Inside A $20 Million California Ranch Infused With Feng Shui This contemporary ranch-style home, on the market for $19,800,000, was built for its forward-thinking owners as a five-bedroom private sanctuary just outside Los Angeles. On the market at $19,800,000, the five-bedroom, nine-bathroom home spans 9,400 square feet of contemporary ranch-style living—ideally oriented following consultation with two feng shui masters.ver so enjoyed your stay at a luxury resort that you envisaged living there? Of course you have. Same goes for the owners of. Not content with simply dreaming, Brazilian couple Rosa Cursage and Adriana Ruggio—a CEO and gerontologist respectively—sold their sports apparel business, retired and made grand plans for a forever holiday. “The vision was to demolish what was already here and build our dream home, surrounded by horses and land,” Ruggio explains. The pair bought the property in 2013 and took three years to realize their ambitions in the rural gated town of Rolling Hills, on the Palos Verdes peninsula, south of Los Angeles. As all seasoned renovators do, they lived in the house for a year to get a feel for it before moving out to start from scratch. “We have 180-degree views of the city, so our idea was a bold new design that integrated the panoramas into our daily life,” Ruggio recalls. “Before, we lived by the ocean and realized that while it was nice during the day when we weren’t there, at night there was nothing to see. Now, we have 24-hour views of the city and mountains, as well as the Hollywood sign in the distance.” 38 Saddleback's position means panoramic views towards the mountains during the day and the twinkle of city lights at night.Ruggio and Cursage hired award-winning Palos Verdes-based architect Criss Gunderson, who is well-versed in adhering to the strict building regulations of the town. Gunderson devised a blueprint for the contemporary ranch in the style of housebuilder Cliff May—renowned for nearbyin the 1950s. Think wide windows and doors on the all-white exterior made from the same Hope steel found in the Getty Museum. Italian limestone, walnut floors, Calacatta marble, ceramic tiles, 150-year-old reclaimed beams and other natural materials throughout. And hardware meticulously crafted by artisanal maker Rocky Mountain—like jewelry for buildings. Midcentury modern-inspired architecture courtesy Criss Gunderson nods to Cliff May's Rancho Estates of Long Beach.“Inside, we could do anything, so we hired a company that usually specializes in hospitality interiors for the likes of the Four Seasons. The thinking was to create a home that would feel like a luxury resort but would be efficient and easy to maintain,” Cursage recalls. Armed with a little black book of the best in the business, the couple didn’t think twice about flying in a lighting designer from their native Brazil to create just the right ambience. Super-high-spec natural materials dominate the interiors—Italian limestone, Calacatta marble, ceramic tiles and Rocky Mountain Hardware fittings.Likewise, the two feng shui masters with whom they had worked previously. “I believe in feng shui and how it impacts on your energy,” Cursage explains. “So, on the drawings we had the house moved a little more south-west to make it straight instead of on a slight angle. You hardly noticed, but it was there.” Other nips and tucks were incorporated during both the demolition and construction phases to create the perfect flow of energy, including wider doors throughout. Ruggio admits that she’s the more pragmatic of the two, but equally can’t complain. “Most people can feel the feng shui when they walk into the house and say it feels light and peaceful.”Strand Hill Properties The main kitchen is all about easy, elegant entertaining with the finest appliance: Sub-Zero, Gaggenau, La Cornue. The outdoor "Brazilian" kitchen is where the barbecue and pizza oven swing into action.Cooking and entertaining are part of the culture in Brazil, so dedicated spaces for both were built into the fabric of the home, complete with the ‘it’ kit from Sub-Zero, Gaggenau and La Cornue. Cursage says: “We wanted a main kitchen that reflected our identities, with an open space that’s integrated with the outdoors.” There’s also a second ‘Brazilian’ kitchen with a barbecue, pizza oven and beer tap for hosting. Certainly, there’s no shortage of space to play for the professional chefs hired to cater the couple’s glamorous fundraisers and parties. And the dining room—anchored by a bold Lindsey Adelman chandelier—and wine cellar, built from recycled French castle stones, can accommodate even the largest of guestlists. Anchoring the dining room is a boldly geometric chandelier by Lindsey Adelman. The owners hired a lighting consultant from their native Brazil.Continuing the five-star experience are wellness spaces—because it’s all about balance—including a home gym, massage suite, cedar-lined dry and wet saunas, swimming pool and soaking tub-cum-outdoor shower. Indeed, one never really needs to leave, and that’s the whole point. “We’re homebodies, so we’ve always had masseuses, trainers and manicurists come over rather than go out,” Cursage shares, “so we created specific rooms for all the things we love. There’s never a need to make an appointment—it’s a complete retreat.”Strand Hill Properties Guests of the couple have been regularly coming and going since Cursage and Ruggio built their home, so naturally it’s designed to play host with the most. “For 15 days, we had 12 family members visiting from Brazil, but we had more than enough space for sleeping everyone super comfortably,” explains Cursage. However, now that the couple’s daughter has flown the nest, the house is feeling emptier, especially with just the one dog and no more horses, goats or chickens roaming the sprawling grounds. Set on a lot of nearly 55,000 square feet, 38 Saddleback is designed to be feels like a complete retreat.“Now there’s only two of us, we’re ready to move on to somewhere else, although we’re heartbroken that we are,” says Ruggio. She gazes off into the distance and sighs. “I’ll certainly miss walking to the kitchen and grabbing a tea in the morning while looking out at the view—and that feeling of vast openness.”