Monday, July 6, 2009

John Krasinski Gets a New Krib

BUYER: John Krasinski
LOCATION: Marmont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $1,857,000
SIZE: 2,640 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Gated Mid Century compound on a long private drive, high above Chateau Marmont on a celebrity cul-de-sac. 1/3+ acre of land. Originally 5 bedrooms, no a Master Suite w/ gym & pool. Upstairs, Master Suite w/ fireplace, steam shower, city vus, media room & gym. Guest House.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: One day late last week Your Mama was yakking and gabbing with our frightfully in the know informant Lucy Spillerguts who unexpectedly whispered in our ear that altitudinous actor John Krasinski had recently purchased a new house in the Sunset Strip area of Los Angeles. So, natch, we did a little digging on the interweb and, sho enuf, records reveal young Mister Krasinski forked over $1,857,000 for a house on Marmont Avenue, which listing information described as "a celebrity cul-de-sac."

The well educated Mister Krasinski plays the glib and sardonic Jim Halpert on The Office, stars in a film called Away We Go (written not by screenwriters but by literary darlings Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida) and is soon to make his writer/producer/directorial debut in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, a movie adapted from the dee-voon (and recently deceased) David Foster Wallace's book of short stories of the same name. As far as Your Mama is concerned, Mister Kransinski seems smarter than the average Hollywood heart throb if only because he actually knows who Dave Eggers is.

Anyhoo, property records show that Mister Krasinski scooped up his new digs in late February of 2009 and listing information shows the house sits down a long, gated driveway for maximum privacy and measures in at a modest 2,640 square feet. Before we get started Your Mama needs the children to recognize that the questionable day-core in the photos is not that of Mister Krasinski but of the previous owner of the home so don't waste your breath or time moaning over that two-tone sectional sofa in the media room or the silliness of that leather ottoman sitting in front of the fireplace looking all uncomfortable and out of place.

The front door opens to a hall lined with horizontally applied wood paneling (which is much nicer looking than it sounds) and leads to the living room wrapped with several sets of wood framed French doors and a fireplace where Mister Krasinski can snuggle up to his ladee-friend, who is the British-born and utterly lovely actress Emily Blunt. The light blond wood floors in the living room extend into the dining area as well as the kitchen where marble counter tops sit on white Shaker style cabinets. The kitchen is open to the living and dining room but seems somehow strangely outdated although none of the materials are particularly passé when it comes to current trends in kitchen design. Okay, maybe that glass and stainless steel parabolic hood over the range is yesterday's dee-zine news.

Property records show the Krasinski krib was originally built with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. However, listing information indicates several of the upstairs bedrooms have been combined leaving just 3 bedrooms including a master suite with attached pooper and home gym where we have a hard time imagining Mister Krasinski working on his pectoral muscles. Also on the second floor is a good sized media room with French doors that open to the slim balcony that runs along the back of the house. Somewhere on the property, according to listing information, is a guest house and we're not sure if these guest quarters are counted in the bedroom and terlit count on the listing.

A smallish swimming pool with a not very pretty concrete coping and terrace occupy much of the wee back yard area although there does appear to be a trellised area at one end and at the other a good sized terrace on the second floor overlooks the pool which, we hope, provides a bit of a view and even more importantly includes an exterior stair case to the pool deck.

As mentioned earlier, listing information indicated Marmot Avenue is a "celebrity cul-de-sac" and indeed there are a number of notable names nesting in Mister Krasinski's new neck of the hills. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel lives across the street in a large and recently completed contemporary crib, Nip/Tuck writer/producer/director Ryan Murphy lives up the hills in a modern residence he tried unsuccessfully to sell last year despite a $595,000 price chop from it's original asking price of $4,195,000 and the comely actress Cameron Diaz lives down the street a wee bit in a very private 2,469 square foot house she bought in May of 2001 for $1,342,513.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like it.

Anonymous said...

Can you see the Staples Center from here? I just saw Jackson Memorial tickets on E-bay for over four thousand dollars. I am going to be there to see if Mama shows up.

Anonymous said...

There is no way Our Mama would show up down there. She will mix up a pitcher of G&Ts and watch it on TV like any sane person.

Or she will be at the real services & burial happening in the Hollywood Hills at 8am before the Staples fiasco.

angeleyes said...

None of the homes in that stretch of Marmont have any yard to speak of, making this a nice condo alternative for singles or a couple with no children. I really like the looks of the wood bathroom vanity top with it's snow white sink. There's plenty of room for a 2nd sink which most would want, so it's curious that there isn't one. Thanks Mama.

Anonymous said...

Good for Jim. He is great in The Office. Totally did not know he was seeing Emily Blunt. Oh well, Michael Buble's loss...

I like the house. Great light and clean lines, very L.A. mid century free of character destroying renovations. A solid blank canvas for the big gay decorators to work their magic.

Anonymous said...

What the don't show is the house directly next his new pad. Spitting distance from window to window. House is shoved in there like Paris Hilton's feet in a pair of size 10 Choo.

Anonymous said...

agreed. what if their (the neighbors) kids have a pool party. its like you would be attending if you live in said house.

Anonymous said...

google maps

Ed said...

Good grief. Where do you all live that you don't have neighbors? I bet 95% of the people here live in regular neighborhoods where there is actually a house on the other side of the fence.

You all act like a "celebrity" ought to live out in the country without neighbors or something.

Anonymous said...

Bird's Eye View

It's the house directly behind the one at the top of West Dr.

Jeff said...

The house isn't going to have views in that location. It does have a very private backyard butted up against the hill. I think it is a lot more private than some of you are thinking from looking at the maps.

If you are looking at the aerial links, the street at the top of the hill is the gated section of Woods Dr. The L shaped house at the bottom curve of Woods is Case Study House#22. The Tudor house to the south on Marmont is part of a 3 acre estate. The main house is further south near the corner of Hollywood (the address of the estate is Hollywood Blvd.). That was/is the home of the founder of Shakey's Pizza.

Anonymous said...

I like the interiors, but I hope the couches are gone when he moves in. Wow, those are some incredibly ugly couches!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful house -- love all the wood. Don't love the driveway, though -- the squares with grass in between feel more cottage and fight with the clean garage door and general style of the house. Everything else is great, though.

Anonymous said...

i want to ride him, i bet his u know wha tis huge

Mars said...

Nice guy, no doubt, but I don't understand the appeal of him at all. I will not go see a movie that he's in. I wanted to see Leatherbacks (name?) with Renee and Clooney, but Kransinki was also in and that dulled my interest. So anyways my point? Why they hell is he so rich? Lol!

Xavier said...

Buying a 1.8m house isn't that rich.

Maybe being on a very successful tv show brings a nice paycheck?

Anonymous said...

to Ed 5:13. There is a big difference between having neighbors next door and feeling like your neighbors are in your house.

Most current building codes allow building 5' (yes, 60") from the property line. This is about half the distance of what was common in the 50's and 60's.

If your house AND your neighbor's were built with this minimal setback, well that's just a little too close for most people's comfort zones.

Give me a smaller house on a larger lot any day.

Anonymous said...

What city in Southern California allows a 5' side or rear setback?

Seriously. Please name one.

Anonymous said...

Nice looking house but the stained wood doors and windows - probably the result of a remodel when the original sliding doors were removed - need to go. I don't care for the wood walls and countertop in the bathroom, either - too woodsy for what's otherwise a sleek mid-century modern home. Love the grid driveway.

PoshLady said...

I wonder if he will be invited on Sunday afternoons to watch football at Jimmy's house. John has done well for himself. A pretty nice place - I like the kitchen.