Veteran entertainment industry executive Ricky Strauss, currently the president of content and marketing for Disney+ and formerly the president of marketing at Walt Disney Studios, is asking nearly $6.9 million for his fashionable 1930s villa set discreetly in the hills just above L.A.’s iconic Sunset Strip. Per the listing, the “Paul Williams inspired” Regency-style house has strikingly decadent, contemporary interiors that belie its old-school exterior and exquisite landscaping reminiscent of an English garden.
Strauss purchased the property in 2014 for $6.4 million from his friend, fellow marketing exec Matt Brubaker. At that time, the house had recently undergone a dynamic transformation courtesy of Clements Design, the same mother-and-son team who recently overhauled Kris Jenner’s new Hidden Hills mansion into a calming residential oasis. Back in 2018, Strauss had the striking property photographed for shelter mag House Beautiful.
The three-bedroom and five-bath Hollywood Hills abode weighs in at just under 3,000 square feet according to property records, and is secreted behind walls and a towering hedge. Beyond lies a notably lush front yard with sculpted boxwoods that wrap around a koi pond, and a riotous tumble of well-fed white roses.
A footbridge crosses the pond to the home’s front door, which leads into a proper foyer watched over by a curved staircase. Rich, dark hardwood floors flow throughout the main level, into the sunny living room that’s equipped with a fireplace and sets of French doors, and over into the adjoining den, with its green lacquered and clubby bar. The formal dining room sports a custom chandelier and gold walls, hand-applied by a group of artisans during Strauss’ ownership.
Swaddled in marble, the Art Deco-inspired kitchen has checkerboard black-and-white floors and a center island with custom bar stools, plus a full array of designer appliances. Other luxe spaces include a walk-in wine cellar and a roomy screening room with tiered seating.
All three of the homes bedrooms are located upstairs, and all of them pack in ensuite baths and high-end finishes. Sheathed in a whimsical azure blue paint, the master bedroom has a coved ceiling, a built-in bed with storage compartments and wall-to-wall carpeting installed by Strauss. A lavish white-and-gold master bath has dual vanities, a soaking tub and rainfall shower, and a private balcony overlooks the gardens.
Like many Hollywood Hills properties, the home’s backyard isn’t especially big, though it’s admirably flat and well-designed with a generous patch of grass and dark-bottomed swimming pool and spa tucked into a brick terrace.
Before moving to his contemporary Regency confection above the strip, Strauss owned a remarkably different but similarly stylish Tudor-style home in L.A.’s posh Hancock Park neighborhood, which was sold four years ago for nearly $7 million to fellow veteran entertainment exec and current FoxNext president Salil Mehta.
James Hancock of Coldwell Banker holds the listing.