A creatively redesigned one-time home of L.A.-based sculptor, artist and filmmaker Michael McMillen has been sold by Tobey Maguire. Maguire purchased the property in 2015 for $2.68 million, and passed it on for $3.325 million—a solid $325K+ over the asking price.
The property is a desirable one. McMillen called it home for many years, and put a great deal into it financially and personally. It retains the stamp of a successful artist’s residence; the sensibility behind the renovations is acute, playful, and individualistic, and the artist’s studio looms behind the modestly sized original bungalow, giving it a new context.
The main house is a Spanish revival constructed in 1927, with the soft, rounded arches, wrought iron and tile roof one expects in a classic example of the style. The interior is meandering, open, and whitewashed bright, inviting curiosity, and the renovations only enhance the effect. Against the whitewash, the splashes of color in and around the home come off like brushstrokes: green tiled kitchen floor, a farmhouse-red door, jade-colored bathroom backsplash. Mid-toned hardwood window frames, floors, exposed beams and—in one case—barrel-arched ceiling warm up all the blazing whitewash, and ground the sense of space provided by 22-foot ceilings.
The property includes two other structures—the studio, and a gym—and extends across roughly 8,000 square feet. The renovated main house measures 2,400 square feet, with the studio at around 1,200. Maguire knows a bit of high-end real estate cachet when he sees it.
Tobey Maguire is a successful actor and producer. He has worked with directors Ang Lee, Woody Allen, Terry Gilliam, Lasse Halstrom and Curtis Hanson.