Sometimes, there’s a house. Well, it’s the house for its time and place. It fits right in there. And that’s this house, in Montecito, CA.
Actor Jeff Bridges — beloved as The Dude in “The Big Lebowski” and bestowed with an Oscar for his role in “Crazy Heart” — and his wife, Susan, are ready to pass the 5-bedroom, 5.5-bath house to a new owner after raising their daughters there and finding a smaller place nearby.
The couple bought the 19-acre spread in 1994 from musician Kenny Loggins, and they’re handling its sale (asking price: $29.5 million) like true Hollywood royalty: Right up front.
Listing photos include a shot of personal pictures and memorabilia, and Susan gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal in which she shared her husband’s love of the property’s aloe trees and his “fort,” “a quiet spot with a hammock, swings and benches, where he occasionally makes pottery.”
The 9,593-square-foot home, listed by Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby’s International Realty, resembles a hilltop estate in Tuscany, but with views of the Pacific Ocean.
An antique stone fireplace anchors the sunken living room, which features oak floors, an exposed-beam ceiling and a grand terrace. It adjoins a dining room with antique terra-cotta pavers, beyond which is a fireplace with banquette seating.
The kitchen opens onto a dining terrace and abuts a spacious family room with a cathedral ceiling. The library was built with rough-sawn beams from centuries-old East Coast bridges. It’s surrounded by an open-air walkway, and beyond that is a secret hedged garden.
Next to the master suite, which includes a Juliet balcony and a sitting area with a limestone fireplace, is a stairwell that leads to a tower room with a fireplace, deck and views in all directions.
Outside, a stream cascades into a pond-shaped pool next to an elevated deck and outdoor fireplace — all serviced by their own kitchen, bath and changing rooms.
The estate also boasts walking trails to a nearby hot spring, two guest houses, plus a narrow footbridge that crosses a stream to reach a home theater and recording studio. Below it is a playhouse Bridges built for his children.
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