See Inside Jessica Alba's Stunning L.A. Family Home: 'This Is Our Dream House!'
Jessica Alba‘s L.A. home is a sprawling hilltop stunner…with a hand-me-down swing set proudly displayed in the backyard.
The actress and Honest Company founder and her husband Cash Warren had a clear vision when they began hunting for a new home: “We wanted a place to watch our kids play and grow up,” she tells Architectural Digest in the June issue cover story.
And they found it surprisingly easily, on the very first day of their search.
The property featured a rare large and grassy backyard for their three children — daughters Honor, 10, and Haven, 7, and son Hayes, 1 — but inside, the decor required a little more creative vision.
The design savvy star took it in stride. “I thought, I have an imagination and I know what I want. I walked in and knew within 20 minutes, even though [the previous owners’ style] wasn’t our vibe, this was exactly what we were looking for,” she tells AD.
After purchasing the property, the couple, who married in 2008, called on a design team that had been tried and tested by a famous friend: Ellen DeGeneres.
Mother-and-son team Kathleen and Tommy Clements, who designed the home of the talk show host and her wife Portia de Rossi, helped bring Alba and Warren’s vision of a French-inspired, family-friendly home to life, but not before taking the place down to the studs.
“I was like, ‘I’m pretty much fine with everything; let’s just paint it!’ Alba recalls initially instructing the duo. But after learning that “apparently you can’t just pop off crown molding,” the redo expanded into an 18-month, top-to-bottom overhaul.
Alba was careful not to splurge on everything. She notes that she turned down a pitch for $70,000 antique stone flooring in favor of a style she found herself at Lowe’s. And the business woman even uncovered a key piece second hand.
The swing set belonged to a family friend who’s children had outgrown it, so Alba and Warren picked it up and are putting it to good use in their own backyard. “It’s sweet to have something that is worn in and has been loved by kids already,” she says.
Now, Alba couldn’t be happier with the finished product, telling AD, “This is our dream house!”
To read the full story and see more photos, pick up the June issue of Architectural Digest or visit archdigest.com.
