Most journalists don’t become household names, complete with social media followings that rival celebrities’ and lavish homes in the Hollywood Hills, but then again most journalists aren’t Elaine Welteroth. At 34, the Bay Area native already has a lifetime’s worth of career under her belt, starting from the genesis of an unpaid internship at Ebony magazine that beget her rise to top dog editor of Teen Vogue, ultimately becoming the then-youngest editor-in-chief in Condé Nast publishing history.
Welteroth served as Teen Vogue’s EIC from 2016 until 2018, and has been widely credited with the publication’s shift in coverage of softball fashion and gossip topics to more serious subjects that include social justice, politics, feminism, and race relations. She also promoted an increased focus on digital content, and Teen Vogue’s YouTube channel now sports more than 1.8 million subscribers (for her own part, Welteroth has over 650,000 followers on her personal Instagram account alone.)
In 2018, Welteroth left Teen Vogue and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an on-camera entertainment career. She signed with top agency CAA and has since appeared as a “Project Runway” judge, released a New York Times bestseller, and embarked on a nationwide speaking tour. And since early 2021, she’s also co-hosted dishy daytime TV show “The Talk,” replacing rapper/musician Eve.
On the real estate front, the newly global influencer has also locked down a $1.8 million home in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills. She and husband first announced the purchase late last year, and the couple quickly recruited top L.A. designer and recruited noted maximalist Kelly Wearstler to redesign the home’s interiors, though photos of that doubtless snazzy rework have yet to hit the glossy pages of a magazine.
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Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem Staged photos from the listing show that the charming Spanish-style villa is perched atop a steep hillside in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood, just a quick jog to the iconic Hollywood sign. Tucked securely behind a gated and camera-watched driveway, the place features an attached two-car garage plus off-street parking for two or three more vehicles, a rarity in this tightly-packed area. A covered, arched veranda shades the home’s entryway.
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Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem Inside, the 1977 structure has clearly been comprehensively upgraded and renovated, beginning with an open living room that curves around a central wall, seamlessly merging with a dining area and gourmet kitchen. An otherwise mundane fireplace has been accented with an unusually snoopy mantle, and the beamed ceilings match the polished hardwood floors. Walls of big picture windows and glass sliding doors visually envelope the outdoors, which is defined by a big backyard deck with ample space for al fresco entertaining.
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Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem Back inside, the eat-in kitchen offers European-inspired custom cabinetry. Designer stainless appliances make home-cooked meals a breeze, and the adjoining butler’s pantry offers a metal wine rack for convenient booze storage. The structure main upper level also offers one large bedroom and a renovated bathroom.
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Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem There are not one but two master bedrooms, per the listing, both of them with impressively updated ensuite baths and both located on the home’s lower level. The larger of the two offers a walk-in closet with custom built-ins and sliding glass doors accessing another wooden deck. Both outdoor spaces have impressive peek-a-boo views of the Downtown L.A. skyline, plus some giant neighborhood eucalyptus trees.
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Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem -
Image Credit: Jason Harlem Andrew Manning of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties held the listing; Ikem Chukumerije of Westside Premier Estates repped Welteroth.