Casa Elar at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa defines the epitome of service and features for the discriminating guest.  This 10,147 square foot Tuscan Villa overlooks the 16th fairway and raises

The 10,147 square foot Tuscan Villa overlooks the 16th fairway (Photo by Ed Stone)

the bar of excellence to the Hollywood phrase; “home of the rich and famous.”  Special features include: custom-colored exterior, steel-trowel plaster, Santa Barbara sandstone, custom African mahogany windows/doors and operable Italian shutters.  This beautiful and outstanding villa is available for accommodation rental and special events.  With Ojai being 73 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 35 miles south of Santa Barbara, Casa Elar has become a most popular retreat for celebrities and corporate executives.

Guests staying at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa have always enjoyed outstanding service and hospitality no matter which type of accommodations, activities or amenities they choose.   The 308 spacious rooms and suites, most with terraces and fireplaces provide gasping views of the golf course or the surrounding mountain range.  However, recently added the Casa Elar takes impeccable quality to another level.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT Casa Elar at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa: Architect: William Mahan of Santa Barbara Interior Designer: SFA Design of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, Rosie Feinberg Landscape Architect: Katie O’Reilly Rogers of Santa Barbara Exterior light fixtures: Steve Handelman Studios of Santa Barbara Site lighting: Gambino Lighting Contractor: Tyler Development of Calabasas, Matt Grode - lead Landscape Contractor: Clark and White of Los Angeles and Ojai Project Management: NWB Design, Neva Williams Bradigan of Ojai Carpets by Stark Kitchen: Appliances are by Sub-Zero and Wolf There is a total of 12 fireplaces, plus the outdoor pizza oven. Size: Square footage of house – total structure = 10,147 First floor – 5,454 square feet Second floor – 3,953 square feet Garage – 740 square feet

In 2005, the Crown Family of Chicago built the Casa Elar as a private residence.  Casa Elar refers to the initials “L” and “R” for Lester and Renee Crown who also owns the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.  According to Forbes.com, Lester Crown’s net worth is $4 billion and he continues to retain a “big stake of General Dynamics, stock in Hilton Hotels, Alltel and Maytag.  He is an activist spending his free time solving global problems, chairs the Chicago Foreign Relations Council and sits on the board of Aspen Institute.

Casa Elar sits on a 44,000 square foot parcel with four fountains each with their own personality.  Entering the front of the home, guests are greeted with the great terrace fountains that are hand-carved limestone.  The driveway apron features interlocking pavers and the main driveway is chipseal, custom-colored gravel over asphalt.

There are two spacious Master Suites on the upper level appropriately named the Red and Blue Rooms.  Each suite features hand-carved limestone fireplaces and have His and Her bathrooms with crème marfil countertops, honed-limestone floors, and custom millwork.  Each suite has an outdoor covered porch with fireplace.

On the ground level, there are two large bedrooms, each offering full baths featuring crème marfil countertops and custom millwork.  The fireplace in bedroom #3, the Green Room, is hand-carved limestone. The fireplace in bedroom #4, the Yellow Room, is plaster with a tile surround.

Entrance to the Casa Elar at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

For additional guests or staff, there is a spacious apartment over the garage with living room, dining room and kitchenette area, bedroom and bath.

The pool and spa area uses wooden trellis to provide a focus for outdoor gatherings.  The hardscape stone is Getty Museum travertine and Santa Barbara limestone. 

The impressive Great Room includes large seating areas, dining table for 12, buffet area, wood-burning and hand-carved limestone fireplace, walnut floors with a large formal rug.

In the Library/Entertainment room there is a large seating area, card table area, and desk area, wood-burning with hand-carved limestone fireplace featuring deep-red marble surround, built-in bar and large entertainment center with 61 inch flat screen TV.  Full-house sound system can be accessed in the Library (portable control unit) and additional wall Krestron control units are located in the Great Room and Kitchen.

The large kitchen with butler and service pantries, laundry room and staff restroom features

The comfortable living room of the Casa Elar at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

countertops made from basaltine stone.  In the breakfast nook, there is a barrel-roof ceiling leading to an outdoor, covered porch with hand-carved limestone fireplace and travertine hardscape.  Chefs and restaurant staff from the Ojai Resort are often brought to the Casa Elar for food preparation and service.

Finishing the touches to the elevator to the second floor suites features a walnut finish and antique mirror.

On the first floor, there is a guest powder room with a pewter sink in a custom-millwork vanity.

Off the Great Room, an outdoor terrace showcases a hand-carved limestone fountain, travertine from the Getty Museum and overlooks the 14th and 16th fairways of the golf course.

A BBQ terrace includes wooden trellis atop cast concrete pillars, stone Mugnaini pizza oven, gas BBQ, built-in seating, overlooking the barranca.

Casa Elar's yellow room	The red room at the Casa Elar

The formal front entry is of Italian design with enough space to park eight vehicles.  The two-car garage has two additional parking spaces in front of the garage doors. This expansive area also can be used for entertaining as it has an entertainment power package. There are seven field-grown olive trees surrounding the motor courtyard. The front elevation is softened by eight Italian cypress trees. Other plantings include rosemary, roses, lavender and box hedges. Fruit trees include lemon, orange, pear, peach, fig, apple, avocado, and apricot. The front custom-made iron gate is operable by code, card reader and by phone access in the house. 

 

The cart path leading to the golf course is located just behind the number 6 green.

The cart path leading to the golf course has a custom-made iron gate operable by code and card reader.

In the Rotunda, there is a 24’ high entry foyer with a dome finished in Venetian plaster. The floor is limestone, and the baseboards are walnut as are the treads on the circular stair.  Circular stairs with ornate custom-made iron railings lead to the master suites on the second floor.

Added special touches include: a massage room with kiva-style fireplace, facilities for hair salon and a large, and roof garden off the massage room serves as an outdoor treatment area and overlooks the surrounding golf course.  This area is designed for spa treatment attendants to provide the same service at Casa Elar as at the Ojai Spa.

Throughout the villa, artwork is displayed and a large portion of the collection is by local artists from the Ojai Valley. Some of the local names include Carol Topalian, Jeff Sokja, Jennifer Moses and Susan Amend. Architect Bill Mahan was commissioned to paint two watercolors for the home. The first-floor hallway features a collection of archival photographs of some of the numerous stars and celebrities who have visited the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa over the years.

To state that the Casa Elar wreaks of class and sophistication is an understatement.  Here is a home designed for entertaining, relaxing and…most of all…showcasing indescribable beauty.