Modernized Pasadena estate to open its doors to public

PASADENA (KABC) -- One of Pasadena's great estates will open its doors to visitors this Sunday for the 50th Annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design to raise money for music.

Volunteer designers made over the interior and exterior of an English-style country estate built in 1915 for $28,000.

Designers "volunteer their time, their talents, their resources," said Mary Anne Clayton of the Pasadena Showcase House. "The money that we make goes to support our music program."

Over the years, the event has raised $19 million for the arts.

More than 30,000 ticket holders will visit the Flint House, named for the original owners who commissioned Southern California architect Stiles O. Clements, whose work includes the El Capitan Theater and Malibu's Adamson House.

An interior designer gave the salon a new lease on life by covering the black, paneled walls, creating the furniture and fixtures and commissioning the art.

The kitchen was comprised of six rooms until the interior designer Cynthia Bennett knocked down the walls, bringing in details like the stove's steel hood with a sheet iron overlay.

"We want everybody to be in the space. So seeing all these closed up rooms, it was also very dark and I just wanted to open it up," said Bennett of Cynthia Bennett and Associates.

There's also a kitchen outside with appliances for barbecuing and a pop-up TV in a waterproof case. The pool nearby got a complete makeover, complete with dancing waters.

The 3.5-acre estate with a lily pond is framed by an outdoor patio that's more like a living room.

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Modernized Pasadena estate to open its doors to public