13052 Chaplet

A Cliff May, where 1954 still throws the best party.

Some houses were built to be lived in. This one was built to be enjoyed in, and seventy-two years later it hasn't lost a step. Tucked into one of Orange County's smallest, most coveted Cliff May enclaves, this is the rare larger floor plan -- the one collectors circle and wait years for. Ceilings lift. Light pours sideways through clerestory windows you didn't know you needed. The yard isn't out there -- it's right here, framed by walls of glass that turn every room into a vantage point.

Most mid-century homes make you choose: the architecture, or the finishes. This one refuses the trade. The bones are intact and unapologetic, the design is swanky in the good old-fashioned sense, and the guts are current -- remodeled kitchen and baths, newer wood flooring, central heat and air, owned solar paid in full.

The kitchen is a stunner: high-gloss galley, dimensional sculptural tile, slab counters, deep apron-front sink, pro-grade range, and a hammered-copper hood acting as the room's one piece of jewelry. Glass doors open to a private walled courtyard. Baths are spa-clean and architectural -- floating vanities, frameless glass, warm walnut against bright white relief tile. Indoor laundry. Storage that actually stores things.

3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and an unreasonable number of places to gather. A great room anchored by a floor-to-ceiling whitewashed stone fireplace. A second living space with sliders peeling open to the pool. Dining under the vaulted beam. Outside: a classic kidney-shaped pool -- the real, curvy, mid-century kind -- a patio in graphic cement tile, outdoor bar seating built for loud stories, and a breezy slatted privacy screen. The indoor-outdoor flow isn't a cliche here; it's the architectural thesis. Open everything. Let it blur.

Then there's the driveway. Long. Gated. Private. A 2-car garage at the end of it. A classic car under a cover, a boat, a Sunday project with the hood up, or parking for everyone at once -- out of sight and yours.

Walk to Trader Joe's, dinner, Tustin Brewing Co., The Lost Bean. A hop to Tustin Marketplace, The District, Old Towne Orange, Tustin Ranch Golf Club, Irvine Park and hiking.Every freeway you'd ever need -- 5, 55, 22, 57, 405, 91 -- while your street stays blissfully, stubbornly quiet.

Architecturally significant. Beautifully modernized. Priced where someone is about to feel very, very fortunate.

Bring the record player. Bring the whole crew.