The guest house is a complete gem. Set in the backyard, it is light and quiet. The garden fixtures include attractive stone sculptures and well-maintained plantings. It was always a pleasure to sit there on the comfortable chaise lounge, enjoy the play of the sun on the swimming pool and the garden. Surrounded by bamboo and trees, it always gave me a sense of quiet and peace. The beautiful swimming pool made for great summer days.
Inside, the house is perfectly arranged. Terrace door windows, skylights and clerestory windows bring in floods of natural light. The house is supplied with high quality, solid wood furniture, and pleasing design features like pictures of nature and attractive curtains. Materials are attractive and good quality. Throughout, the house embodies a good design sense, making it a pleasant place to be.
The small work desk doubles as a breakfast table. This, together with the small fridge and microwave, utilizes the space very well. The bathroom is updated (he replaced some already fine fixtures with better ones during my stay). A great host, during the summer hazy days, Bryan gave me a fan, an ionizer, and an ice cooler.
The house location, two blocks from Sierra Madre Boulevard, allows for daily neighborhood walks to the restaurants and shops there. What I liked best is it was a 5 minute drive to the LA County Arboretum and the Arcadia mall, both great strolling venues. Also nice was the nearby Hastings Ranch Whole Foods and Vroman's Books.
When I booked Bryan's place for a week-long stay in March, little did I know I'd be here until Thanksgiving. As the lockdown and travel restrictions tightened, I turned to Bryan for help in extending my stay. He was helpful and cooperative in every way. He worked with me to extend my stay again and again, as I struggled to get a visa back to China. I was very lucky to choose Bryan's place. In so many ways it was a perfect home during a difficult time.