Well-known in business and the big screen, Jessica Alba‘s name relates to style and taste. As an actress, businesswoman, and mother of three, she has managed to find an individual style that fits her personality ever so perfectly in a balance between Hollywood glamour, smart identity, and family.
Having moved out from her Beverly Hills mansion with her husband Cash Warren and their children, the family purchased a new home in Oak Pass Estate, in Beverly Hills. Comfort, reunion, and the relationship between interior and exterior converge into this warm, modern, unique residence.
In this article, we will visit Alba’s family residences, highlighting the design of their new home.
1. One Sold
In 2019, this Spanish-inspired residence in Beverly Hills was sold in over a month for the sum of 6 million euros. True to her style, the design eye sat in materiality, the visual and physical relationship between interior and exterior, and ample common areas, fostering reunion and unity within the family nucleus and their guests.
Initially a 70’s structure, the house underwent a complete restoration to fit the family’s needs and desires while maintaining the essence of the building in a timeless style, where natural materials such as wood and stone meet modernity in glass and color, bringing to life these stylish, embracing spaces.
Given her trajectory in the business world with her brand, The Honest Company, it seems only logical the essential role materials and comfort have in designing her family’s residence. Unified in a warm palette, wooden floors dressed with designed carpets to frame the different spaces, each of them meticulously furnished, every line curated. Textures and colors enlightened the bright rooms, naturally illuminated by vast windows of steel frames that frame the open landscape where a sitting area and swimming pool are the showstoppers.
These, alongside the interconnected common spaces that make up the house’s essence, white walls, chimneys, spa-like bathrooms, fully equipped, huge kitchens, guest houses, and children-proof design are some of the characteristics that we can see in all three Alba’s Residences.
2. One Rented
This 1980’s residence is very dear for Jessica, who invested what she saved into its restoration for a long time after its purchase, transforming this Beverly Hills classic mansion into a vacation rental. Having experienced firsthand the traveling life, she sought to create an atmosphere that felt as cozy as a home but slightly impersonal, as in a hotel. Therefore, the house has certain theatricality to it, rooted in the inspiration of some of her favorite hotels worldwide.
True to herself, the house is an open dialogue between textures and colors; shining, mirrored, and reflecting surfaces; nature and industrial approach; vintage and modernity. The intention was to design a sort of ”Jewel box” (MyDOmaine, 2018) of selected pieces collected in time.
Jessica’s sustainable perspective remained untouched during the design process as the whole project rested a critical eye on material decisions such as carpeting, paints, and mattresses to make them the most eco-friendly as possible. Furthermore, the location and vast windows enable direct contact with the landscape, making you feel in safe heaven in the middle of nature.
This house offers more than a place to stay but a lifestyle of color, entertainment, and excitement dressed in vivacious artworks, spiral staircases, pool tables, and unique furniture.
3. One Lived
The Alba family resides in Oak Pass Estate, Beverly Hills, where past and present meet in design and ideas. This seven-bedroom, nine bathrooms home reflects the family’s style in a modern, rustic way. Whereas some design intentions have endured through every residence, this particular residence basks in the concept of heritage and family, nature, and the importance of approaching the design process with a clear idea and notion of what you want (or many Pinterest boards!).
The Alba crew had a clear vision from the beginning of what they wanted for their future home, the best of both worlds where the french countryside meets Paris‘ glamour and modernity and Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s mansion. And that is what they got.
As soon as they saw the house, they knew it was the perfect fit, the place where they wanted to settle and see their kids grow. Although the intention was for a mild renovation, the house underwent a total transformation, and space turned into a white canvas for the couple to paint their dream house, from the ground plan to the very last detail.
The new floor plan reinforces the concept of free, flowing circulation and visual connection between the different areas of the house. The kitchen, living room, and dining room are linked, becoming one with each other, and the background of the house: 1.85 acres of land overlook the ocean as Los Angeles uncovers before their eyes.
Materiality, color, and texture are recurrent preoccupations in interior design, and it’s clear those topics appear carefully treated in this residence. Colors and materials found in nature predominate over the house, and the master hand that chose every flooring, furniture, and decoration piece speaks of this clear idea. The intention was to achieve “A mix of old French country house meets French city apartment, though it looks more like a natural material-conscious American home.”
This approach we can see very clearly in the living room area: natural lighting enters this wooden-floored, warm space through black framed glass doors that lead to the garden. A wooden table and three couches face the marble fireplace, becoming the room’s heart as the modern atmosphere transforms at the sight of a more rustic approach, creating a different, refreshing design experience.
A second living room opens up entirely to the garden, where an outdoor dining room precedes a vast esplanade of land and a vast swimming pool. The view and being able to check on their kids is invaluable for this couple. Taking this into consideration created a comfortable space where the landscape earns all the applause. The outside becomes part of the house, and artworks resembling nature take up the walls, contrasting with the cream-colored cozy L-shaped sofa.
The kitchen summarizes everything that would make Jessica’s dreamed kitchen: a large, wooden countertop make up the room’s essence, a vintage-like oven hovered by modern, black cabinets, and a small breakfast nook, one of the entrepreneur’s childhood dreams.
Something that cannot miss in this house is flowers: every single room is enlightened by a flower vase of bright colors, where the interior meets the exterior in an ever so elegant way, brightening up these warm, natural spaces.
What makes this house so unique is that every design decision represents the family’s unique style, matching mismatching vintage chairs with modern pieces of art and design in such an elegant, careless way that seems almost accidental but carries such strength behind the decision. On the one hand, this relates to Jessica’s inclination towards the concept of ‘Jewel Box’ we saw in her rental house and the intention to use as many natural, eco-friendly, reliable materials as possible. But, on the other hand, whatever was her inspiration, the result is a cozy, modern, rustic atmosphere.
Creating spaces for the family to get together is the premise under which most areas were designed, with large, long tables and several chairs to foster the relationship between family members and host as many guests as they please. Every second is an adventure when you have three kids; therefore, every chair, every sofa is protected with slipcovers. Jessica has been a great example of how children and high-quality design can coexist.
Each of the kids has their bedroom, where they were free to express themselves and their desires, granting them their piece of heaven. Having children and good taste can partner in crime to create beautiful spaces if you know how to use your resources and bear in mind how children move around and use their space.
Haye’s room, the youngest of the crew, is a clear example of how involving the child’s experience in design can make a big difference. It is all about allowing children to develop independence. By leaving things in cubicles to their reach, they learn to choose what they want and when intuitively. Approaching interior design this way can be a decisive move in the raising of a kid.
The master bedroom is an oasis where the couple could get away from their frantic, chaotic lifestyle and enjoy each other and connect. The view to the mountains from the balcony transmits a sense of quiet and isolation, somewhere you can breathe in deeply and enjoy the view. We can see this in the spa-like bathroom, where a modern, white bathtub and two golden showers sit behind glass doors, four windows facing the exterior providing a naturally lit space and a mesmerizing view. The perfect setting to drown your worries is bath salts and long showers.
Family is the most crucial concept and the authentic house’s heart. That is why a nook of the house is wholly devoted to the family: black and white pictures hang on the wall to cherish the cultural and historical heritage of both family’s sides. Understanding where you come from, your roots, and your ancestors are essential in constructing identity. Jessica and her husband believe this wall is more than a way to keep their family close and teach their kids where they come from, and help them grow knowing who they are.
Sold, rented, and lived in, each house has its particular style and fingerprint. However, they all express the desire for a home, for a family to inhabit, grow and share. Either on the big screen, in the business environment, as a landlord, or as an owner, Jessica Alba has proven to have an authentic, unique style that makes every home she owns alive.
