Cursum Perficio | The Series: Part II, The Inside of the House

Part two of “Cursum Perficio | The Series” focuses on the inside of Marilyn’s house.

I would like to have taken more images of the inside of Marilyn’s home, but I knew that there were already many photos of the residence posted on multiple real estate websites, so I focused mostly on photos of Marilyn’s bedroom, which will be shown in part three of this series.

I’ll use as a guide the map of the property below to help you orient yourself with the rooms in the house.

Living Room

As I wrote in my first blog post about my tour of the home, I was immediately struck by the original open ceilings in the living room. The vaulted ceiling consists entirely of wooden beams and planks. While the overall design of the ceiling is basic, I found myself staring up for extended periods of time, just mesmerized by the beauty and naturalness of the original wood from the time when Marilyn lived there. I was surprised as the room was much smaller than I thought it would be. While somewhat long, it’s very narrow. Though I’d seen pictures of the living room, it is really hard to tell just how narrow it is. Additional photos below give a better view of the size of the room. Incredibly, the tiles Marilyn selected in Mexico still surround the fireplace.

The collages below show images I took from either end of Marilyn’s living room, looking through the peaked doorways into the living area.

I took the color photo in the collage below while looking out of Marilyn’s dining room into her living room. The included b/w photo shows this same peaked doorway to the far left along the wood paneled wall.

I took the color photo in the collage below while looking out of the peaked doorway on the right side of Marilyn’s living room. As I took this photo Marilyn’s bedroom was to my immediate left. The included b/w photos show the same doorway in the photo I took, but from Marilyn’s living room.

Find at the end of this blog post additional photos of Marilyn’s living room, which were posted on an online real estate website. Note how narrow the living room actually is.

The Sun Room

The sun room remains unchanged structurally from when Marilyn owned the home. I noticed right away that the tiles on the floor are the same tiles from when Marilyn lived there. This can be seen in the photos from 1962 and 2010. One wall now has built-in cabinets near the location of Marilyn’s liquor cart. I took the two top images in the collage below. I remember feeling how incredible it was to be in this room, remembering the furniture that Marilyn had place here and knowing that she’d probably spent time here talking on the phone as she looked out to her pool.

Here is another photo of the sun room, taken by Gene Anthony I believe, on August 5, 1962.

Marilyn’s Bathroom.

It’s now well known that Marilyn’s bathroom has undergone major renovations. A full tub and shower is now situated in the area that was her sink and counter. Her tub and shower were removed and the room was enlarged. The toilet appears to be in the original location. I took the bottom photo in the collage below as I looked into the room. Marilyn’s bedroom was to my immediate left. The top photo shows Marilyn’s original tile work.

This photo shows Marilyn’s shower as it was when she lived in the house.

The Guesthouse Bathroom

When I toured the house in July of last year, I was surprised and immensely happy to see that the tiles Marilyn selected in Mexico still surround the shower in the guest bathroom, which is located in what used to be a detached guest house. I took the photo below of the tiled shower in the bathroom. It’s just amazing to me that these tiles are still there, and they look just as great today as they likely did when they were installed in 1962.

My final post in this series will focus entirely on Marilyn’s bedroom. I even have a short video clip of the room. Stay tuned.

See below additional photos of the home that were posted on an online real estate website, along with detailed explanations.

This nook is in the hall immediately off the right side of the living room. This hallway was added by other owners after Marilyn died. The door to Marilyn’s dressing room is on the left. The door to Marilyn’s bedroom is on the right. Note that it’s not the original doorway to Marilyn’s bedroom.

Marilyn’s living room. Note how narrow the room is.

This is the largest bedroom, and Marilyn used this area as her dressing room when she owned the home. The french doors lead out to the patio/pool area.

The photos below show the kitchen as it is today. It’s been extensively remodeled. The stove remains in the same location as when Marilyn owned the house. All else has been changed.

Photos of the kitchen when Marilyn lived in the home: