It may be the beginning of summer heat wave No. 349 on the East Coast, but here's a peek from the September issue of Elle Decor (pub. date Aug. 7), which features Reese Witherspoon's country getaway in Ojai, Calif.
The seven-acre compound, dubbed "Libbey Ranch" after its very first owner, features a Spanish-style main house designed in the '20s by Wallace Neff, as well as additions and outbuildings designed by Austen Pierpont a couple of decades later. Sometime between then and now, celebrity (and Million Dollar) decorator Kathryn Ireland purchased the home, restoring it and adding colorful textiles to the original stonework, arches, fireplaces, turrets, exposed beams, century-old hardware, and Spanish tiles. Around the time that House Beautiful featured the jazzy digs in March 2008, Ireland sold it to Witherspoon, who shelled out $5.8M—hefty, for sure, but more than $1M off the $6.95M list price. That was the first of two recent purchases for Witherspoon in the area: in late 2010 the actress dropped $7M on fellow famous person Steven Seagal's Los Angeles estate, which came stocked with an on-property Buddhist temple.
Anyway, fresh Elle Decor photos reveal a newly neutral color palette and low-key aesthetic created by Witherspoon's designer Kristen Buckingham, who describes the place as "fresh and thoughtful even though it's traditional." Inside, Buckingham added antiques, ikat pillows, Turkish rugs, and traditional seating, not to mention "animal-themed art" that appeals to Witherspoon's Doolittle sensibilities: she keeps donkeys, goats, pigs, chickens, dogs, a horse, and a pony all on the grounds. Outside, there's a pool, barn, horse paddock, and two standalone guest cottages, each with a fireplace and private bath. Says the actress: "It's meditative and restorative. [...] Time slows down. [...] It's like having a little bit of Tennessee in California."
· Charmed Circle: Reese Witherspoon's Ojai Home [Elle Decor]
· A Country Place For Reese Witherspoon [The Real Estalker via Curbed LA]
· Reese WItherspoon Purchases From Steven Seagal, Finds Zen [Curbed National]
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