$ 2,200,000
Average Days on Market:102
Number of Listings Sold:11

Looks pretty awesome I have to say.

Anthony Walsh does nothing but get tubed. That’s it, that’s all. You woke up this morning, maybe had a quick surf, then pulled yourself together and went to work or school. Walsh woke up in a tropical jungle somewhere, ate a pineapple, then went for a marathon session, during which he got more barreled on his first wave than you have in your whole damn life. Later, that same day, you ate a granola bar and daydreamed about getting a little head dip after work; Walsh was dancing around on the foam ball of some big blue cavern. After work, you headed for the beach, saw a couple little wedges that looked fun, pulled on a grimy wetsuit, and, at the same time—whoosh, Walsh was flying out of a 50-yard screamer, dry-haired, having not so much as looked at a computer all day.

For example, while all of us were at the DMV, the dentist, The Container Store, wherever, Walsh made this incredible clip at what looks to be Desert Point, in about the dreamiest conditions imaginable. If you’re counting at home, that’s five (5!) barrels on just this one wave. Setting up for the fourth section—the really big perfect tube—Walsh looks bored. Imagine the ridiculous face you’d be making right there.

After this wave, Walsh caught another, then another, then another. At no point during his day did he daydream about anything else.

  242 Surfview Dr• Offered at $3,495,000.• 4 Bed Traditional in Pacific Views Estates.• Recently redone approx. 4000 sq ft on 13,000 sq ft lot.•Room for pool and ocean views.• Just a stroll from the Getty Villa and the beach.
Call for a private showing 310.255.5411