Daniel Pitout first achieved nominal success as a drummer for punk-grunge trio Nü Sensae. But the South Africa-born singer-songwriter experienced a new level of acclaim about three years ago, when he decided to morph into the fringe-masked, gay indie country crooner known as Orville Peck. Since then, he’s topped indie charts with his debut album “Pony” and his follow-up, “Show Pony,” features the duet “Legends Never Die” with Shania Twain; he’s also set to perform at the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals this year.
With such success naturally comes the need for upgraded residential circumstances, and so Pitout has doled out nearly $2 million for rustic, woodsy digs in the lower Beachwood Canyon neighborhood of Hollywood Hills. Originally built way back in the 1940s, the place even comes with a celebrity pedigree. For a few brief months in 2005, the property was owned by Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. It later passed to model Josie Moran, who sold the place to Meryl Streep’s daughter Mamie Gummer, who herself sold it to Jack Nicholson’s daughter Jennifer for nearly $1.7 million in 2020. It was Nicholson who recently flipped the house to Pitout at a modest profit.
Perched on a steep and heavily wooded lot along the slopes that border Beachwood Canyon, the structure is wrapped by a treetop deck and secluded high above the street, just minutes from Beachwood Market and Franklin Village. There are three bedrooms and an equal number of baths in about 1,700 square feet, plus a finished attic-turned-loft-style bedroom with a bath that could easily accommodate a creative space or recording studio. Attractive wood-framed windows and doors, terracotta tile and hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, reclaimed finishes and skylights are found throughout the updated home.
Especially standing out is a living room sporting a freestanding wood-burning stove and windows overlooking the canyon, along with a farmhouse-style kitchen outfitted with copper countertops, dual sinks, an antique O’Keefe and Merritt stove, and adjacent breakfast nook. There’s also a master suite including a yoga room and luxe bath with a polished concrete shower; and outdoors, the compact 0.16-acre grounds host a built-in seating area surrounding a stone fire-pit, an outdoor kitchen and al fresco dining area.
