DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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36 DIGS.NET | 8.16.2019 R E A L E S TAT E | 2 2 8 4 H E R C U L E S D R I V E M A R K E T H eading north through Laurel Canyon, just as the narrow, leafy boulevard starts to ascend toward Studio City and the Valley, an animated sign that with its stylized lettering and tall columns seems like a remnant from a Vegas casino, heralds the entry to Mount Olympus. Don't be fooled into thinking its faux- Grecian theatricality is indicative of what lies just beyond it. e sign does its work magnificently, shielding the area from anyone but residents and visitors. Maneuver up the main drive and one is grateful: Despite its proximity to the busy Sunset Strip, the bustling streets of West Holly wood and beyond, the 300-acre development is a quiet, bucolic, and beautifully maintained hillside retreat of just over 400 single family homes bordering wide, curving streets. e uphill drive is a rare pleasure for the automotive enthusiast; lightly-traveled roads, outlined by slender cypress trees, evoke the Tuscan countryside. Founded in 1969 by actor and producer turned real estate developer Russ Vincent, this area's street names are paeans to the mythical gods of ancient Greece. e view from residences, glimpsed from the car en route to the destination, underlines the name Mount Olympus with breathtaking panoramas that, on a clear day and unobstructed by power lines, stretch from Downtown all the way to the ocean. ere is plenty of opportunity to enjoy these scenes from the home at 2284 Hercules Drive, which has been designed to bask in their magnificence. Celebration is top of mind from the moment the door to this house opens and the water feature that flanks the entryway sounds itself. An open entry, lit by a custom light fixture, offers another welcome. It's not unusual to stand at the doorway in awe. A sprawling open-plan living area unrolls towards walls of glass that frame the stunning scenery that forms the backdrop for almost every moment to occur in this home, including those that happen in the master bedroom suite, which also enjoys this spectacular vista. Even the elegant luxuries—a walk-in closet by one of Italy's leading manufacturer's; a spa tub and capacious steam shower, its walls lined in a exuberantly veined marble made luminous from light that pours in through the bathroom's generous skylight; an astounding floor paved with flawless, oversized slabs of marble; and another wall of closets that stretches across one of the room's walls—pale in comparison to the world beyond the windows. Like suites in other homes of similar size, the bedroom encompasses a sitting area; unlike them, however, the one in this suite will likely find frequent use, positioned to enjoy the outstanding landscape throughout the day. If sleeping with the shades up, one can expect to rise with the dawn, then walk out onto the expansive terrace that sweeps around the house. Sun salutations were designed for this setting: done here, they're a true spiritual awakening.