Cozy in La Cañada-Flintridge

Went to the Sunday open house for this 1925 Ray Kieffer last weekend, just off the 210 Freeway at Foothill Boulevard. It's being offered at a reduced $2,295,000 (was $2,495,000) by The Fairbanks Group.

A Cotswolds cottage in L.A.

Let others rave about the latest Craig Ellwood glass box to hit the market in Brentwood, I'll take the privacy and introspection of this brick English Revival, with many original fixtures (including stunning door hardware) and some sensitive updates in the two smaller upstairs bathrooms.

There is, however, one drawback to this property: immediately nextdoor is this meritricious French pastiche, an obscene grab-bag of overdone clichés, disproportionate features, and clumsy architectural come-ons.

"'Tis a pity she's a whore."