Dr. Phillip McGraw—Dr. Phil to his legions of fans—listed a rather stylized family-owned house in Beverly Hills recently. Let’s take a look.
A modern Mediterranean dating to 1960, the structure sits on a half-acre lot, and presents a familiar series of exterior features, including a tile roof, abundant glass, stucco, lantern sconces, and a wrought iron balustrade enclosing a second-floor plant balcony. A luxuriously recessed entry and a turret embellishment sustain the tenor of the style.
The central motif of the property appears to be an organic, root-like sense of growth; it first pops up on the property’s gates, and surfaces most forcefully in the extravagant foyer, where the stools servicing a wet bar and a staircase balustrade each offer variations on the theme. Black slate and hardwood floors, impressive tower windows, and art nouveau flourishes are also noticeable. A ponderous chandelier lords over the strangely fantastical first impression. A new style? Middle Earth Glam, perhaps.
To the right is a formal dining room; the listing photos show off the assault weapons collection behind glass—a peculiar, unsettling rogues gallery of anti-personnel devices shadowing a little implicit violence, just to make guests feel at ease. Don’t cast aspersions on the food, folks.
What else? A billiards room that’s glossily veneered in Game of Thrones sensibilities, textured wall covering, a living room sporting a Vuitton chrysalis chair that looks perhaps a bit outclassed as an iconoclastic furnishing, a wildly ornate fireplace, a home theater with a giant sofa and colored ambient lighting, another wildly ornate fireplace, five bedrooms, and not-bad park-like grounds with an outdoor living and dining area boasting a marble waterfall-edge table and a fireplace.
Surprising stuff from the doctor, but perhaps easily explained by the fact that his son, musician Jordan McGraw, had been occupying the property of late.