Back in 2016, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow doled out nearly $5 million for a teardown property sited on a prime 2.4-acre ocean-view lot in Montecito. Knowing the place had “tons of potential,” she enlisted architects Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams — designers of her NYC loft, original Goop pop-up shop and the company’s first brick-and-mortar boutique, in the Brentwood Country Mart — along with close friend and interior designer Brigette Romanek, and set about to build her dream home from the ground up; now, six years later, she’s finally giving folks a look inside the European-inspired mansion she shares with her husband, writer-producer Brad Falchuk, via an Architectural Digest tour.
Drawing from her time spent as an ex-pat in London, where she fell in love with the classic proportions and details of Georgian architecture, her inspiration was to create “a Parisian apartment set within an old European barn, something with high ceilings, flooded with light, a place that feels generous yet manageable at the same time.” She subsequently worked with her team to fashion a traditional stone and shingle-roof structure with interiors boasting a mix of Old-World elements and contemporary furnishings — throwing in some eco-friendly features like solar energy and a gray-water system for good measure.
The first order of business? Creating a warm and inviting entry foyer, including a fireplace with an 18th century mantel and reclaimed black-and-white stone floors. From there, a show-stopping living room is anchored by a whimsical light installation, an onyx wet bar, a hammock and fireplace topped by a John Baldessari painting; and the formal dining room sports hand-painted scenic wallpaper paired with modern lighting and furniture. A powder room — which Paltrow calls one of her favorite rooms in the house — has hand-painted wallpaper and an antique marble sink.
