It was our trusty colleague Vlad the Revealer from Celebrity Address Aerial who first queried Yolanda about the owner of a rather striking and sickeningly well-preserved mid-century modern gem high in the Hollywood Hills.
Although the buyer of the recently-sold property is listed in records only as an anonymously-named blind trust, Yolanda just happens to know that the new man of the house is none other than Northern Irish model-turned-actor Jamie Dornan.
Over the past decade or so, Mr. Dornan — reportedly once the highest-paid male model in the world — has gradually made the difficult transition from picture poser to picture starrer. His first acting job was a bit-park role in 2006’s Marie Antoinette, and he had a 2011 role on the primetime TV program Once Upon a Time.
But without a doubt, Mr. Dornan’s true breakout role didn’t come until 2015, with the S&M-themed Twilight fan-fiction-turned-mega-franchise Fifty Shades of Grey film adaption. Though roundly thrashed by the critics (those fusty old coots!) the public lapped up the sexiful chemistry (and those cute butt-whippings!) between the dominant Mr. Dornan and his submissive ingénue counterpart (portrayed by Dakota Johnson) to the tune of a downright shocking $571 million at the worldwide box office. Ka-ching, beotches!
Now then. It’s not often that Yolanda discusses a house on this blog that she really loves — she’s got persnickety tastes, after all — but we adore a good mid-century time capsule and this place is as delectable as any. And Mr. Dornan snagged it for just $2,843,000! We feel like this same house would be at least $8 million if it were a few miles southwest, over in Beverly Hills’ Trousdale Estates.
First, let’s get the big negative out of the way: there’s no city lights view. But really, who needs such overkill when you’ve got a truly stunning open central atrium that features a sort of shallow wishing well water feature thingy?
The house also has no garage, but it does sport a graceful covered parking area. Nice cinder block wall out front. Groovy, baby.
An open living room runs the entire length of the left side of the house and is divided into two sections separated by a lovely (and massive) see-through stone fireplace. Public records say the place has a modest (by celeb standards) 2,510-square-feet of living space, but the mostly wall-free floor plan and open-air targa roof somehow make it appear much larger. At least in the pics.
Certain folks may disagree with Yolanda, but we think the prior owner — Narnia producer Vincent Sieber — did a fabulous job creating a very up-to-date kitchen that blends perfectly with the rest of the home. Can y’all imagine waking up and cooking breakfast on a rainy Saturday morning while watching the sprinkles pitter-patter off the smooth stone steps in the open atrium. The only thing better for you ladies (and some gentlemen!) is if Mr. Dornan were there assisting you, right?
Just kidding! About the rain in LA. Natch.
The period-correct dining room set is located behind the atrium. Floor to ceiling sliders open to the notably-large pool. But hold up, we’re not quite ready to head back out there yet.
The house’s 4 bedrooms and total of 3.25 baths are all tucked away on the left side of the home, behind the carport. The master has a wall of glass that looks out over the pool area. A frosted glass door leads to an all-white bathroom with soaking tub, dual vanities, and a commodious shower with rainfall showerhead.
One of the three guest/family bedrooms. Check out that bananas red tile bathroom that looks like something out of a Stephen King novel or Jack Nicholson film. Redrum…
A lot size of .19-acre ain’t exactly what Yolanda would term “huge”, but there is ample space for entertaining out back thanks to minimal (but well-positioned) landscaping. A raised deck with wooden slats extends from the master bedroom to the outdoor dining set that peek-a-boo style overlooks the pool through two olive trees.
Mr. Dornan may not be as rich as the billionaire Christian Grey he portrays in the “Fifty Shades” or like Grey’s creator E.L. James — who just dropped $7.3 million on her own Hollywood Hills pad — but he’s clearly no slouch in the money department, either. In addition to his nearly-three-million-dollar new house in the Hollywood Hills, he’s also reportedly got a 5-bedroom, 3-bedroom house in the Cotswolds area of south central England.
Mr. Dornan and his wife Amelia Warner, with whom he has two tots, splashed out 1.75 million British pounds on the somewhat-remotely-located tennis court estate last year (2015). That amount equates to $2,322,005 at today’s rates, FYI.
Anyway, back stateside it’s no secret that the Nichols Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills has long been a favored haven for celebrities of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Some of Mr. Dornan’s nearest famous neighbors include George Eads, Drew Carey, and Dwight Yoakam. Directly behind Mr. Dornan’s new old MCM is a massive Mulholland Drive estate compound owned by Sacha Baron Cohen.
Anyway, Yolanda had a busy weekend so that’s all we’ve got for this one. We’ll be back in top form later this week, we promise. For now, enjoy the pics of this swingin’ pad. And Mrs. Peel… we’re needed.