Brad Pitt Buys Aileen Getty’s Glassy Midcentury Modern House in Los Feliz

It’s the latest episode of “Trading Spaces,” but the really rich spinoff. When oil heiress Aileen Getty recently bought Brad Pitt’s $33 million estate, the Oscar-winning Hollywood royal was left without a Los Angeles residence. Seeking a downsize, he took a shine to Getty’s home, a snug midcentury modern pavilion tucked into the Los Feliz foothills.

Getty, of course, was only too happy to hand Pitt the keys, particularly at the agreed-upon sales price of $5.5 million — a nice profit over the $4.1 million she paid Maroon 5’s James Valentine for the house back in 2019.

Built in 1960, designed by little-known midcentury architect Neil M. Johnson and aptly known as the Steel House, the 2,000-square-foot home is largely hewn from steel and glass. Johnson was inspired by the Case Study program, and his creation has the squat, rectangular roofline emblematic of that era. For hardcore midcentury fanatics, there are also terrazzo floors, cantilevered eaves and beamed ceilings aplenty.

Valentine acquired the property in 2007, and subsequently hired acclaimed designer Mark Haddawy to do a complete restoration of the premises. Today, retro details and colors abound, and the place is a vibrant tribute to the swinging sixties. A particularly groovy fireplace warms the combo living/dining room, and a cozy terrace has views over the tropical landscaping to the twinkling city lights below. There’s also a redwood hot tub hidden among the property’s thick foliage, plus a freestanding sauna building.

All three of the home’s bedrooms feature striking cobalt blue carpeting, while the kitchen, master bath and walk-in closet have custom cabinetry painted a pale blue. At least during Valentine’s ownership, one of the two guest bedrooms was being used as a sitting/reading room. The L-shaped house partially wraps itself around a sunny backyard, so most of the rooms overlook the pool and patio area.

It’s not surprising Pitt would covet Getty’s house, as the “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star is known as something of an architecture buff. He once owned a modernist Malibu house that was sold to Ellen DeGeneres many years ago; that $45 million property is now owned by co-founders of the Skims clothing line. Last year, Pitt paid $40 million for the landmark D.L. James house in California’s Carmel Highlands, which has reportedly become his main residence.