Turn your digs into a Bond home
Whatever you think about James Bond, you’d likely agree he’s a stylish guy. From the cut of his bespoke, Savile Row suits to the fine Italian leather upholstery in his Aston Martin, 007 represents not only daring, stealth and bravery but also impeccable taste.
With the latest Bond film, “Skyfall,” just released on DVD, here are 10 examples of renovation ideas worthy of the world’s most stylish secret agent — and the Bond films in which they’d fit right in.
Social climber
Lake Wenatchee, Wash.
Designer: E. Cobb Architects Inc.
In the 1981 movie “For Your Eyes Only,” Roger Moore’s Bond transforms his shoelaces into a climbing rig to help him reach the top of a cliff, so this interior climbing wall should pose no problem for a limber spy as he makes a speedy getaway. The home also could be a great getaway for a spy on the run.
“The escape theme runs right through all four floors,” says Eric Cobb, the home’s architect, based in Seattle. “There is another stepladder above at the top floor that takes you to the roof.”
Hidden assets
Austin, Texas
In Bond’s world, appearances can be deceiving, and you can never take anything at face value.
In 1964’s “Goldfinger,” Bond’s shoe conceals a hidden compartment in the heel that houses a homing device, which lets his colleagues track his whereabouts on assignment.
This TV cabinet ups the ante. When a book in the bookcase is pushed, the cabinet swings around to reveal space large enough for Bond to hide a safe, a weapons cache or his martini shaker.
Created not for a spy but for a mutual-fund manager in the Lake Travis area of Austin, this award-winning home was built in 2008.
An open and shut case
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Designer: Witt Construction
In an early scene in the 1962 film “Dr. No,” an agent uses a radio transmitter cunningly concealed behind the false front of a living-room bookcase.
Here, clever design and skillful construction have gone one better. When the bookcase in this custom home swings in, it reveals a room hidden behind.
Here, the secret room adds to the playful fantasy of a child’s bedroom. But Bond might value the feature as a way to evade an assassin in a deadlier game of hide-and-seek.
Cool pool for a dip with a Bond girl
Los Angeles
Designer: Belzberg Architects
In the movie of the same name, Dr. No threatens Bond with a dip in a shark-infested pool at his secret Bahamas redoubt. Bond had happier swimming-pool experiences in other movies — including “Goldfinger,” in which a romantic afternoon with Shirley Eaton in his Fontainebleau Hotel suite in Miami leads to an afternoon down by the hotel’s ultrachic pool.
Designed by Belzberg Architects’ Erik Sollom and Manish Desai and completed in 2007, this stunning pool and modernist house are Bond-worthy places for our hero to enjoy a romantic dip. Located high up in the Hollywood Hills, the setting alone is a scene-stealer.
A closet to suit a secret agent’s wardrobe
West Hollywood, Los Angeles
Designer: LA Closet Design
Bond has always been known as a natty dresser. In his latest incarnation, played by Daniel Craig in “Skyfall,” he displays his flair for fashion in everything from a sporty Barbour jacket to an O’Connor dinner suit designed by Tom Ford.
But where does the well-dressed agent hang his hat — and his shirt and pants — when he’s home? In this case, it’s this 255-square-foot, custom closet built in a Doheny Estates home that would definitely suit Bond.
“Men love to have private spaces — oases,” says Lisa Adams, designer and CEO of LA Closet Design. “That space does not need to be in the basement or the garage.”
View to a kill
Seattle
Designer: E. Cobb Architects Inc.
Gadgetry, dramatic sets and larger-than-life design have always been part of the Bond movie experience. Think of the headquarters of villains such as Auric Goldfinger, with electric, sliding floor panels whirring back to reveal plans for another fiendish scheme for world domination.
This home shares that dramatic flair, revealing a view that even Bond likely would agree is to die for. “A massive hydraulic system used in aircraft-hangar doors raises the glass and steel wall,” says Eric Cobb, the designer.
The coolest martini in town
San Diego
Designer: Christian Rice Architects Inc.
Bond’s passion for vodka martinis was first mentioned by Sean Connery in 1962’s “Dr. No.” But even today, it’s certain that whenever Bond enjoys his favorite tipple, the setting will be as cool and sophisticated as the drink.
This concealed cocktail cabinet would fit right into Bond’s sophisticated world. The bar, adjacent to a redesigned kitchen and part of an apartment makeover in 2011, folds away completely when not in use.
“The bar area was designed to be as sleek as possible, (with) efficient, recessed storage, and recessed handles minimize obstruction,” designer Christian Rice says.
Parking privileges
Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Designer: GarageMahals
“Quantum of Solace” opens with Bond outrunning villains on an Alpine pass while shooting from the window of his Aston Martin. It’s only natural that 007 would lavish every luxury on a vehicle that has helped get him out of many deadly scrapes.
Here’s a high-tech garage that would fit the bill, created by Michael Rhodig, a former Lawrence Livermore engineer and founder of GarageMahals. Just push a button, and a platform with steps lowers. Sounds perfect for Bond.
A boathouse to whet an appetite for the dramatic
Lake Austin, Texas
Designer: Bercy Chen Studio LP
In 1979’s “Moonraker,” Bond dodges mortar fire and a machine-gun-wielding shark in his ultramodern, high-horsepower motorboat on a river delta in Thailand. But where would be a worthy place for his vessel to dock?
Bond could definitely tie up at this fantastic boathouse built on a Colorado River bend in 2011. The elliptical shape echoes the bend, and the circular ramp offers multiple vantage points of the lake. Designer Thomas Bercy says his firm added a waterfall to cover the sound of passing boats and to create reflections at sunset.
Mod bedroom
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Designer: Annette English & Associates
The bachelor pad for James Bond would have gadget-heavy luxury, sleek outfittings and modern style.
In 1985’s “A View to a Kill,” Bond enjoys the company of a female companion upon a sumptuous, four-post bed. Here, dramatic beaded cables adorn each bed corner in a modern take on the traditional four-post bed; the bead shape pays homage to the spindlelike heel of a woman’s shoe.
Designer Annette English says her firm partnered with Ferragamo to build this supermodern bedroom and “ultimate bachelor pad” in 2010.











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