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The Internet Loves Ellen Pompeo's "Brilliant" Family-Focused Home, And I Agree: It's Immaculate, Y'all

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7 min read

Though Ellen Pompeo's 19-season, 406-episode journey with Grey's Anatomy has seemingly come to an end, you can rest assured that she's absolutely thriving at her family's Malibu, California home. She recently took Architectural Digest on a tour of her mid-century modern beach house for the "Open Door" series, and y'all...it's immaculate.

ellen saying hey a.d. i'm ellen pompeo, welcome to my house, at the beach while opening the door
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

People are already obsessed with the personality and clever details she's included throughout — and I'd have to say I am, too.

people in youtube comments saying there's so much personality in the details, they're glad she showed the kids spaces because they're so important, and that it's one of the best houses they've seen on AD
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

She designed the renovated home with her friend Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and it honestly might be one of the most intentional, inviting, and surprisingly functional spaces I've seen on Open Door thus far. Each and every item, color, and material has a purpose — whether it's to support her growing kids, make her job as a mother a little bit easier, or just make her family's guests feel right at home. These are just some of my favorite features that I've already added to my imaginary dream home.

ABC / Via giphy.com

1.First of all, the house is actually jam-packed with marble, and it's stunning. I don't even love marble all that much, but this? This I can get behind.

ellen standing in front of black marble in living room
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

The black, book-matched marble in the living room is breathtaking.

black book matched marble in living room

If you, like me, had no idea what "book-matched marble" was, it's basically when marble is split and laid on opposite sides, which creates a mirror image.

Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

There's even more black marble just outside the kitchen.

black marble in kitchen
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

And she brings lighter hues of marble into the main bedroom in a quirky, geometric design, which she says was inspired by the art movie I Am Love.

white, blue, and black marble geometric pattern next to bed
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

On the subject of marble, let's talk about the main bathroom, where she says she spends lots of time with her kids.

white marble bathroom with sliding doors to outside
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

2.The real stunner is clearly the marble bathtub built into the floor. The entire bathroom is finished in white marble, and the look is jaw-dropping. I have a feeling I'd pass out if I knew how much it cost, but if I'd also starred in 19 seasons of Grey's Anatomy, it's probably a splurge I'd make too.

marble tub in the floor of the bathroom
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

Looks aside, I'm also obsessed with Ellen's honesty about the tub. She mentions that marble baths "don't retain heat so well," and that she actually wouldn't recommend it. "It looks very cool, but the water doesn't stay warm for long," she says.

ellen saying she doesn't really recommend it
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

3.Beyond the gorgeous (if secretly flawed) tub, it's the doors that slide open to a little terrace "sitting area" for me. She mentions that she sometimes uses it to teach her children the importance of "taking some time for yourself."

outdoor sitting area with marble chairs, various plants, and a rug

Yes, the sculptural chairs are, you guessed it, marble.

Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

4.Actually, sorry, I think my absolute favorite feature of the bathroom has to be the terrycloth bench, which she refers to as a "big towel." My personal bathroom is about 2 feet wide, but it's now my life's goal to somehow fit a towel sofa in there.

terrycloth bench sofa in the bathroom
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

5.Ellen's kitchen seems to have been designed with some surprising-yet-brilliant logic. "I cook a lot," Ellen says, "so I have a lot of rules regarding this kitchen." The first surprise? Her kitchen is "very small." But that appears to be pretty intentional on her end when it comes to making mealtime as stress-free as possible.

black countertop in smaller kitchen
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

6."I don't like anybody in the kitchen when I'm in here," she adds, "so everybody has to stand behind this line." Parenting goals, TBH.

the imaginary line that ellen's children can't cross into the kitchen
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

7.She even has exactly three stools for her three kids, so they can sit and watch her in the kitchen. ??

three green velvet stools next to the kitchen
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

8.But the ultimate detail in her smaller-but-mighty kitchen has to be the built-in coffee system. I didn't even realize built-in coffee systems were a thing, but now I want one.

built in coffee station in the wall of kitchen
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

9.Her formal dining area is quite literally drenched in natural light since it's surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. (The custom, circular dining table ain't too shabby, either.)

formal dining room with large circular table and flowers surrounded by large windows
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

10.The best part of that table? It actually has a built-in lazy Susan.

arrow pointing to lazy susan in the center of the table
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

11.In the primary bedroom, Ellen reveals that her husband, music producer Chris Ivery, wanted a custom-made, extra-large bed so that all the kids could sleep in it together on the weekend. "This is where we watch movies and we light a fire, and lay in bed and fight over which movie to watch," she says.

bed with marble behind it and tv and fireplace on the opposite wall
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

12.The grounds of her home might be just as awe-inspiring as the interior. Out back, there's a ridiculously scenic firepit area that overlooks the Malibu coast.

ellen looking at firepit area with large gas firepit and sofas surrounding
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

13.Just above it, on the deck, there's a conversation area where two grassy-green sofas face each other. Ellen shares that they actually chose the color to match the mature yucca tree that was already on the property.

arrow pointing to green yucca tree that inspired the green midcentury sofas
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

14.The home's exterior also boasts an element that most parents could probably get behind, due to its unexpected purpose: three simple chairs looking out over the ocean.

three chairs in the background of the house overlooking the ocean
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

"One of my biggest struggles as a mother is getting the kids away from the TV and iPads. So sometimes, I just banish them to those chairs," Ellen laughs, "and I make them sit there and watch the ocean and tell me what they see."

three chairs and the ocean view
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

15.But regardless of how the kids feel about their outside time, I can be nearly positive that they're obsessed with their custom purple bunk bedroom. I mean, how could they not be?!

four bunk beds in the kids room built into the wall
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

16.Ellen adds that the grasscloth wallpaper — cleverly used on the ceiling — was the inspiration for the entire room. "The ceiling is a nice place to add a little vibe," she says. "It really does change everything."

patterned wallpaper on the ceiling
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

17.And if the custom bunks weren't cute enough, they actually contain little windows across from one another so they can stay up late with their friends during sleepovers and talk. "Hopefully they stay up all night so they sleep in the morning and don't wake me up," Ellen jokes.

arrow pointing to cut out window in the bunks
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

18.The special touches for her kids don't end there, either. In another bedroom, Ellen points out the significance of the photography displayed throughout the room — and the art displayed around the rest of the house, for that matter.

photography above the bed
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

"These are all very important moments in Black history," she adds. "My children are Black, and it's really important for me to have lots of representation. In the artwork, I really make an effort to have it be predominantly Black artists."

framed photograph of "i have a dream" written on a textile
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

19.In the courtyard space, there's a very gorgeous pool, which admittedly mostly hosts "so many kids running around and playing" in it. And when they host people at the pool, her husband is usually behind the bar making pi?a coladas and margaritas for everyone.

large swimming pool with natural wood and marble outdoor bar
Architectural Digest / Via youtu.be

In summation: IDK if I want Ellen Pompeo to be my mother or if I just want to be her when I grow up. Her house? Chef's kiss.

To see the rest of Ellen Pompeo's Malibu beach house, you can watch the entire tour on the Architectural Digest YouTube channel.

What's your favorite part of Ellen's home? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

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