Winona Ryder’s Homes: Inside the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Star’s Real Estate Portfolio
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Winona Ryder’s homes show that she has sophisticated taste. “A lot of my generation think it’s politically incorrect to like beautiful things,” the actor told Architectural Digest for a May 1994 cover story, adding that shooting films like 1993’s Martin Scorsese romance The Age of Innocence—for which she received her first Academy Award nomination—thrust her deep into a world filled with works of art and historical grandeur.
Ryder’s homes are a far cry from the haunted ones her Lydia Deetz investigates in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, in theaters now. “She’s drawn to ethereal images,” explained her longtime friend Kevin Haley, an actor turned interior designer who brought two of Ryder’s homes to life. Here’s a look inside the properties the award-winning actor has owned, including the San Francisco mansion she once put up for rent and the 1920s Beverly Hills home she transformed into a tranquil retreat.
Beverly Hills 1920s home
Upon purchasing her 1920s Mediterranean-style estate, Ryder described the house as “creepy,” telling Architectural Digest in 1994, “I could never stay there by myself.” However, after enlisting the help of interior designer Haley, the two were able to transform the Beverly Hills abode into a place she could call home.
Haley restored the property as closely as possible to its original state, sandblasting the orange-toned stain off the living room’s ceiling. He also turned the backyard into a garden where Ryder could paint. “It was basically a square of cement,” recalled Haley, who used sandstone, river rock, and lush plantings to reenvision the outdoor space. “Since the house is centered around it, I wanted it to be pretty.”
As for the inside, Ryder’s home needed a fresh coat of paint—or, rather, a few. “The house was very dark, so it was important to lighten it up,” Haley said. “I think we tried ten shades of white.” He transformed a small space upstairs into a dressing room and had the room’s closet doors etched in a lace pattern. Still, according to Ryder, the space needed to feel lived-in. “I can’t stand houses where you’re afraid to touch anything,” she said. “There’s an authenticity about everything in this house. Anybody would be comfortable here.”
Chic New York City apartment
While Ryder’s primary residences appear to be spread across the West Coast, the Heathers star also purchased prime real estate in New York City early on in her career. Her apartment, located in a downtown Manhattan building, came with 18-foot-high ceilings and tall windows that left interior designer Haley plenty of room to play with. “The word that came to mind was glamour,” he told Architectural Digest. A musical motif made its way through her Manhattan digs. In fact, Haley’s inspiration came from a 1940s French table that featured a wrought-iron base adorned with musical notes. “I had a moment of panic until I found it,” he said. Artwork by French painter Pierre Bobot that featured various musical instruments and had been made for the now defunct Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan accented the living room, which also housed a Steinway grand piano.
In 2008, Ryder sold a Lexington Avenue apartment to her neighbors for $2.2 million; it is unclear if she still owns real estate in New York City.
San Francisco Dutch Colonial
Though Ryder was born in Winona, Minnesota—the city she was named after—she grew up in the San Francisco area and eventually planted roots there. In 1995, the same year she received her second Oscar nomination for Little Women, she paid $1.3 million for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom, three-story Dutch Colonial home located in the city’s vibrant Cow Hollow neighborhood.
The 3,140-square-foot Victorian house, built in 1902, featured a formal, sunlit entryway on the main level, as well as a living room with a fireplace and bay windows, an open-concept kitchen, a dining room, and a family room. Its three bedrooms were located on the top level of the home, which boasted views of the city’s landmark Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, and on the lower level was a laundry room, garage, and media room. The backyard included a garden and a deck area.
Before the home sold in December 2020 for just under $5 million, according to its listing, Ryder reportedly rented out the property for $15,000 per month.
Los Angeles Spanish-style house
The Stranger Things star purchased a Spanish-style home in Los Angeles for $2.5 million in 1998. Built in 1936, the Sunset Strip–area home, secluded behind a hedge of ficus trees on a third of an acre, featured four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Making the home unique were its original Malibu tiles, a curved staircase, and Art Deco bathrooms. The kitchen and breakfast room opened to a patio area complete with a pool. Though she listed the 3,765-square-foot villa for just under $4.1 million in the fall of 2010, it sold for $3,725,000, per its listing.
According to Vogue, she purchased the home from actress Rene Russo’s sister, who is also the ex-wife of Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s lyricist. “Neil Young’s Harvest was written here,” she said. “That was one of my favorite albums.” At the time, she lived there with her roommate of six years and her brother Uri. “It’s my first real house,” she told the publication. “I have a pool. I have gardeners. It’s an adult house. I definitely couldn’t live here alone.”
Rumored Hollywood Hills villa
In 2016, Ryder quietly purchased a Mediterranean villa in Hollywood Hills’ celebrity-filled Outpost Estates enclave for $2.2 million, according to multiple reports. The elite Los Angeles neighborhood, which consists of approximately 450 homes, sits between LA’s Runyon Canyon Park and the iconic Hollywood Bowl amphitheater.
Built in 1947, her 2,154-square-foot estate is said to feature three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, as well as a two-car garage. Its features include a sunroom, pool, and multiple fireplaces.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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