Back in the spring of 2017, actress Natalie Portman invested moderately in Montecito real estate. The Academy Award winner paid $6.5 million for a daring 3,991 sq. ft. house, which was completed in 2008. As far as anyone knew, she was either living in the eco-contemporary, or waiting for an auspicious time to flip it.
It turns out that the four-bedroom changed hands again a year ago. According to Dirt, the house was up for sale again last winter, and sold far under the public radar. Portman whisper-listed it, and presumably didn’t have to wait long for someone to whisper back. In the middle of February 2021, the property closed at $8 million.
Among the property’s consolations: the 10.39 acres of grounds that form a substantial privacy barrier around the build. Goodly sized acreage in Montecito allows the opportunity for construction of a fantasy, and though this home’s ecologically relevant spirit keeps it firmly on terra firma, its setting is romantically, even deliriously, far-flung in appearance.
The home’s wide-open shared living spaces are playfully utilitarian, with a series of steel garage doors that replaces the requisite pocketing, fold-away or electronically retractable walls of glass that adorn a typical 21st-century multi-million-dollar SoCal home. Other details: polished concrete floors, gas fireplaces, and sliding glass and track doors.
The acreage gives the amenities plenty of room to stretch out, with walking paths and the various plantings of the landscaping scheme between. The pool and sundeck is situated at a judicious distance from the house, as is a patio with a sculptural fireplace and BBQ, and the raised plant beds that provide the property with a small organic garden.
What a gem.
Portman’s upcoming projects include Thor: Love and Thunder, with Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.
