Jay-Z and Beyoncé are leasing La Villa Contenta (the House of Contentment) for the summer. At $400K per month, contentment had better be included in this house.
The 16,000 square foot property in Malibu is currently for sale at a trifle under $55 million. The main house and accompanying structures sit on a little under 6.5 acres of some of the most valuable land in the world, giving it the aura of a lush, dreamlike oasis. The property was initially listed for sale in 2010 by its current owner, who offered it at a whopping $75 million.
The main house measures about 12,000 square feet, and features four large en-suite bedrooms, including a massive master, as well as staff quarters. If you include living space represented by the guest house and the auxiliary office structure the square footage count rises to just over 16,100.
Some of the more striking features of the property include arcades, a neoclassical façade with ionic columns, plenty of carved stone, a greenhouse dedicated to succulents, an indoor pool in the Roman style, a formal dining room with a buttressed ceiling, inlaid stone floors, tile floors in various forms and materials, reflecting pools, stone balusters, and carved stone fireplace mantels. For starters.
The kitchen in the main residence is trattoria-style, with a tiled barrel roof, and a very broad center island. Other notable spaces include the home cinema, which features a more spacious and relaxed layout than many, and a wine room with floor-to-ceiling racks and a rail ladder.
The home’s acreage is heavily landscaped in the style of Italian Riviera garden design, with water features, winding footpaths, and an Edenic aesthetic enhanced by rare specimen plantings.
The family—just expanded with twins—has been renting in various high-profile greater L.A. properties for some time now, while they engage in an extended bout of house-hunting. They made an offer on a $120 million spec house in Bel-Air back in April.