After about two years of ownership, and Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi recently sold the Balinese-inflected estate in Montecito that represented one of their more ambitious projects. The couple tossed down $27 million for the 10,700 sq. ft. home, ran it through the filter of their collective renovation sensibility, and listed it at $40 million only last month. They accepted an offer of just over $33 million for it.
Changes to the home carried out during the couple’s relatively brief tenure of ownership include heavy renovations to the baths and kitchen. The library has been rendered as an understated, midcentury-inspired space, and the ceiling in the main living area has been toned down from its intense, Pacific Islands-inspired style.
The property is a winning one for those enamored of a jungly feel; landscaped with a seemingly endless array of tropical and sub-tropical plantings, it establishes and sustains an intensive escapist feel. A tennis court and a zero-edge pool overlooking the ocean complete a cursory look at this unusually fine contemporary estate in Montecito.
DeGeneres and De Rossi have a particular love of Montecito, and have bought and sold several notable properties in the Santa Barbara County community in the past few years. Highlights include the 18th-century Tudor that was transported to California from England and reassembled as the anchor of a magically timeless little estate—that property is now owned by Ariana Grande, to the tune of $6.8 million—and the historical property Rancho San Leandro, which the couple sold to Tinder founder Sean Rad for $11 million.
