
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.
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Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest -
Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest -
Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest -
Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest -
Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest Other highlights include a spacious dining room topped by a Thomas Newman Studio chandelier, and displaying a wood-burning fireplace adorned with an 18th-century mantel from the Chateau Domingue showroom. The gourmet kitchen, meanwhile, is decked out with a plate rack fully stocked with colorful Hermès dishes, plus a rolling ladder and fireplace surrounded by plaster fluting. Paltrow also requested that the range be placed in a central position, rather than facing the wall, so she can chat with her children while cooking their favorite pasta dishes.
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Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest -
Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest Perhaps the most interesting part of the house, though? A massive Parisian-style spa room clad in handmade tile, and equipped with a cold plunge, hot tub, stream room and sauna. Says Paltrow, who’s undeniably into wellness, “I think when we were conceiving of the house, we were trying to think of just like a forever, forever home and what would be the few things that are just so special and that you could use when you’re much older. And so, we were kind of thinking it would be amazing to have a real spa.”
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Image Credit: Yoshihiro Makino/Architectural Digest