A limestone porte cochère frames the view out to the property’s infinity pool. Nearby, a custom dining table is flanked by Linley chairs. Chaise loungers by Monica Armani sit poolside.
Renovating A Château-Inspired L.A. Manor For Dr. Dre
The minute he walked in, Dr. Dre knew. This Los Angeles estate was it, the spot he could see serving as home base for, well, “The Next Episode” of his life. So just as he had many times throughout his genre-defining career, he trusted his instincts. “Nothing turned me on until I saw this place, and I decided to buy it on the spot,” Dre recalls. “The energy here is amazing; it’s bliss—that’s the first word that popped into my head.”
What he saw—an ultraprivate 3.6-acre hillside setting overlooking the city—exuded a strong siren song. The stately house features architecture that evokes the rustic refinement of a French countryside estate, with a limestoneclad exterior showcasing castle-like details. There’s a mansard slate roof, copper finials, zinc cupolas and an elegant covered breezeway, plus a water feature resembling a moat, complete with a charming wooden bridge. Inside, reclaimed elements like antique brick and French oak floors play off swooping groin- and barrel-vaulted ceilings, arched windows and exposed beams. The aesthetic effect is romantic, whimsical, even a tad fantastical. Dre arrived with a punch list of needs but, ultimately, he didn’t want to alter the existing atmospheric framework.
“It was a beautifully done house, and Dre fell in love with it; he wanted to maintain the architecture, but also make it his own,” explains architect Richard Landry, who, with firm partner and project lead Suzanne Evans Shepela, had initially dreamed up the dwelling. The new owner welcomed them back in for modifications, pulling in additional design pros from the home’s original build: interior designer Joan Behnke and general contractors Ron and Tyler Udall. Of his decision to reassemble the “absolute best” team of collaborators, the hip-hop artist quips: “That’s been the story of my life, and they made it easy.”
Easy is relative, though, as what Dre had in mind for his home’s remix went beyond a refresh. His goals were twofold: to modernize the interiors with contemporary elements and essentially double the square footage of the house. Notably, most of the changes aren’t visible from the showstopping exterior envelope he wanted to preserve. Landry and Shepela devised an expansive addition that would bring to the home the extra amenities their client desired, but with a clever twist: They built it entirely underground.
“There was a conscious effort to keep the palette very neutral and calm, but also to go slightly more contemporary and even a little edgier.”
–JOAN BEHNKE
Home Details
Architecture:
Richard Landry and Suzanne Evans Shepela, Landry Design Group
Interior Design:
Joan Behnke, Joan Behnke & Associates
Home Builder:
Ron Udall and Tyler Udall, Tyler Development Corporation
The formal dining room is anchored by a table of Calacatta marble and brass flanked by Berenice Vien dal Mare chairs. A Lindsey Adelman Studio chandelier hangs above. Draperies feature Weitzner’s Isis fabric and the rug is Scott Group Studio.
A chandelier by Christopher Boots presides over the entry, with Oracle pendants by the same maker visible in the great room beyond. Furnishings, all custom pieces, include sofas of Loro Piana fabric and curved chairs wearing a Pierre Frey mohair.
Arched openings enhance the first-floor gallery, where designer Joan Behnke placed custom cabinets with wood-carved handles facing the billiards room. There, bespoke swivel chairs dressed in Loro Piana fabric rest below built-ins displaying Dr. Dre’s award statuettes. The runners are Scott Group Studio.
In the dining room, Behnke designed a walnut buffet table topped with Mark Albrecht Studio’s Eclipse Table Lamps. Pablo Picasso’s Tête de femme watches over it. The ceramic planter is by Kristina Riska, via Hostler Burrows.
For the great room’s far end, Behnke designed a walnut-and-bronze table and chairs upholstered in a Holly Hunt leather. The table lamp is Eric Roinestad via The Future Perfect and the rug is Scott Group Studio. On the wall is Draw Me by Kerry James Marshall.
Farrow & Ball’s Skimming Stone refreshed the cabinetry, setting off Calacatta marble countertops, while matte porcelain tile from Stone Source backdrops a Wolf range. Alison Berger Glassworks pendants punctuate the barrel-vaulted ceiling of reclaimed brick.
Loro Piana fabric envelops the primary bedroom walls, complementing the Studioart leather layered in a headboard niche. The chaise lounge and ottoman, both covered in Lauren Hwang New York alpaca, are bespoke, as are the bed and nightstand. The chandelier is Design Alliance LA.
Stained walnut paneling lines the walls of Dre’s private, below-ground recording studio, which boasts a state-of-the-art mixing console. Herman Miller’s classic Aeron chairs stand at the ready in the creative space.
There, a host of spaces devoted to health and wellness took shape. The new subterranean level houses a chic underground lap pool, which gets daily use, as well as a spa and sauna, salon, massage area and well-appointed gym. This is no dim basement expanse either. Bespoke elements including a water wall and sculptural lighting fixtures enhance the ambience, while light wells bring in sunlight in select spots. A major essential, Dre’s top-of-the-line, precisely engineered recording studio, also sits below the surface. Complete with its own private entrance and lounge, it’s designed for round-the-clock use as inspiration strikes: no windows, no noises, no distractions.
The above-ground spaces were transformed as well, particularly the great room, where an outdoor loggia between the living and family rooms was absorbed to create a larger entertaining area better suited to the flow of Dre’s lifestyle. Stylistically, “there was a conscious effort to keep the palette very neutral and calm, but also to go slightly more contemporary and even a little edgier with the furnishings and lighting,” describes Behnke. The designer traded the home’s former fixtures and antique pieces for a fresher range of geometric, glass and glam chandeliers and pendants.
Comfort, provided by ample inviting seating, ranked high on Dre’s list of priorities—“Comfort is number one for me; this is my sanctuary,” he says—as was striking a balance between classic and contemporary elements within the artfully layered spaces. “Our attempt was to create a form of visual symphony here, at a level that, like a Beethoven composition or a song by Dr. Dre, you can’t absorb it all at once,” Behnke muses. Unexpected moments such as origamilike pendants in a hallway or the entry stairwell’s curved-glass panels all achieve this effect. The overall attention to detail and artistry speaks to a perfectionism long associated with the exacting homeowner. “Imagine having a house you never want to leave,” Dre concludes. “That’s what’s been created here. I have my own world in my home with everything I’ve always wanted.”
Part of the home’s subterranean build out, a lap pool lined with blue mirrors reflects the ceiling’s geometric in-laid lighting. Hand-troweled plaster walls match those of the main floor. Custom oval benches with leather details dot the perimeter.