The Ventura County green residence Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston listed in February of this year found a buyer in short order. Cranston had the house custom-built; he saw it completed in 2013 as the seminal series’ five-season run was concluding.

The property hit the open market with an asking price of $5 million, and sold for about 10% over that figure. The ‘sale over ask’ phenom appears to be becoming a pattern these days, owing to a perfect storm of low interest rates, low housing inventory, and a pandemic-related flight from the cities to the suburbs and exurbs.

As for the house that is now in Cranston’s rear-view. The house was given a title—‘3 Palms’—and features modern lines that are softened by a rounded architectural section on one corner and a convex beach-overlook second-floor balcony.

Inside the home, a modified midcentury design style comes into focus. It’s playful in its way, but more provocative than whimsical; more complex, and surprises include a cushioned window seat, a floating bench, a kitchen ceiling design that accommodates the vent, a reading loft accessible with a fixed steel wall ladder, and a complement of custom-made furnishings.

A net-zero build, the home’s roof is populated by a solar panel array.