A White Rock woman is selling her 鈥渨himsical fairy tale鈥� home so she can buy a castle in France.

Susan Strangway has listed her house at 14635 Marine Dr. 鈥� which could very well be one of the most recognizable properties on the waterfront strip 鈥� for $3,998,000.

At first glance, the outside of the home is fairly unassuming. French-inspired wrought-iron details the roofline of a southern-style house, which features floor-to-ceiling columns. A beautiful garden with bright pink roses adds a welcome splash of colour to the white-on-white scheme.

However, the longer one looks at the property, the more peculiar it becomes. Questions one might ask include, why are there three mannequins standing on the balcony? Or what鈥檚 the deal with the Ferris wheel on the roof?

It鈥檚 only when one takes a step inside the house that they begin to find some answers. Or, more accurately, perhaps, find themselves with even more questions.

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Walking through Strangway鈥檚 front door is a little like stepping through the looking glass.

A visitor is transported into another world, where every room is unlike the last, but each shares a common theme 鈥� an explosion of colour.

From pink ceilings and orange-striped walls, to green counter tops and checkerboard floors, every turn of the head reveals some new wonder.

Plastic legs in striped tights dangle from the ceiling, an electric train pulled by a BNSF engine runs overhead, and more dolls and Nutcrackers than there are residents of White Rock line shelves throughout the house.

There鈥檚 a lot to take in.

Every mannequin has a name. Tatiana, purchased for $100 on eBay, is the one wearing a yellow macrame bikini and fur boots.

If space seems relatively tight inside the house, it鈥檚 not due to a lack of floor area, but rather to the number of decorations and artifacts Strangway has collected, including a pair of life-sized polar bears.

In one of the bathrooms, men will find themselves within kissing distance of a yellow plastic horse head while they do their business. But if that same man wanted a quick bath, he鈥檇 need to exit the bathroom and head to the living-room.

That鈥檚 right, the bathtub sits in the open concept living-room. It鈥檚 located beside the bed, because, of course it is.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just my husband and myself, so when we鈥檙e in the bath, you don鈥檛 have people over. So walls don鈥檛 mean anything,鈥� Strangway explained of the unorthodox floor plan.

If showers are preferable, guests will have to wait their turn while the six-foot-tall flamingo sculpture finishes up. That might take a while; the flamingo didn鈥檛 seem to be in a rush.

Strangway uses a portion of the home to host a bed-and-breakfast. While acknowledging that the decor is 鈥渘ot everybody鈥檚 cup of tea,鈥� many are attracted to it, she said.

The 3,579 sq.ft. home features fours bedrooms and four baths. It comes with two full kitchens, a secondary suite, two studios 鈥� one for arts, the other for music 鈥� a couple fire places and an elevator.

If the money is right, Strangway said, she鈥檒l even sell the contents of the house.

Real estate agent Cindy Russell, who has been in the business for 25 years, said the house is by far the most unique she鈥檚 ever listed.

She is confident the house will sell, and the ideal buyer, she said, is probably someone looking for a trophy property.

鈥淲hen you think of White Rock, you think of this house. A lot of people have said that to me, it鈥檚 a landmark property. Some people like to have showsy types of properties,鈥� Russell said.

Strangway built the house in 2010. Her vision at the time, she said, was that 鈥渨e wanted it to be fantastic.鈥�

鈥淚 had all of this stuff, so we didn鈥檛 want it to be a normal house, and we wanted a certain amount of dividability,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou could really have one family in here and have everything open, but it鈥檚 so divided.鈥�

Strangway listed her influences for the decor as New Orleans, France and Mexico. Her educational background is in theatre.

鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the props, not that I had anything to do with that. But I love the sets and the props.鈥�

The mannequins standing watch on the front balcony, she said, were extras in X-Files, so she鈥檚 been told.

鈥淚鈥檝e always meant to watch X-Files and find them鈥� different people have called and said, 鈥楬ey, your mannequins are on.鈥�

As for the ceiling train, Strangway said that was her husband鈥檚 idea.

鈥淲e love the train, it鈥檚 so charming that there鈥檚 a train that goes right by here on the water. Where do you find that? I鈥檝e only seen that in a few places in the world.鈥�

Strangway said she鈥檚 selling the house so that she and her husband can move to a castle in France.

She said her friend Madonna, a singer, has provided a few leads for her. Not that Madonna, she clarified.

鈥淚 feel like we can start over and do it all again, and do a B&B,鈥� Strangway said of her upcoming adventure.

Strangway is ready for France. The real question might be, is France ready for Strangway?

aaron.hinks@peacearchnews.com
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