Monday, July 9, 2007

The New Digs of Jamie Kennedy

BUYER: Jamie Kennedy
SELLER: Philippe Naouri
LOCATION: N. Vermont Street, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $2,275,000 (list)
SIZE: 2,342 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: New Master Closet. Fashion designer Philippe Naouri brings his sense of style and aesthetic to this modern residence situated minutes from Griffith Park. The flexible living area merges seamlessly with dining and kitchen spaces. A sliding glass partition separates the living area from the family or media room. The organic indoor/outdoor movement of the space makes for homogeneous design experience. The pool, hot tub, fire pits, koi tank and private gardens evoke the character of a chic hotel.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Back on the 15th of June Your Mama discussed the colorful and poorly decorated house that funny man Jamie Kennedy was selling over on busy and loud N. Fairfax Avenue. According to a well placed source, the house, which was listed at 1,099,000, had multiple offers and sold for more than the asking price.

As we suspected, Mister Kennedy has gone out and bought himself and new, improved, and house. This time around, Mister Kennedy chose the Los Feliz neighborhood. A little tipster we'll can Bunny Blabbermouth tells Your Mama that Mister Kennedy will soon be closing on a 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom contemporary house just around the corner from Fat Actress Kirstie Alley and the former home of Gwen Stefani which is currently owned by Mark Brazill.

Modest in size by celebrity standards, the house was purchased from the LA-based French fashion designer Philippe Naouri. Do ya'll know who Monsieur Naouri is? He is one of the designers of Antik Denim, which of course is an apparel company that designs and fabricates a high-style rock star worthy demin clothing line that is sold to rich and "fashionable" skinny bitches at very high prices. Remember back in the day when Levis were the only game in town and they cost $18 bucks for a perfect pair of 501s?

Anyhoo, Monsieur Naouri purchased this house in January of 2006 for $1,960,545. Property records indicate he purchased the house from Paul Guez, who happens to own and run the parent company of Antik Denim. After closing on the house, it appears the next thing Monsieur Naouri did was call up Design Within Reach and order up one of everything to fill the house with very new looking modernist furniture pieces. We got the Eames molded plastic rocker ($399), the LC4 Chaise Lounge in cowhide ($2,915), the Eames La Chaise ($8,430), a Barcelona couch ($9,454), and a Nelson Marshmallow Sofa ($2,825, extra for the white vinyl). Then he called up Hive Modern for what's not available at D.W. R. and ordered up a couple of Eero Aarnio Ball Chairs ($5,625 each) and half a dozen Eero Aarnio Pastil Chairs to float in the pool ($1,463 each).

Your Mama has no idea if Monsieur Naouri is responsible for the redesign of the house and the jigsaw puzzle-like swimming pool layout. But if he is, we are thinking he's losing his shirt on this house. Think about it, the denim czar paid just under $2,000,000 for this house. Even if Mister Kennedy is paying full price for the house there won't be much left over after the big real estate fees and etc. to cover renovation costs.

The interior architecture takes after the W Hotel School of Design where we see open spaces, glossy ebonized floors, white walls, and brushed nickel accents. Nothing wrong with this look, but it's a wee bit tired in today's world.

As for all the mid century modern furniture? Don't get Your Mama wrong, we like mid century modern furniture as much as the next design freak, and we jumped on the mid century modern furniture craze in the mid 1990s too. In fact Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter have a Knoll two-seater with the original fabric in our bedroom, a Noguchi coffee table in the living room, and half a dozen white Panton chairs around our dining room table. But they are mixed in with furniture from other eras and you would never mistake our home for a mid century modern museum. But too much mid century furniture is simply too much.

Now of course, one does not usually buy the furniture along with the house, so let's move on to the issue that most concerns Your Mama about this house.

That's right, it's the swimming pool area that has our skin goose pimpled with fear and anxiety. This backyard area looks like something in a flashy and trashy boutique hotel in South Beach that is desperately trying to compete with the bigger name hotels on Collins and Ocean Avenues. The lighting is over-dramatic and confusing to the eye balls, and the canals and bridges, while inventive uses of space, just make it difficult for the old, infirm, and/or drunk to navigate safely. Who needs Grandma Moses falling into the canal after she's had a few too many martinis? Mark our words children, this pool and patio area is a backyard BBQ tragedy waiting to happen.

It is Your Mama's opinion, and it's just our opinion people, that the designer of this backyard has done flooded the car with too much of a good thing. It's like the old adage that says when a lady gets dressed she ought to look in the mirror and take at least one or two items OFF before leaving the house. There is just no need to wear every damn diamond one owns in order to make a statement. Do you know what we're saying children?

Even still, this house is a huge step forward for Mister Jamie Kennedy and we desperately hope he's not going to be bringing that futon over from his old house on Fairfax to clutter up this house. Happy house Mister Kennedy.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

You make some excellent points, Mama. The home's interior spacious simplicity is at odds with the pool area's overwrought complexity. It's dismaying when you stop to consider what the back yard's construction costs must have been, and how much nicer, harmonious, and more practical it could have been for considerably less I'm sure. The Description statement "The organic indoor/outdoor movement of the space makes for homogeneous design experience", is a valiant attempt to put lipstick on a pig. They wish.

Anonymous said...

Mama is right. This is the Mamie Van Doren of pools. Something that could be pretty, and sort of still is, but ends up being overwhelming and scary.

Anonymous said...

I'm actually digging this house. The backyard is a tad busy but this looks to be a place where aspiring starlets can take off their clothes and dance around naked. Good for Mr. Kennedy.

Anonymous said...

LOL anonymous #2. I like the house also, but that backyard is something only a fan of naked starlets could love. Too funny ;)

Anonymous said...

The house is great but the backyard looks like a pool accessory showroom. The only thing it's missing is fake rocks.

Anonymous said...

The house is like a showroom. The art that hangs inside and the furniture all flows so well together. I heard from my buddy at Deasy/penner which repped the seller that the agent for Mr. Kennedy practically stole this house. I assume its the good work of his agent Burt Bakman. But its a big step up for the funny guy and i hope he will be good to Los Feliz. Its a classic area.

Anonymous said...

I heard kennedys new girlfriend
Heidi Mueller
of the show Passions
told him the house is the perfect harmonious spot
and after Phillipe opened a bottle of Vueve 92
the deal was done furniture included and everybody went skinny dipping, while Bakman lit a fat one.

Anonymous said...

anonymous #5 = Rosie O'Donnell?

Anonymous said...

The house is a nice upgrade--and the shower is nice (I hate steam showers). But the backyard is overwrought. Too much light, too much concrete, too much faux.

Anonymous said...

Mama is like the Perez Hilton of Real Estate.

Anonymous said...

^ That is not a compliment, if you meant it to be.

Anonymous said...

Mama is not the Perez Hilton of real estate. She is the Mama of real estate. Perez Hilton is nastier than Courtney Love in a bikini.

DaliDiva said...

Does Jamie Kennedy still have a home in Las Vegas? I'd like to see if he's upgrading there, too.

Anonymous said...

Jamie sold vegas and made about a million on it. And the mama and Perez thing was supposed to be a compliment.. mama is great! not saying perez is.. i ment by mama always having the scoop!

Anonymous said...

Where can I find the white floating pool chairs?