Although he was raised in Detroit, Big Sean was born in sunny Santa Monica. The hip-hop star tapped into that relaxed California aesthetic to inform virtually every aspect of the stylish Beverly Hills residence he now calls home.
Simple, clean interiors infuse much of the nearly 11,000-square-foot house with a kind of calm but confident character-principles that have influenced the rap artist's decade-long music career. (Impressively, that career includes five top-selling albums, four of which have been certified platinum.)
Yet despite its famous inhabitant, the seven-bedroom Mediterranean estate is imbued with an understated beauty that belies a celebrity owner. "The idea was to modernize the entire property, [and] to accentuate more of its natural beauty," says Britney Wior, creative director at JSN Studio, the L.A.-based decorating, staging, and product-design firm that handled the project. She oversaw the renovation of the home, which took roughly six months of construction. "It was also important to create something that was in line with the owner's style and tastes," she adds.
The two-story entryway, which sets an inviting atmosphere for the entirety of the home, leads to living and entertaining spaces lined with white oak flooring. Soaring ceilings mark much of the interior architecture along with arched doorways and expansive windows that allow natural light to pour over the living spaces. The main-floor interiors offer the kind of seamless open plan that highlights formal living and dining rooms and, not to mention, an elegant sitting room with a Taj Mahal slab fireplace.
As for the kitchen, it was completely remodeled with dual gray marble stone islands and custom cabinetry. A 10-foot-tall window was added where a wall once stood, in order to allow natural light to come into an open cooking and eating area. "The kitchen felt so heavy before the renovation with very traditional built-ins and dark colors," adds Wior. "We wanted to open up the space to allow not just for cooking but also a space for living." It also impressively features ample storage space and two refrigerators. ("One," Big Sean notes, "specifically for the drinks.")
© Architectural DigestThe musician pictured at his piano. Currently, he's taking lessons.
Outdoor living also plays an outsized role in the home's aesthetic. The interiors seamlessly segue to a resort-style backyard outfitted with a limestone swimming pool, heated spa, and a fireplace, all encircled by manicured hedges. A dining patio in the rear of the home is covered by arched openings, wood beams, and chandeliers that add a stylish motif to outdoor entertaining. Perhaps most important, the outdoor area is a place in which Sean can mediate and reflect. "I definitely like to wake up and smell the flowers," he says, while pointing out some particularly beautiful wild roses.
But despite its contemporary demeanor, the history of this Beverly Hills mansion hasn't always fit neatly with its current modern scheme. Big Sean, whose real name is Sean Michael-Leonard Anderson, purchased the home four years ago for $8.7 million from legendary Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash. Notably, the property featured a nightclub, bar, and 13-plus seat theater, which all remain in place to this day. There's also a "freaky door"-as Sean puts it-that, in all its colorful stained glass glory, is still in situ.
Former owner Slash's busy interiors included multicolored rooms filled with pirate-ship-shaped chandeliers and faux alligator skin wallpaper-which were replaced with clean, whitewashed living spaces throughout the three-story floor plan. The updates to the home also included adding a professional-grade music studio with soundproof windows and fabric panels, in order to mitigate sound escaping to the rest of the house. A pitched roof in the room was also lowered to help suppress sound.
Step Inside Big Sean's Beverly Hills Home, Which Features Its Own Nightclub
A marble staircase with a wrought iron railing leads to the home's second level.
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"To build the music studio, we basically had to build a room within a room," says Wior. She adds that Sean wanted a music workspace that also invited living. "So we added windows to allow natural light inside the studio, as well as seating with an area big enough to allow others inside to collaborate."
"My last few albums have been produced in-home," Sean says. He notes too that "when I look out to the left, I can see the building of my very first apartment from when I moved out of my mom's house in Detroit." That fact-which is made possible thanks to those added windows-is a particularly poignant one for the rapper, who recalls how he used to dream of moving to the Hills. In more ways than one, then, he's landed in his dream home.