‘Y: The Last Man’ Screenwriter Olivia Purnell Buys 1930s Spanish Revival

Mae Hamilton
·3 min read

Last year, increasingly prominent Tinseltown writer Olivia Purnell inked a multiyear deal with Skydance Television to create and produce original scripted content. Now the creative — best known for writing for the upcoming TV adaptation of the “Y: The Last Man” comic — is acknowledging that success by setting down Hollywood roots, with the $1.8 million purchase of a Los Angeles home.

Purnell’s new house, a charming 1,800-square-foot, Spanish-style residence in L.A.’s Los Feliz enclave, was sold by musician Eddie Chacon — half of Charles & Eddie, the ’90s one-hit wonder duo that briefly topped charts with their boppin’ single “Would I Lie to You.” Although not particularly large, the former Chacon abode is packed full of bespoke touches and old school glamour.

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Out front, a pea green wooden gate opens to a roomy courtyard landscaped with a whimsical assortment of desert plants, palm trees, and vibrant flowers. There’s also a graveled area with a picnic table, perfect for dining al fresco in the Southern Californian breeze, and guests can admire the home’s classic architecture, which is covered with ivory-colored stucco, topped with terracotta barrel tiles and decorated with wrought iron work. A staircase embellished with colorful mosaic tiles leads to the front door.

Inside, off-white walls, vintage detailing, hardwood and glazed terracotta tiling add to the ambience. The sunken living room boasts dramatic beamed ceilings, French doors, and a large open fireplace with a stone hearth and pure white mantle. An adjacent breakfast nook sits under a single lightbulb hung from the ceiling via a knotted rope and is bathed in natural light thanks to a large window and French doors that open to the courtyard.

Though it’s a bit on the wee side, the kitchen is undeniably stylish with black and white hexagonal tiling on the floors and calacatta quartz atop the counters. Modern upgrades include a fancy gas range and two big picture windows near the sink, overlooking the yard.

The cozy master suite sports a bath with sea foam green tiling and a garden-style tub, plus a freestanding shower. A door on the opposite side of the bathroom leads to another one of the home’s bedrooms, which appears to have been used by Chacon as a walk-in closet.

Outside, there’s plenty of room to entertain or to bask on the property’s upper patio area, which overlooks the meticulously groomed courtyard. Much like the lower area of the lot, the patio area has been landscaped with lush plants and foliage.

Purnell, a USC grad now in her mid-30s, had a rather unlikely rise to showbiz success. She began her career as a stylist, first collaborating with designers for editorial shoots, before flexing her screenwriting muscle as a staff writer on the Starz series “American Gods,” a role that led her to FX’s “Y: The Last Man.”

Tracy Do and Ronda Doyal of Compass held the listing; Zach Goldsmith of Hilton & Hyland repped Purnell.

Launch Gallery: Inside Olivia Purnell's Elegant Los Feliz Home

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