Yolanda has just risen from the dead after a protracted battle with the vicious influenza that continues to besiege the nation as we type. Thanks for your prayers. And to atone for our absence, we wanted to kick off the week with something fun.
Fitting the bill is this cavernous contemporary, which was spec-built and recently completed and sits on a particularly prominent promontory above the celebrity-swarmed Benedict Canyon neighborhood, high above Beverly Hills. The house sold for a fat $16,000,000 this month to a blind trust and Yolanda happens to know the new owner is a 28-year-old dude named Anton Zaslavski. A little investigation reveals that Mr. Zaslavski is one of those new-fangled DJ people and is better-known by his stage name: Zedd.
Yolanda swears we had never heard of this Zedd person before today. And even after Googlin’ the dude, we still wouldn’t call Mr. Zedd a celebrity, at least not of the A-list variety. But he does seem to be fairly well-known and obviously successful, if he can afford a $16 million house.
Although Mr. Zedd doesn’t sing — most DJs are far too cool for that, duh — he did have some songs that were big hits here in the USA. His songs “Stay” and “Clarity” both peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the latter garnered him a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
Undoubtedly much of Mr. Zedd’s loot comes from his rigorous touring schedule: he is set to perform in Vegas, Cabo, Japan, and China. And that’s just within the next month alone. Tickets ain’t cheap, either.
Not to be snarky, but we have no idea why any sane, sober person would want to pay to see some dude press buttons on his laptop. And we’re not throwing shade, we swear. Isn’t that just what a DJ does?
So why? Or did we already answer our own question?
The house sits commandingly at the end of a small private cul-de-sac that is located very close to the top of Benedict Canyon Drive. A gated driveway leads down to the front entryway, which crosses over a moat before ending at the home’s wooden front door.
The 9,341-square-foot residence is an origami-like confection of wood, concrete, and rich wood detailing.
Accenting the bachelor pad vibe is the sunken living room/party center, with its walls of glass overlooking the 90210 and the enormous chimney/wall feature that looks to be made from some volcanic stone or maybe it’s black-veined marble or something.
The kitchen sports two built-in smokeless hibachi grills and top of the line appliances.
Other features include a glassy dining room, a glassy office (both overlooking the Benedict hills) and a four-car garage plus ample off-street parking for at least a dozen more vehicles. The house is sited on an unusually generous 3.22-acre lot, though a portion of that is hillside.
There are a total of 5 bedrooms and 8 baths, and most of them are relatively ho-hum for as contemporary as this place is. The standout, however, is the master retreat, which has wrap-around glass walls, a chunky fireplace, an enormous resort-like master bath, and a walk-in closet with an island and full custom cabinetry.
The master suite also features a private outdoor terrace with a seating area and another (outdoor) fireplace. The terrace overlooks the home’s backyard swimming pool, which is raised and infinity-edged for max drama.
If it were up to Yolanda, we’d cut down those trees that are partially blocking the pool’s view (and yes, they are on Mr. Zedd’s land).
What else is there to mention? There is a private maid’s quarters with a separate entrance, and lots of green lawn on which to roam free.
Some of Mr. Zedd’s closest celeb Benedict Canyon neighbors include action star Vin Diesel, model Kate Upton and her pitcher hubby Justin Verlander, rocker Gene Simmons, “77 Sunset Strip” star Roger Smith and his Golden Globe-winning singer/actress wife Ann-Margret, Max Baer Jr. of the Beverly Hillbillies, film producer Mark Amin, British actress Anne Heywood, actor turned international producer Mark Damonand his actress wife Margaret Markov, and his maroon worshipfulness Adam Levine, who Yolanda has repeatedly heard is on the hunt for a big new house. Also nearby is the $15 million Benedict Canyon compound of fellow DJ Calvin Harris.
This is not Mr. Zedd’s only house in Los Angeles, it turns out. Back in 2014, he busted out $3,900,000 for another (smaller) new-fangled contemporary located in the celeb-swarmed “Outpost Estates” neighborhood of the Hollywood Hills. Yolanda assumes that Zeddy boy wishes to sell this house, but as of today it is not listed on the (open) market.
Listing agent: James Harris, The Agency
