The Best of Both Coasts

The Best of Both Coasts

Steve and Claudia Reich have in their home a rare, attractive combination: the traditional architecture of the East Coast and the warm, relaxing climate of California’s Pacific. Built in 2001,the 5,900-square-foot estate rests on one-and-a-quarter acres in Camarillo, a thriving community nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara and the legendary Malibu Beach.

Steve, who owns an insurance agency, and Claudia, a semi-retired marketing executive, were looking to stay close to their hometown of Thousand Oaks, where they were married in 1976, and wanted a setting perfectly suited to entertaining clients and a large extended family. The couple found their home the day their real estate agent took them to see a different property in the same development.

Claudia says that after the tour, she pointed across the street and told the agent, “Now that’s the one I want.” The 20-room home combines Cape Cod design with estate scaling—a rare find in The Golden State.”I had seen enough Spanish architecture. I was drawn to the East Coast feeling of this home with its shingles, the white trim. It’s like traditional Nantucket right here in California,” Claudia says.

A Home Built for Entertaining

“When we entered the home for the first time, the high ceilings drew us in. All the light from the two-story design lends such an open feeling to the space. It’s great for entertaining,” Claudia says. From the entry, the floor plan opens to a formal dining room on the right, the piano room on the left, and the vast great room straight ahead. “I love the floor plan. When I entertain, I don’t feel secluded in the kitchen. Everyone feels free to roam.”

The great room includes kitchen and living room, which are separated by a tiered granite-topped, wrap-around bar. Steve says, “That’s where all the action takes place. Everyone always seems to gather around the bar.” The kitchen is outfitted with top-of-the-line Bosch appliances, all paneled in maple cabinetry to create a seamless transition from the other cabinets and to fit within the great room’s décor. The entire great room opens to the outside thanks to the sets of double doors flanking the great room’s gas fireplace. “Even inside, it’s an open-air feeling. The easy transition from kitchen to backyard is so nice.”

For formal meals, the family gathers in the dining room around the square mahogany dining table, which seats up to 20 for special-occasion dining. The togetherness is enhanced by the dining room’s paneled walls and the custom brushed nickel light fixture, which casts a warm glow over the feast.

On the other side of the entryway is the piano room, a soaring, light-filled space perfect for showcasing Claudia’s most prized possession. “It’s a rosewood Yamaha studio grand that has survived several California earthquakes,” she says. Her mother earned her masters degree in music and played classical pieces with orchestras. The beautiful piano, once hers, takes center stage in the rotunda. “It’s the first thing you see when you come in the front door,” she says. Claudia enjoys playing classical pieces as well; Bach and Beethoven are her favorite composers.

In a home built for entertaining, extra bedrooms are essential. Three of the five bedrooms are located downstairs, the master is situated at the back of the house, and the guest quarters with separate entrance is located over the three-car attached garage. The luxurious master bath features a walk-in shower and a generously sized tub surrounded by windows that overlook the backyard, creating the perfect setting for a relaxing, invigorating soak.

Claudia worked with interior designer Michelle McGrail to incorporate the East Coast feeling of the architecture throughout the home’s décor. For example, the library’s dark mahogany paneling sets off the powder blue and chocolate brown custom shades made for the windows. Whitewashed wainscoting in Claudia’s office lends a decidedly Atlantic feeling to the space. “It feels formal, a style and an environment I love,” Claudia says.

While Steve’s favorite interior feature is the 50″ flatscreen TV, perfect for spending Sundays watching football, Claudia enjoys the upstairs hallway filled with family photos. “Photography is a hobby of mine. I love going up and sinking my feet into the cashmere rug, enjoying a glass of wine, looking at the pictures. It’s like a personal gallery,” she says.

From Blank Slate To Breathtaking

When Steve and Claudia moved in, the landscape that surrounded the home was nothing like the lush getaway it is today. “The backyard was all grass when we moved in, so we started from scratch,” Steve says. Since then, the Reichs have added a tiered patio of brick, stone, and carved concrete; an open-ceiling cedar overhang; a built-in outdoor grilling center with rotisserie and refrigerator; two outdoor fireplaces; a full-service bar that comfortably seats eight; and a six-hole putting green for Steve, who golfs socially and competitively. The most challenging part of the transformation? Digging the swimming pool in the rainy season. “The unusually wet winter set progress back,” Steve says, “but the waiting was worth it.” The results are indeed magnificent. The three–tiered, 9-foot-deep swimming oasis features granite boulder waterfalls, fountains, and a bubbling Jacuzzi.

To highlight the new hardscaping, the couple consulted landscape architects Gregg Toland and Doug Castle, and landscape contractor/designer George Kerr, who brought the land to life with flowering bursts of color and plenty of uplit birch, sycamore, and spiraled juniper trees. “I was never a gardener before I moved here. I’d never planted a flower. But I am learning,” Claudia says. She has chosen the ideal location to study—their home is situated in the Oxnard Plain, which has some of the most fertile soil in the world, average temperatures in the low 70s, and 300 days of sunshine annually. “It’s been trial and error, start and redesign. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s a dream,” Claudia says. Steve says it’s a work in progress: they hope to add an arbor to the property this year.

The stunning backyard designed for entertaining was put to the test last September when Steve and Claudia’s 28-year-old daughter Ashley was married. They hosted a reception for 200 guests, complete with a 14-piece band performing on stage. Guests mingled around 25 round tables and a generously sized white tent brought in for the occasion. “It was beautiful and never felt crowded,” Claudia says.

The Reichs have since held parties for the neighborhood and holiday gatherings for family, which consists of the couple’s two grown daughters, Dionne and Ashley. Dionne has four children, two girls and twin boys. The home proves the perfect locale for gathering with the entire extended family—Claudia and Steve have seven brothers and sisters and 25 nieces and nephews in all. They fly in from Montana, Jerusalem, New York, Georgia, Oregon, and Arizona for – for annual Easter egg hunts, Thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas parties. “Christmas around here lasts two weeks. It’s great,” Steve says. Claudia says last year she decorated to the hilt with Frontgate ornaments, trees, garland, and stockings. “It was beautiful.” In addition to Frontgate’s holiday offerings, Claudia outfits her outdoor spaces with rugs, lighting, pillows, and accessories from Frontgate. “I love the quality, the color. They’re things we use every day here in California,” she says.

When the Reichs aren’t entertaining at home, they enjoy ski excursions. “Mammoth and Park City are our favorite places to ski locally, but nothing beats the Matterhorn in Switzerland,” Claudia says. And though getting away is enjoyable, their home in Camarillo is a dream—for them and their guests. “There is always someone visiting, and we love that. We never want to move,” Steve says. With the best of both coasts in their own backyard, why would they?