Raphael Stevens

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    Home of the Week: Tim Burton’s $27 Million London Home Has a Pool That Pops Up Into Screening Room

    The glass-fronted Eglon House, in north London’s bohemian Primrose Hill neighborhood, looks straight out of the wild imagination of US-born film director Tim Burton.

    Sitting on the former site of a landmark recording studio, where the likes of David Bowie, Tina Turner and Pink Floyd made hits, this cavernous 13,154-square-foot live/work space is like a shimmering Art Deco glass jewelry box that’s been dropped into a sleepy, slightly gritty London back alley.

    Made up of two separate buildings linked by a subterranean level that has its own swimming pool and cinema, this cavernous, four-story, five-bedroom is nothing less than a modern masterpiece.

    The home’s architectural significance comes from its glass-block facades, inspired by the iconic “Maison de Verre” (house of glass) in Paris. Built in 1932 by the architect Pierre Chareau, the maison is still considered a blueprint for today’s work-at-home thinking.   

    The glass-block walls let light permeate the whole home. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    Which is reportedly what attracted Burton to Eglon House in 2016, just months after the home’s completion. The director had been commissioned by Disney to create a live-action remake of the animated classic Dumbo, starring Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell and Eva Green.
    Seems he used the home’s west wing as his film studio and personal living space, and the east wing to provide accommodations for his creative team. If there looks to be an over-abundance of closet space and dressing areas, this is why.

    The main dining area. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    Burton rented the residence until the film’s completion in 2019, which is when he transferred to a rambling north London mansion he bought, for $14 million, from Shirley Valentine actor Tom Conti.
    Anyone looking for a glamorous, elegant location for a London town home likely won’t find it with Eglon House. Rustic, nondescript metal gates off Primrose Hill’s Berkley Road open on to the slightly unkempt, cobbled cul-de-sac that’s Eglon Mews, and that sounds like just the sort of thing Burton might seek out.
    Originally used to provide horse stables for the once grander homes on surrounding streets, the Mews is currently a mishmash of 10 or so, now-pricey, two-story Victorian row homes.

    The subterranean space connects both wings of the house. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    Over the years, the buildings on the current site of Eglon House housed a shell-casing factory during the First World War, then a milk dairy, and more recently, the world-renowned Mayfair Recording Studios.

    Development of the site began in the late 1990s with leading London architects Chassay Last and design house Russell Sage Studios called in to create the property.
    A stone-tiled courtyard separates the two buildings and provides coveted off-street parking for a couple of cars—alas, even $27 million won’t buy you a garage to keep your Range Rover dry.

    The casual living and dining area. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    A stairway off the courtyard leads down into that vast, subterranean space with its 40-by-23-foot family room, a bar, sauna and steam room.
    Arguably the area’s piece de resistance is its swimming pool; at the touch of a button, the entire pool floor raises up to create a multi-use space. With a 10-foot wide LED screen nearby—naturally it’s waterproof—bring in a few sofas and it makes a perfect movie screening room.
    Take the winding staircase, or elevator, up to the first floor and in the west building lies the kitchen/breakfast space and dining room. Over on the east wing, you’ll fined a living room and garden room.

    The kitchen. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The second floor comprises the huge, 2,000-square-foot primary suite on the west side, a bedroom and study to the east. The top floor on the west side is home to yet another expansive live/work area with its own outdoor terrace, and two more bedrooms eastside.
    Before Burton, 62, started his three-year rental, seems the developer/owner—he’s remaining anonymous—listed the property in late 2015 for £24m, or almost $30 million. With no takers, it was offered for rent at $161,000 a month.

    The stairwell. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    Now, six years on, leading London realtors Aston Chase has Eglon House listed for £20 million ($27 million).
    “Eglon House is a unique home without parallel in London,” says Mark Pollack, cofounding director with Aston Chase. “It is one of a kind, and represents a perfect opportunity for a discerning purchaser who values privacy and the ability to have flexible living/work accommodation.”

    One of five bedrooms. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The master bath. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The home office. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The bar area. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The indoor pool with its pop-up floor. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The home makes the most of its terraces. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography

    The residence was once a shell-casing armory. 

    Photo: Tony Murray Photography More

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    in Luxury

    Ryan Murphy Just Sold His Spanish Colonial Revival-Style Home in Beverly Hills for $16.5 Million

    Though it took about a year and a half, and he was compelled to come down a considerable amount off its original price of nearly $18 million, film and television dynamo Ryan Murphy has sold his celeb-pedigreed Beverly Hills mansion for its full $16.25 million final asking price.

    The six-time Emmy winner, whose full slate of projects is hardly limited to “Ratched,” Lone Star” and “Pose,” bought the encyclopedically refurbished and fastidiously maintained, Ralph Flewelling-designed 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival-style residence more than 11 years ago for $10 million from famously architecture and design savvy Oscar-winning actor Diane Keaton. However, he hasn’t lived there—at least not full time—since he and his growing family moved to an even bigger spread in nearby Brentwood a couple of years ago.

    Initially restored by Keaton, after which it was featured Architectural Digest, the nearly 8,500-square-foot home is uniquely entered through a combination foyer/library under a soaring groin-vaulted ceiling and showcases dark wood and glossy terra-cotta tile floors, numerous arched fireplaces, hand-forged wrought iron accents, exposed wood ceiling and period light fixtures.

    Plush and refined with a total of seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms (plus two powder rooms), the home’s main living spaces include ample formal living and dining rooms, a gourmet kitchen and a den that doubles as a media room. Many rooms open through French doors to the backyard and/or to an arched colonnade that wraps around a bricked courtyard that’s shaded by a couple of pepper trees with a fountain at its center.
    Two of the main-house’s six bedrooms are on the main floor and suitable for guests or staff, while the sprawling owner’s suite offers a fireplace, two bathrooms and two balconies, one that overlooks the courtyard and the other with a view over the backyard. The house also includes a study, a fitness room and a multi-room guesthouse.
    Strands of light that span the backyard are reflected in the simply rectangular, ever-so-slightly above-ground swimming pool, and towering cacti make a prickly fence around a large patio between the main house and guest house.
    The one-of-a-kind property was jointly listed with Kevin Augunas and Chris Cortazzo at Compass, while the buyer was repped in the deal by Crosby Doe at Crosby Doe Associates.

    Last year Murphy and his husband, photographer David Miller, sold a Laguna Beach, Calif., compound for $10.65 million, while at the same time two of their homes, the aforementioned Brentwood spread and a bespoke New York City townhouse, were featured in an Architectural Digest article penned by Murphy with photos by Miller.
    See more images of the mansion below:

    Realtor.com

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    Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Just Gave Their Beverly Hills Mansion a $6 Million Price Cut

    You may already recognize this house from Chrissy Teigen’s social media posts and her cooking demos. But you might not have seen the entire spectacular eight-bedroom, nine-bath home. The place is nothing short of a design masterpiece, with only the best finishes and incredible attention to detail. This all makes sense, considering it’s owned by such stylish stars: Teigen and her musician husband, John Legend.

    The property was originally developed in 1966, but that first house is long gone, replaced by a more contemporary structure built by a developer before Rihanna purchased the estate. When Legend and Teigen took it over in 2016, they redid every bit of the interior with the help of designer Don Stewart, never cutting corners and always opting for top-of-the-line finishes. Take the solid brass doors to the dining room, which echo the stunning brass surrounds used on the fireplaces in the living room and the primary bedroom suite. Then there’s the teak ceiling they imported from Thailand and the marble Teuco soaking tub brought in from Italy.

    When the couple originally put the house up for sale last fall—they needed a home with more space for their growing family—it was listed for $23.95 million. They’ve since dropped the price to $17.95 million. Now, says broker Marshall Peck with Douglas Elliman, “This is the best deal in Beverly Hills. The finishes are just mind-blowing. And people are also blown away by the ceiling heights—33 feet in the living room—and 22 feet high in the master bedroom on the second floor. That’s just unheard of.”

    Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s former Beverly Hills home. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The kitchen, naturally, is a showpiece, as it served as Teigen’s studio, with its blond wood cabinetry and unique waterfall-style marble countertops (a design mimicked for the vanity countertops in the primary suite’s bathroom). The oak floors were given a ceruse treatment (essentially a lime wash that brings out the wood’s grain). The cinema room has an incredible sound system and projector, and its cozy style will make you want to stay for a double feature. A home gym, a safe room and a massive playroom with ocean views round out some of the other special spaces within the house, each lovingly designed.
    But perhaps the most special space of all is the primary bedroom suite, with pocket doors that open wide to a private balcony that looks over the pool as well as Coldwater Canyon, all the way to downtown Los Angeles. “The view of the sunset from the master and from the living room at night is just magical,” says Peck. While the bedroom feels like a serene but stylish oasis—that fireplace!—its extra rooms really put it over the top in a good way. The “glam room” is perfect for hair and makeup to get camera ready, and a lovely place to relax in the massage chair. The bathroom has that incredible black marble tub with a view as well as a spacious double shower. But the piece de resistance within this suite are the substantial dual closets with their glass doors and lit display shelves. They look better than those in a Rodeo Drive boutique and, according to Peck, they took many months to get just right.

    The grand entryway with Legend’s piano on display. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The outdoors got a similarly luxe treatment. The couple spared no expense in building the heated saltwater pool, hot tub and wood deck, as well as an outdoor kitchen with a stunning shaded pavilion draped with grapevines. “It feels like you’re in Napa Valley” when you’re out there, says Peck. Lush plantings add to the feeling of a sanctuary. Located at the end of a lane, gated with security, the entire 0.84-acre estate feels private and far from the bustle of LA and the commercial district of Beverly Hills, though it’s just minutes away.

    The living room. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The formal dining room has dramatic finishes. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The remodeled kitchen that starred in Teigen’s cooking demos. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The TV room, just off the kitchen. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The primary bedroom with a brass-fronted fireplace. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The primary suite’s bathroom with the marble tub imported from Italy. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The walk-in closet. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    Plenty of room for shoes. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    Teigen’s walk-in closet. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The “glam” room for hair and makeup includes massage chairs. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The kids’ playroom. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The screening room. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The personal fitness studio. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The outdoor terrace. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman

    The pool. 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo/Douglas Elliman More