Ellen DeGeneres's romantic Montecito 1930’s Italian-style villa is on the market for $45 million.
Ellen and her wife, Australian–American actress Portia de Rossi’s latest real estate offering and a predominant subject in Ellen’s book, “Home,” is an expansive house and grounds on a Montecito, California hill overlooking the ocean and mountains. Known as “The Villa,” it was designed by noted architect Wallace Frost after returning from Italy.
Entranced by 17th-century Italian villas, this was the home he envisioned and built for himself and his family, which he replicated with great accuracy. Decades later, acclaimed architectural designer John Saladino fell in love with its “mix of grandeur and modesty” and commenced a five-year meticulous restoration of the property for his personal use.
Ellen and Portia purchased The Villa in 2013 and expanded the estate through the acquisition of two adjacent properties, which now total 16.88 acres. They spared no expense in modernizing the historic property for a relaxed California lifestyle. The 10,500-square-foot home includes six bedrooms, eight baths, nine fireplaces, multiple libraries, a marble-wrapped chef’s kitchen and formal rooms.
An indoor-outdoor entertaining pavilion was built from stone excavated on-site with hand-made iron windows. The couple also added a lap pool, sunken championship tennis court and installed state-of-the-art irrigation, mechanical, electronic and security systems. The listing agent is Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby’s International Realty.
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