Actress Gabrielle Union and professional athlete Dwyane Wade recently picked up a very flashy and newly constructed home in Sherman Oaks. The house, which is wedged into a hillside overlooking the city, was finished last year.

It’s a trophy home, with all the trappings. The architecture is Mediterranean-inflected modern, essentially a contemporary villa. Plentiful arches, a tile roof, a loggia porch, and interwoven interior/exterior living spaces define it from the outside.

Within, the home falls away from a centerpiece: a grand spiral staircase that provides the home’s living style with a primary motif of motion, and transition. Interiors are dressed in subtle grays and dark wood, good ballast for all the natural light and the sense of openness.

At 8,650 square feet, and with five bedrooms and 8.5 baths, the home is fairly large but very manageable. Surfaces generally have a lot to show off; there’s a fair amount of tile used, and some of it is quite lovely. Combined with the wrought-iron used for the staircase balustrade, the dark plank hardwood used for the floors sustains a fairly moody feel, but it’s been stressed, giving the house a rustic flourish. It all looks grandiose and very engineered, but it also looks carefully composed.

Amenities? A bevy. Maid’s/guest quarters, spa room, bar, screening room, wine storage and tasting room, expansive outdoor living spaces, and an elevator are among them.

Union co-produced and starred in the just-released film ‘Breaking In’; she stars on the BET hit ‘Being Mary Jane.’ This year, after a short stint with the Cavs, 12-time NBA All-Star Wade returned to his longtime team, the Miami Heat.