How Wilmer Valderrama Transformed Chuck Norris’ 70s-Inspired Home Into His Laid-Back Pad
Some people start decorating their home with a mood board of options. Wilmer Valderrama began with one specific idea: “I wanted my friends to come in and be like, ‘Wow! If James Bond and Batman had a baby, and that baby was a house, this is what it would look like,'” says the actor, 39.
But his four-acre Tarzana, Calif., compound came with other action-history cred: It belonged to martial arts TV star Chuck Norris. Valderrama, who currently stars as agent Nick Torres on NCIS, initially toured the home as a curious fan but ended up falling for the place and bought it in 2006.
Now he sees his future here. “This is a property I can totally see turning into that beautiful home where I can have my children grow up,” he says of the impressive spread, which consists of a main house (with a room designed as a barbershop), a guesthouse, a full gym with an outdoor basketball court and another building he uses as an office.
The house needed a serious design refresh when he purchased it. “Since That ’70s Show was about to end, I figured I should live somewhere that didn’t remind me of work,” he jokes about the decades-old decor. “It was important I update the salmon-colored carpets.”
After an 18-month-long renovation (he converted the four bedrooms to two, with walk-in closets), he decorated with a mix of masculine leather furnishings.
“This was completely designed for me to take tons of naps,” he says of his living room, which includes a leather sectional from Restoration Hardware and a projector for movie nights.
In a nook, two Best Made Co. axes hang above the fire, which is framed by a pair of tufted leather chairs. “I hope that when people walk into my home, they feel like, ‘This is very cozy, but there’s a touch of elegance,'” he says.
There are also unusual custom pieces—like a coffee table made from a boat propeller—and sentimental art. Photos of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, two personal heroes, watch over the bar, which Norris relocated from an old cantina in El Paso, Texas. Decorative skulls are also scattered around the home. “Their energy represents a type of protection,” says Valderrama.
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“I spend a lot of time at home, so I wanted every room to be so me,” says Valderrama. His kitchen, for example, has a wine fridge, a hibachi grill and a coffee station — a new obsession for the actor.
Living with his two dogs, Lucy and Marrok, he couldn’t feel more content. “As long as you have appreciation for the bare minimum, everything else is a gift,” he says. “Everything else is a blessing. Everything else is a win.”
