Storybook, or fairy tale style cottages are found all over the world, but there happen to be a plethora of them here in California. They originally became popular in the Los Angeles area, especially in Hollywood. Featuring such things as sloped roofs with steep pitches, crooked walls, odd shaped doors and windows, and rustic cobblestone chimneys, these fantastic homes are simply enchanting.

The iconic Witch’s House was built in 1920 as a set for silent films. A studio producer purchased the building after plans were made to demolish it, and moved the structure to Beverly Hills. Nothing was off limits with these homes and they began to sprout turrets, towers, eyebrow windows and other elements. Soon, the cartoonish, stylized homes because all the rage, and builders across the country began to create them.

This fanciful building is in Carmel-by-the-Sea, another city where the storybook style became quite popular. It was supposedly based on illustrations from a Swedish folktale book. I love the miniature turret popping up from the rear!

Also in Carmel-by-the-Sea, this building was designed and built by Hugh Comstock. During the 1940s, two sisters converted it into a tea room and named it “Tuck Box”, after the traditional trunks British schoolchildren used to carry their books, food and supplies.

The Hansel Cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea was the home of Hugh Comstock and his wife Mayotta. Comstock built this as well as the adjacent Gretel Cottage, which served as a showroom for the handmade dolls his wife created.

The Cottage of Sweets in Carmel-by-the-Sea was built in 1922.  It was originally a weaving studio, but when the Court of the Golden Bough Theatre was built, it was rolled down Ocean Avenue on logs(!) to be used as the theatre’s ticket office.  After the theatre closed, it had a brief stint as a dress shop before becoming the iconic candy store in 1959.

This storybook home was built by William Yelland in the 1920s for a client who wanted a home that evoked the north of France. It is located near the University of California in Berkeley.

This storybook home is in Pacific Gove, California.  I don’t know its history, but I love its simple charm, from the little window next to the door, to the picket fence.

This charming storybook home is in Salinas, California.  From the stone path leading to the door to the shake roof, this cottage provides a most welcoming allure.

This charming storybook home was built in 1926 by R. C. Killen in Oakland, California. Delightful touches include a dovecote and birdhouse!

While California probably has more storybook homes than anyplace else, you still see these lovely vintage homes all over the country.  This beauty is in Cleveland, Ohio!

 

This final home is in Pacific Grove, Calfornia.  Would you like to live in a storybook home?  I think it would be so much fun, because every day would feel like stepping into a fairy tale!  You may also like Fairy Tale Cottages in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Thank you for visiting my blog.  Wishing you peace, love, happiness, & beautiful vistas.