Friday, June 22, 2012

Goop Gal Gwynnie Paltrow Snags Fancy L.A. Digs

BUYERS: Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA (Brentwood)
PRICE: $9,950,000
SIZE: (approx.) 8,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Today is a travel day—we don't dare tell you where we're going it's just so unconventional and hot and awful—so we need to be uncharacteristically brief about the celebrity real estate scuttlebutt reported by gossip juggernaut TMZ about Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin fixin' to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of ten million (American) clams to acquire a recently (re)built mansion in the bucolic, horse-friendly and very expensive Mandeville Canyon area of Los Angeles.

Mandeville Canyon, for those not familiar, sits between the quiet community of Brentwood and the equally as quiet community of Pacific Palisades.

The Goop gal's newly built digs, according to listing information we scared up out of the interweb, sits on a tree-shaded .66 acre lot and was imagined—and presumably staged—by high-fallutin' and self-described "lifestyle architect" Windsor Smith who wedged 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms in to the approximately 8,000 square foot, H-shaped single story stunner described as "Reminiscent of a home in the horse country of Kentucky" with "gentrified rooms" suitable for  and "inspiring and[d] easy, relaxed, unpretentious lifestyle."

At one point the house was listed for $11,960,000 but was last listed at $10,450,000 and, so the rumor goes, the Paltrow-Martins are in escrow for somewhere close to the asking price.

There are muted black and white checkerboard floors in the entrance hall that stretches gracefully from the front clean through to the back of the house and antique herringbone wood floors in the formal living room that also stretches clear through from the front to the back of the mansion. There are more fireplaces with vintage mantels than we can count, and multi-paned windows and French doors that seamlessly connect the interiors to the courtyard around which the back of the house wraps. Despite the menacing looking pot rack over the super-sized center island, the eat-in kitchen is an absolute marvel of sophistication and craftsmanship. Your Mama can assure the children the Toyota-sized range cost more than an average Toyota.

At the front, drive gates open in to a genteel gravel motor court that passes through a narrow porte-cochere to a small rear motor court and second set of electronic driveway gates. At the rear, according to listing description, there are "Rolling grounds with shady sycamores and venerable oaks contribute to the pastoral setting.

Outdoor living spaces include a sitting area with outdoor fireplace, a built-in barbecue station with adjacent built-in dining banquette and the cutest little stable a person ever saw with an itty-bitty cupola on top.

Miz Paltrow and Mister Martin also maintain a penthouse pad in New York City (plus a second apartment on a lower floor, presumably for family or staff), a shingled mansion in Amagansett, NY—that's the Hamptons, puppies—and a triple-wide townhouse compound in London's natty, celeb-stocked Belsize Park area.

listing photos: Coldwell Banker Previews International

31 comments:

Desert Donna said...

Charm endures and will always sell.

Anonymous said...

Total hypocracy..these liberals tell us how to live and yet maintain these extravagent energy consuming properties. I can only hope they drive their electric car from home to home?. Her mother is even worse.

Anonymous said...

If Barbie could be a person, she would be Gwyneth Paltrow.

architect121 said...

it was the Veranda Magazine showhouse in 2011, I believe. They called it "the house of Windsor" because it was designed by Windsor Smith. Each room was decorated by a different designer, however. You can check out a virtual tour and floorplans here:

http://verandaunveils.com/

Rosco Mare said...

Anyone else enjoy hearing the crunching sound of gravel under car wheels?

lil' gay boy said...

Oh my dear; no sound better in the world than an overly-expensive car rolling slowly over well-raked gravel...

Nice house, but I still hate her (and her Goop)...

Anonymous said...

to: June 22, 2012 11:02 AM
grow up. this is a website @ architecture/ real estate/ design

you don't think 'conservatives' own big houses and high dollar real estate AND tell people what to do?

DC Guy said...

I wonder if those stupid horses out front came with the house? ;-p

Anonymous said...

don't get mean about Gwynnie...she soooo down to earth

Anonymous said...

@rosco Add me to the group who loves the crunching sound of gravel under car wheels.

Now, for the house. I like it and the Mandeville Canyon area in general. I love the former Robert Taylor Mandeville Canyon spread from a distance, but I wonder what I'd find on closer inspection? Something keeps the buyers away. That would be on the shortlist of my dream houses if I ever won a BIG lottery or married well. Since neither is likely to occur, I don't have to really worry about what ails the Taylor place.

Anonymous said...

Hmm. The rear view of this house sure doesn't look like 10.45m to me. Looks more like a ranch mcmansion in the Atlanta suburbs. Also, you can see the above ground power line along Mandeville Canyon Road, which the house appears to be hard by the side of. That's not so pretty. I do have to admit that the front to back center hall is well done, but the hardware on the kitchen cabinets is pretentious and ridiculous. Seems like there must be much better stuff in this price range on the Westside.

And by the way, isn't her ex Ben Affleck around about here in the Cliff May house?

Also, no pictures of any of the bedrooms either here or on the Coldwell website which is suspicious. Are half of them in the basement or something? Not even one of the master suite?

And presenting a slightly more than half acre as a horse property is a joke. Actually, they look like ponies, but does the city even allow them on a property of this size? Would be very surprised if they do.

Anonymous said...

Eh, I'll pass on all things Gwyneth!!!

Anonymous said...

@11:02 AM, hopefully Gwennie won't need to fly her horses back and forth from the East Coast to CA like Ann Romney.

@3:22, yes- horses are allowed. There are trails all around.

Carla Ridge said...

The only thing nicer than gravel under the wheels of the Phantom are watching tipsy Laboutin-hooved guests trying to walk through it after dinner.

Doug -- The Taylor ranch is formidable from the outside, but looks like a second-tier county club on the inside. Think: Nicest house in Nebraska, and you'll get a picture. Potential? Yes, but WHAT a project.

StPaulSnowman said...

Am I the only one who loves that Dlisted always refers to her as "Fishsticks"? I am not sure why, but it is subliminally perfect.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't you think for 10 million smackeroos they could have done something more than a picture light over the kitchen sink? That is pathetic. Linen Queen

Anonymous said...

THATS 10M? hahahahahahahahha. Looks like an $750,000 house in suburban Dallas.

Anonymous said...

4:49 Soon Anne can use Air Force One to move here horses huh?

Anonymous said...

wow rich celebs really don't know the value of money..the google street view of this house on
westridge road shows the house pre-renovation looks like the bates motel from Psycho. this place sold for $3.2 million in 2008...thats a healthy profit because I don't see $7 mill in renovations and construction

Anonymous said...

An excellent full screen slideshow of the property:

http://www.marylututhill.com/currentlistings/california/brentwood/90049/yyqZy/1691-Mandeville-Canyon-Road.htm

Anonymous said...

Estate? In your dreams, Gwynnie. Not this little piece of property. I'm not a all surprised this house has been for sale for a while. Most people who could afford a $10M house drove up and didn't even go in. Meg Ryan's home she just sold is so much prettier than this one.

Anonymous said...

@Carla Ridge

Thanks for the 411 on the Taylor property. Sorry this reply was late in coming; I've been occupied with Over the top Trousdale Estates and the related Facebook page! I'm loving every minute of it!!

Thank you!

Candy said...

Love Gwyneth, the place is charming, and I absolutely adore Brentwood, but I agree they overpaid.

Unknown said...

The first thing I'd do is sandblast the painted brick.

The house looks like an unattractive woman with too much makeup.

Anonymous said...

Talking about waaaay overpriced properties. Is this a joke. Nobody can be this naive and actually consider buying this for such a price. And can someone please explain to me whats up with the horses and the stable? This house is situated on a small lot and surrounded by streets and houses in every direction with no place anywhere close to ride them? Whats the point then?

MamasBoy said...

Uh, no pool????

Anonymous said...

Let's see... a pretty ordinary looking ranch with a two car garage on less than 3/4 of an acre for over $10m. LA real estate is absurd.
But I guess you do get the pleasure of smelling horse crap constantly with the stables only about 20 feet away from the house. These people are out of their minds.

Anonymous said...

nothing I love more than the crunching sound of an overly-expensive car rolling slowly over
people who use the word "tranny".

midTN said...

***

"Reminiscent of a home in the horse country of Kentucky"......LOL...wanna bet?

***

Anonymous said...

10:11, what were you first? Male or female? Was that you I saw on the corner of Hollywood and Vine last Friday?

Anonymous said...

A grand scheme brought to you by Windsor Smith who found a sucker in Gwynith Paltrow. Surface appeal only resulting from the very gimmicky "House of Windsor" approach which garnered much publicity. The schizophrenic overdone aspects boggle the mind of anyone knowledgeable about style and quality. Veneer loves veneer.