Underground Eightq: Barbie's House Transformed

Barbie's 50th Birthday Party was held at a spectacular home in Malibu, California where many of her fabulous friends came to celebrate. Jonathan Adler transformed the home into a bright colorful life size dollhouse which was put together by party planner extradoinaire Colin Cowie with music by DJ AM. The fabulous decor can be seen in my previous post about her birthday party.

Here is what the home really looks like, in its natural state without all the party people and over the top decor. I have been most fortunate to have been a guest at this lovely home on several occassions and it is even more beautiful in person. The home is very modern and has spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California.

I hope the owners don't mind that I share their home with you. The home is used in the entertainment business a lot so some people out there may have already seen it. The place is amazing, truly spectacular! Although the best part are the owners who are the nicest people you'll ever meet with the biggest heart. They really know how to make you feel right at home in their little piece of paradise.

The interior design was done by Bussell Livingstone Interiors and completed around 2003. Apparently the two designers have since separated and have their own firms now. Janet Bussell-Erickson is in Los Angeles, CA and has added a place in Presscott, Arizona. Barrie Livingstone returned to his home in Miami, Florida after spending five years in Los Angeles, and operates his design firm from there.

The beautiful pictures are from Barrie Livingstone's website and the Malibu Locations: Weddings and Events website (which you can tell by the watermark on the photo). Oh and the photos of the home with Tad Hamilton are from I Am Not A Stalker, Your Definitive Source for Filming Locations.

The description is a combination of information from Barrie Livingstone's website, and an article Second take from Remodeling Trends volume 2006 and another article in the Los Angeles Times about the home from their Special Home Design Issue A Vision in Azure, Awash with Ocean Hues and Technical Tricks in 2004 by Barbara Thornburg. Oh and my personal tidbits of info and insight. :)

Since most of the information is from a while ago, I'm sure the home has been used for other events since then in addition to those at the end of the post too.

Yeah! We're here!

"This Malibu compound sits atop a 50-foot bluff on Zuma Beach facing the ocean and due south on clear days Santa Barbara Island some 80 miles offshore can easily be seen. Perched on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean, this home, originally designed by Ron Goldman, has now been redesigned by Bussell Livingstone Interiors.

"Our clients wanted the home to be a peaceful family retreat," says Bussell. "At the same time, they wanted the space to be a suitable location for film shoots." Bussell Livingstone created an interior that focuses on scale and colors.

"From the outset, the owners specified a simple palette of white, lilac and blue, because these colors promote tranquility, creativity and spirituality," says Bussell. "Instead of mixing diverse colors in the design, we mixed materials - marble, stainless steel, glass and sheer fabrics."

The main living area has 18ft-high ceilings with full-height sliding doors that open onto broad, stone walkways that surround the house. These provide film crews with easy access to most areas of the house.

Most walls on the ground level are Azure light glass allowing the main living space to command dramatic 360 degree views.

AAA Pure White Thassos marble was selected for the flooring. It was tracked down on the Greek Isle of Thassos known for this magical white stone. Slabs are used on the stairs as the main living area is on three levels and the entire floor is heated with a copper line heating system.

My first tidbit of insight... See the photo with barstools at the bar? There is a waterfall like fountain running down the wall behind the bar. I think it must use oil or something to make it look like tiny beads of water trickling down. It's very pretty and mesmerizing.

The kitchen is by Italy’s own Snaidero using their now famous finish designed by Ferrari's Pininfarina. The finish is glasslike and reflective and is like no other. Doors are made from injection molded plastic and are light as a feather, some are even curved.

The following article, "A Vision in Azure, Awash With Ocean Hues and Technological Tricks" by Barbara Thornburg, February 8, 2004 offers detailed information about the amazing kitchen.

Record company executive Jan Stevens has a stunning $250,000 kitchen, bathed in blue to match the Pacific Ocean visible from the food 'n' fun room of the Malibu home she co-owns with business partner Stephen Graham. But she has a confession: They rarely cook.

"We're both so busy," Stevens says. A chef comes weekly to chop vegetables and fruits and store lettuce in the refrigerator for Stevens, who has been a vegetarian since she was 19. Graham, although a talented cook, uses the kitchen principally to make coffee. The couple do entertain, however, on a large scale. "We usually have 250 guests at a time," Stevens says. Then there's the weekly boys' night, when a dozen friends drop by to shoot pool, play computer games and just hang out.

Graham and Stevens wanted a stunning kitchen to go with the dramatically modern home. Stevens was thumbing through a Shelter magazine when she first saw the periwinkle blue kitchen - her favorite color, she says. "It was love at first sight." The creation of Ferrari auto designer Paolo Pininfarina, the award-winning Ola kitchen (click for close up pics) sports many of the same features as a car: sensuous curved lines in the foam-injected, molded cabinet doors, one of which opens via a pneumatic lift, and a metallic, reflective paint finish. "We Turtle Wax it every couple of months," Graham says.

The kitchen opens to an expansive dining and entertainment area that includes a pool table with a custom blue felt surface. Graham set up his Apple Computer's iTunes program to flash images on the 60-inch Zenith plasma-screen TV that pulsate with the music from his playlist of 31,000 songs. Guests can shoot pool or stargaze through the telescope in the corner or perch on stools along the low kitchen bar opposite the billiards table. Stevens puts out snacks and lets the guys help themselves to chilled drinks and ice from the refrigerator and freezer drawers located in the bar. They can also make themselves a cappuccino from the built-in Miele coffee maker, which grinds its own beans, or throw a bag of popcorn into the overhead KitchenAid microwave.

Even though the owners don't cook often, they wanted a functional space that could handle several people preparing food at the same time - caterers mostly, and during the holidays, family - without getting in each other's way. Working with designers Janet Bussell and Barrie Livingstone of Bussell-Livingstone Interiors in Malibu, and Snaidero kitchen designer Lois O'Malley, they decided on a double-alley kitchen with a large central island that allows for easy access and a number of cooking triangles. The bar and back wall of the kitchen each have custom stainless steel sinks that are a swivel turn away from an oven. They have four, plus two warming drawers. A free-standing GE Monogram refrigerator stands nearby to complete the triangle.

The top of the island features a Miele griddle and cooktop with a central wok burner. A flush-mounted telescopic vent system emerges with the press of a button to suction smoke and odors from the cooktop and replaces a conventional hood that would have blocked views of the ocean.

The client said that the kitchen, usually full of young, hip singles, turned into a "vibrant family center" during the holidays. "My mom cooked, the kids ate every meal at the counter, sitting on the swivel bar stools and watching Nickelodeon; my sister and brother-in-law danced to country music and I played pool with my dad."

Moving out of the kitchen...

Of special note is the Azurelite glass on the homes windows. On even the greyest of Malibu mornings, it’s blueness pierces the air and sets a hip cool contrast to the brilliant white smoothness of the stucco walls.

Highly polished stainless steel furnishings by Brueton “wave bench” and dining table. Cool bar stools from Sweden, Johanson Design and dining chairs from Cantoni had to be custom lacquered in brilliant white to dazzle off the floor.

Let's go outside...

The pool is lined in a lilac glass tile with seamless hidden waterfalls and the only fifteen-person whirlpool hot tub.

At last, the fire pit. It is surrounded by a crystal clear diamonite glass wall to protect from the chilly pacific wind. Lilac exterior canvas fabric warms you and when the pit is on, the whole area becomes a sexy, romantic retreat away from the rest of the home that leaves you free to gaze up at the stars.

Hopefully you've read this far because this is where I get to add another one of my personal tidbits... The outdoor fire pit is amazing! Toss a hand full of magic dust on it to make it change all different colors at night! And even better... I know where the marshmellows are in the kitchen for roasting over the flame! Yum!

This home may look familiar to you because it is featured regularly on many T.V. shows, movies and music videos. Before it’s renovation, it was featured in “Life as a House” and Terminator 2. Now it has been used for CSI Miami, Paris Hilton’s Global Guess Campaign, videos for Jennifer Lopez and Luther Vandross, and several private videos from the Cooking Channel to Yoga & Fitness. It is also currently used for National Ad Campaigns for Kreiss Furniture and Frontgate Catalog." The home was also featured in "Win A Date with Tad Hamilton" and is also used for Weddings and Events. I'm still looking for more pics and videos that show the home... let me know if you find any! :)

One last tidbit... the front doors were "blown up" or shot out in a movie or TV show. I just forget if it was for an episode of "Miami CSI" or "The Fast and Furious" (I think it was the latter). I haven't looked through all the shows to find it. The real doors were taken off and replaced with the kind of glass they use when blowing stuff up in movies. It was quite an elaborate shoot!

Kreiss Furniture