IDEAS TO BUILD ON SUNSET'S SPANISH COLONIAL IN VALENCIA GIVES HOMEOWNERS PLENTY TO THINK ABOUT.

Byline: Elizabeth Smilor Correspondent

From the outside, the Sunset Idea House opening this weekend in Valencia is what you'd expect to find in an exclusive gated community. It's a grand Spanish Colonial estate, reminiscent of those designed by the 1920s and '30s. It's perched high on a hill overlooking an oak preserve. There's even a Hummer parked in the driveway.

Once you're through the massive iron front door, however, you might be tempted to pull up a chair and stay awhile. The interior is comfortable, with simple furnishings and colorful accents that blend to create a contemporary Moroccan atmosphere.

``We want people to walk away with the idea that just because it's a Spanish house, everything doesn't have to be curved or carved,'' says interior designer Janet Carpenter. ``You can mix in some contemporary things.''

The Valencia home is the first Sunset Idea House in Southern California and is one of two this year. The other home opens in Sept ctober issue of Sunset. Next year, Sunset will be showing a home in Ladera Ranch near Mission Viejo.

Sunset began the Idea House program in 1998 to showcase ideas from the magazine and innovative new products.

``It's about bringing the magazine to life,'' says design editor Ann Bertelsen. ``Our houses aren't overly designed. We'd rather understate than overstate.''

The Sunset staff chooses a site, builder, architect, interior designer and landscape designer. Then they all work as a team for more than a year to create a custom home that appeals to Sunset readers, blends with the community, showcases the products of major sponsors and contributors - and that can ultimately be sold by the builder.

``It's an inspiration home,'' says Lydia Lyons, Sunset's home program director. ``It's not that we think everyone can afford homes like these, but it gives us a venue to showcase ideas.''

Nearly everything in the house is readily available to consumers because the designers are asked not to use items sold only to the trade, Lyons says. Much of the furniture is from Pottery Barn and Design Within Reach. Lighting is from Home Depot's Expo Design Center. The stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen are made by GE. Even the artwork is by California artists.

Visitors receive a list detailing the sources of everything in the house. They also receive instructions for several do-it-yourself projects featured in the magazine and the home. These include an indoor-outdoor game table, a hose bench, instant wall art and bath salts.

``It's a way to show people they can get a custom look with off-the-shelf furniture and ideas,'' Lyons says.

Sunset anticipates 25,000 to 30,000 people will tour the home. Visitors should plan to spend at least an hour at the home, as it Sunset Idea house ever. The home has 6,000 square feet of air-conditioned space and an additional 2,000 square feet of outdoor living space. It will sell for $3 million to $4 million, Lyons said. The size p challenge for the design team.

``We want to play down the size of the house,'' says Bertelsen. ``The rooms aren't big. It's not an overpowering house. Inside there's an intimacy that's very comfortable.''

Some of the smallest rooms really stand out. The ``casita'' (an office and bathroom with a separate entrance) and the library feature custom wallpaper in rich, luxurious shades of red and purple. Bertelsen admits this wallpaper is one of the more expensive items in the house, but says the same effect could be accomplished with paint.

``It gives a certain drama to those rooms,'' she says. ``And there's a return to wallpaper so we like to encourage that.''

Another intriguing small space is the ``cabana'' overlooking the pool, which is decorated with a massage table and bamboo cabinetry. Glass tiles, a cobblestone floor and concrete sink are featured in the``We wanted it to be really different from the rest of the house,'' says Carpenter of Artistic Environments in Santa Monica, who created the interiors along with partner Kathy Weber. ``It feels very Zen-like.''

The largest space on the first floor is the kitchen/family room. These rooms are tied together with red cabinetry in the family room and on the kitchen island and eye-catching red Moroccan-style tiles in the kitchen.

The kitchen showcases many ideas. GE is debuting its Monogram appliances. The countertops are a nutmeg-colored surface called Richlite made from resin-treated paper, while the island is topped with Carrera marble. There is also open shelving.

``We like to do kitchens with an openness to them,'' Bertelsen says. ``We want to show people they don't have to have matching kitchens. We show them how to mix surfaces on countertops and cabinetry.''

The most striking aspect of the first floor is how it blends with outdoor areas. The designers used the same floor tiles in the entry, inside and outdoor seating areas to help create this effect.

``It's to show how to take advantage of the Southern California climate,'' says Bertelsen. ``We worked very hard to create cross-ventilation in the house and make the rooms flow from the inside out.''

The outdoor space is not expansive, but it's well-planned with a pool, hot tub, outdoor fireplace, outdoor kitchen and two small decks.

``Our goal was to give the homeowner as many different areas as possible and still have it all flow together,'' says landscape designer Nick Williams of Nick Williams & Associates in Tarzana. Williams worked with Sunset senior writer Peter Whiteley.

Like the interior, the outside blends traditional looks with modern conveniences. The oak and sycamore trees were selected because when they mature they will look like they've always been there, says Williams. The front bedding plant colors were chosen to blend with the color of the house's stucco and roof.

The back yard features modern amenities, including a raised pool to create more seating, an outdoor kitchen with grill and refrigerator and Trex decks. These areas are tied together with the same stone throughout. The outdoor fireplace and seating area is fully covered by a roof and feels like an extension of the house.

``Indoor-outdoor living is always a focus of the Idea House and the magazine,'' Lyons says.

Even the upstairs rooms open to outside terraces. The four bedrooms have a distinctly modern feel, especially the master bedroom and bath. The bedroom is painted in a bold textured lavender, achieved with Portola Paints and Glazes of Studio City, and the furniture is classically contemporary.

``I love it because it's different from what you would typically see in a house like this,'' says Carpenter.

The other bedrooms include a serene guest room and two fun Pottery Barn-filled teen bedrooms. There is also a colorful teen lounge upstairs and a small getaway atop the house's turret that overlooks the oak preserve. Finally there is a full basement with a bathroom, wine bar, game room and movie theater.

``The movie theater is something new. We used floor-to-ceiling drapes to give it that theater look,'' says Bertelsen. ``It's not something the majority of our readers have.''

But Bertelsen and the rest of the Valencia Idea House team believe there is something for everyone.

``We hope the house will have a broad appeal,'' says Bertelsen. ``If everyone takes away one idea, well, then it's a success.''

IF YOU GO

Where: The Sunset Idea House is in Westridge Estates, Valencia.

When: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; through Oct. 10.

Cost: $10 general, $8 seniors (on Fridays only), free for children 5 and under.

Parking: Free parking and shuttles are available at the Valencia New Home Information Center at the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard. Parking is not permitted at the house.

Special note: The house is not wheelchair-accessible, and no dogs, strollers or large backpacks are allowed.

Information: [phone] or www.sunset.com/valencia.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Inspiration in every room

Sunset Idea House lays it all out in Valencia

Photo illustration by Shane Michael Kidder

(2 -- color) Ironwork accents the front door of the Spanish Colonial home, which is in a Valencia development.

(3 -- color) The living and kitchen areas - and the entire home, for that matter - are designed using products that any homewoner can obtain.

(4 -- color) A rear turret entrance adds architectural interest to the Sunset Idea House in Valencia.

(5 -- 6 -- color) Above: The kitchen is defined by its red Moroccan tiles and GE Monogram stainless-steel appliances. Right: Indoors flows seamlessly into outdoors at the Idea House, where this patio area features a fireplace and comfortable seating.

(7 -- color) Landscape designer Nick Williams used sycamore trees because as they grow, they'll look like they've always belonged on the property.

Photos by Andy Holzman

Staff Photographer

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)

Map:

Valencia New Home Information Center