The Madison Heights colonial on the tour

Time’s approaching for the 42nd annual home tour to benefit the Pasadena Symphony, and this year is a doozy. On the itinerary is our favorite traditional Colonial in town, a Madison Heights beauty owned by a couple of Pasadena’s pre-eminent artists, as well as a fantasy bungalow island of cottages and bungalows on Bellefontaine owned by yet another famous Pasadena artist. And there’s more: a pitched-roof English cottage on Arroyo, and a gorgeous 1916 Tuscan villa in the Linda Vista neighborhood.

This is a self-guided tour, with classical musicians playing in drawing rooms and each house decorated by a different floral artist (Leonora Moss, Jacob Maarse, Tommy Farmer and Dolores Kroop have the honors this year), and we’re here to warn you: It gets crowded. Everyone’s a voyeur, so everyone loves this weekend of peeking, especially when the offerings are this appealing. Get your tickets soon, and allow a little time to browse the boutique at ground zero (the Pasadena Convention Center), where you’ll find every tchotchke your holiday heart could desire.

One final note: The Pasadena Symphony, like the Pasadena Playhouse, is going through really rough financial times. It needs support, and looking at other people’s kitchens is about the easiest way to support the arts as can be.

Holiday Look In
Saturday – Sunday, Dec. 5 – 6
9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tickets $30 in advance, $35 at the door; go to pasadenaholidaylookin.org for tickets and more information.

A mural at the Bellefontaine cottages... hmm, wonder who the resident artist could possibly be?