Ellen Pompeo Has 'A Lot of Rules' for Her Kitchen Because 'This Is My Space' — Take a Tour
Meredith Grey dominates the operating room in Grey's Anatomy but in real life, Ellen Pompeo commands the kitchen.
The star of ABC's hit medical drama gave fans a look inside her beach house in Malibu, Calif. during an interview for Architectural Digest's January 2023 cover story.
The actress enjoys the midcentury modern haven with husband Chris Ivery and their three children: daughters Stella Luna and Sienna May, and son Eli Christopher. The family spends time in an extra large bed designed for the whole crew to watch movies together or in the backyard roasting marshmallows. But Pompeo has one space that's entirely her own.
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"I cook a lot so I have a lot of rules regarding this kitchen," she says. "This kitchen is very small. I don't like anybody in the kitchen when I'm in here. So everybody has to stand behind this line," gesturing to the edge of the white counter which has three emerald green suede seats.
She continues with a laugh, "There are three stools that I've been nice enough to put here for the children, they each have their own stool."
"Nobody is to come around into the kitchen. If they want something they're supposed to stand there or sit there and ask me for it. This is my space," the actress jokes.
Douglas Friedman / Architectural Digest
The other countertops in the kitchen are black and white book-matched marble that can also be found on the walls separating the dining room and the kitchen and in the living room. The continuity of the marble helps with the flow of the home, according to Pompeo: "The design sort of comes together even though the walls are separated."
RELATED: Ellen Pompeo Shows Off Malibu Dream Home She 'Manifested' Owning Years After First Seeing It
While the kitchen has a sleek look with the handleless cabinets, Pompeo still wants the home to have personality. "Some people want a sterile home that makes them feel like they're at a spa. But I love design that tells a story."
Douglas Friedman / Architectural Digest
The kitchen's open shelves show various ceramic dinnerware pieces and glassware. Plus, the shelves are topped with empty green apothecary jars that celebrity-favorite interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who Pompeo calls her "partner in crime," found at a flea market.
Rows of glass bottles might be precarious in an area prone to earthquakes but Pompeo has a trick. "In Los Angeles, because the ground moves, those are tacked down with some sticky tape to make sure that if the house shakes those don't fall off and hit anybody in the head," she explains.
Pompeo and Ivery bought the 3,000-square-foot home from Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman almost 10 years ago. "I like to say I manifested this house," she says.
Douglas Friedman / Architectural Digest
Pompeo first saw the home when it was listed for sale years before they purchased it, but says she "couldn't afford" to buy it at the time. She admired it from afar and when it was finally listed again in 2013, she bought it.
Since scaling back her role as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, Pompeo is able to spend more time at her beach house and working on other projects.
"I am entering a very exciting phase of my life, if I do say so myself," she tells Architectural Digest. "I'm starting on a new show for Hulu in March, but right now I have a lot of free time."
To read the full story and see more photos visit archdigest.com or pick up the latest issue of Architectural Digest.
