James Jannard bought a two-acre promontory lot in the Trousdale Estates area of Beverly Hills for nearly $20 million in late 2009, two years after he sold the Oakley eyewear brand he founded in the 1970s to Luxottica for $2.1 billion in cash.
The product designer, inventor, and serial entrepreneur then engaged Los Angeles-based iDGroup to create an avant-garde home that has been called a cross between Southern England’s ancient Stonehenge monument and the Bat Cave. Five years and millions of dollars later, the ultra-bespoke spread was finished, replete with views overlooking the entire Los Angeles Basin.
Jannard now has his Brutalist-style showpiece up for sale for a second time at a speck under $65 million, about $3 million less than what he wanted when the place first hit the market in June 2024. Aaron Kirman of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California holds the listing.
A custom motorbike graces the entry to the Brutalist home.
Mike Kelley
Fronted by a gated oval motor court flanked by crenellated concrete formations and a four-car garage, the exposed concrete and aluminum structure offers five bedrooms and nine baths in roughly 18,300 square feet sprawled across two levels.
Adorning the cavernous interiors are nearly 100 oversized columns, perforated metal ceilings, specially designed acoustic panels, brushed steel details, custom fixtures and furnishings, and retractable walls of glass. Glitzy amenities include an elevator, a movie theater, a gym, a bar, a wine cellar, and a separate guest apartment. Outdoors, the manicured grounds hold an infinity pool with a floating sundeck.
Some of the more unusual design features include an industrial fireplace and metal soaking tub.
Upon entry, a sky-lit foyer serves as a display space for a custom motorbike from Confederate Motors. From there, a sunken living area is anchored by an industrial two-way fireplace boasting a floor-to-ceiling mechanical hood, a formal dining room is topped by a futuristic light fixture, and a chrome-clad “show” kitchen is accompanied by a commercial-grade prep kitchen.
Accessed via a curving hallway, the primary suite boasts a giant metal soaking tub inscribed with a phrase in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Elvish language—an homage to Jannard’s recently sold company Red Digital, which built the high-res cameras used to film The Hobbit franchise.
Per Wallpaper Magazine, the house has served as an urban pied-à-terre, a meeting spot, and a storage space for the 76-year-old L.A. native. He’s also reportedly owned other properties in Newport Beach, plus two islands in Fiji and another in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, he sold an oceanfront Malibu mansion he picked up in 2012 for $75 million to an unnamed buyer in an off-market deal for a record-breaking $210 million.
Click here for more photos of the Trousdale Estates home.
Mike Kelley
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
