Vice Media CEO Shane Smith purchased this home back in the late summer of 2015. The Santa Monica estate—called Villa Ruchello—ran the outspoken Smith $23 million at closing.
Spruced and staged for a new stint on the market, the property returns to the open market. This time around, it’s priced at $50 million. A fair whack, but from stem to stern this is one deliriously romantic, Old Hollywood estate. It has been sensitively restored, having undergone a multi-million dollar renovation. The main house measures 14,000 square feet, and begins with a bang: a circular foyer with a hexagonal terra-cotta tile floor inlaid with borders, a second floor gallery, exposed beams, and a lantern pendant fixture.
The details accumulate from there. Standout spaces include a library with a wall of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a rail ladder, a living room with an ornate carved stone fireplace and a stenciled coffered ceiling, a formal dining room with an intricate border, and the kitchen, which is surprisingly intimate.
The grounds measure 3.35 acres, with a pool house, a pair of guest houses, gardens, citrus groves, and a brook and footbridge among the highlights.