Every spring, something remarkable happens in the San Gabriel Valley. A historic estate — sometimes sprawling and grand, sometimes charming and intimate — is handed over to teams of world-class designers who transform it, room by room, into a living showcase of what's possible in interior and landscape design. Visitors come from near and far to walk its halls, browse its gardens, and simply marvel. This is the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, and it has been one of the most beloved traditions in Southern California for over six decades.
For the Berns Team, proud sponsors of this year's event, the Showcase House isn't just a beautiful destination — it's a reflection of everything we love about Pasadena.
A legacy born over tea in 1948
The story begins not with a house, but with a gathering. In 1948, a group of music lovers came together at the home of Mrs. John B. Callery to launch what they called the Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Committee. Their mission was simple: support the arts. Specifically, they wanted to help fund the Pasadena concert series of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Seventeen years later, in 1965, a new idea took hold. Why not open the doors of a beautiful Pasadena home to the public — a showcase of design that would raise money for their mission? The whole town came. That first year, admission was $1.50 (coffee and cookies included), and roughly 7,500 people showed up. They raised more than $11,000. Parking overflowed onto neighbors' lawns. It was an immediate, joyful sensation.
"The Pasadena Showcase House of Design has become one of the oldest, largest and most successful home and garden tours in the country."
Today, that same spirit drives the 61st annual event. The 2026 Showcase House is set at the stunning Baldwin Oaks Estate, a 1907 shingle-style property in Arcadia with sweeping wraparound porches, grand oak staircases, towering pines and palms, and nearly two acres of historic landscape. It is, in every sense, a step into California's golden age.
Design at the highest level
What makes the Showcase House unlike any other home tour is the sheer ambition of its transformation. Each year, an entire estate — every room, every garden — is redesigned from scratch by a rotating cast of local and national interior and landscape designers. They have roughly 90 days to complete the work. The results are breathtaking.
Pasadena's architectural history makes it the perfect backdrop. At the turn of the 20th century, prominent Midwestern industrialists (families with names like Busch, Gamble, Huntington, and Wrigley) came to Pasadena to build lavish winter estates along streets like Orange Grove Boulevard. They commissioned famed architects and left behind a legacy of extraordinary homes that still define the character of the community today. The Showcase House draws on that legacy every single year.
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61 Years Running |
$27M+ Donated to the Arts |
260K+ Students Reached |
Giving back: music, youth, and the community
Here's what truly sets the Pasadena Showcase House apart from any ordinary design event: every ticket sold, every dollar raised, goes directly back into the community through one of the most robust arts-funding programs in Southern California.
The organization behind the event, Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, is entirely volunteer-run, roughly 90 dedicated members give thousands of hours each year to make it happen. And the impact of their work is staggering. Since its founding, Pasadena Showcase has awarded over $27 million to nonprofit organizations and local schools, supporting music education, choral programs, jazz ensembles, marching bands, music therapy for at-risk children, and much more.
Three signature music programs run year-round. The Music Mobile brings a van stocked with symphonic instruments into third-grade classrooms across the San Gabriel Valley, giving more than 130,000 children their first real encounter with an orchestra. The Instrumental Competition has awarded over $700,000 in prizes to exceptionally talented young musicians. And the Youth Concert program has brought nearly 260,000 fourth graders to Walt Disney Concert Hall — for many, their first experience with live orchestral music performed by the LA Philharmonic.
In 2025, the organization distributed a record $1 million in gifts and grants to 90 nonprofits — the second consecutive year at that milestone — including special support for schools and arts organizations affected by the Eaton Fire. This is a community that shows up for its own.
"Buying tickets builds dreams." — Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
Why the Berns Team is proud to sponsor
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The Berns Team — Proud 2026 Sponsor Named among the best realtors in Pasadena for more than two consecutive years, the Berns Team is honored to support an event that embodies what makes this community extraordinary. |
The Berns Team has deep roots in Pasadena real estate. For over two years running, we have been recognized as the best realtors in Pasadena: an honor we take seriously, because it reflects something more than just transactions closed. It reflects genuine connection to this city: its neighborhoods, its architecture, its character, and its people.
When you work in Pasadena real estate, you develop a profound respect for what makes this place special. You walk through homes that carry 100 years of history. You see firsthand how communities are built — not just by developers and designers, but by the volunteers, teachers, and patrons who invest in what lasts. The Showcase House represents that investment at its finest.
Sponsoring the 61st Pasadena Showcase House of Design is our way of saying: we believe in this place, and we believe in the people who make it worth living in. The arts programs this event funds aren't luxuries — they're what make a neighborhood a community.
Come see it for yourself
The 2026 Showcase House at Baldwin Oaks Estate is open through mid-May. Between the docent-led tours, garden walks, Speakeasy Friday nights, and special experiences like yoga on the lawn and whiskey pairings, there is no better way to spend a spring afternoon in Pasadena. Whether you're a design enthusiast, a history lover, or simply someone who cares about the community, this is an event that gives back in every direction.
And if you find yourself standing in one of those beautifully reimagined rooms wondering what it might look like to own a home in this remarkable city — we'd love to talk.
