LA Times Home & Garden Roundup 02.21.09Los Angeles

A festive atmosphere, and gridlock, pervades LA this weekend as Oscar madness takes hold. The Los Angeles Times Home & Garden section spotlights Allee Willis' bubblegum pink house in Valley Village, originally designed as MGM's party house. If you'd rather avoid the festivities and the crowds, you might want to consider escaping to the new Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, dream about your own cabin in Big Bear, along the lines of that owned by Suzan Fellner, or make plans for the Garden Conservancy's two day seminar and garden tour next weekend. But Hollywood has always had its dark underbelly. Read it in the offerings on everyone's favorite marketplace: Craigslist. More, pix and links, after the jump.

Allee Willis’ bubble-gum-pink house in Valley Village>: Allee Willis’ bubble-gum-pink house in Valley Village, designed by William Kesling in1937 as the MGM’s party house, has been dubbed Willis Wonderland, not only for the theatrical soirees but also for the way its owner has decorated the place.

A laid-back hippy vibe at the new Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs>: A radical departure from the midcentury vibe that permeates the majority of Palm Springs lodgings, the new Ace Hotel & Swim Club has a vintage feel with plenty of ideas that could easily make the transition from hotel to home.

Cute and cozy cabin in Big Bear>: A 1922 970 square foot miner’s cabin near Big Bear Lake is rebuilt into a four-season getaway by New Hampshire native Suzan Fellman. As part of the LA Times "Interior Monologue" feature, David A. Keeps asks Fellman to tell the story behind each room, in her own words.

Tales of unemployment, debt and desperation on Craigslist As goes the community, so reflects Craiglist. Read the pulse of a country and economy and forecast the ebb and flow of trends via its offerings.

A tour of historical gardens>: The Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit that preserves notable American gardens, is holding a two-day seminar and garden tour Feb. 27 and 28. Among the featured stops: Carol Soucek King and Richard King’s garden in Pasadena