A McMansion is said to be "regarded as ostentatious," but ostentation is in the eye of the beholder. This residence in Beverly Hills is hardly shy, but is it pretentious? It's certainly not a simulation. A key ingredient of the simplified Georgian style, which the architect, Marc Appleton, deploys with great skill, is geometry. Notice how the window proportions decrease delicately as they go up, ending in curious half-dormers that recall the houses of the Edwardian architect Edwin Lutyens, as do the rather massive chimneys. The other characteristic of Georgian architecture is restraint. An odd word to use in connection with such an assertive house, but it fits. A few materials, a few carefully chosen details, and careful proportions have produced a big house with a big presence. Perhaps it's unfair to compare builder McMansions with expensive, architect-designed houses, but there's a lesson for builders here. Design counts.