On a breathtaking bluff in Malibu sits a home every bit as legendary as its owner.
Cher’s oceanfront estate- perched high above the Pacific with views stretching from Point Dume to Catalina- is an ode to design and drama. Built by architect Wallace Tutt III (the creative mind behind Gianni Versace’s Miami villa), the 16,000-square-foot mansion took almost a decade to bring to life.
With its Italian Renaissance inspiration, Venetian-style arches and Moorish flourishes, the property feels part palazzo, part fantasy. Think limestone and marble from Italy and France, hand-wrought bronze doors, and tiles sourced from Spain and Morocco.
Yep, even in bricks and mortar, Cher never does anything by halves.
Inside, every corner tells a story.
Cher’s 16,000 square-foot mansion is for sale – and yours for $75 million. It has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a meditation room and gym, a courtyard with a fountain and a stunning infinity pool delivering panoramic views of the Pacific.
The driveway, where Cher’s Bentley is parked, has a smart interior courtyard – the singer’s star sign, Taurus, informed her choice of vintage bronze bulls either side of the entrance. The property references Venetian palazzos, Renaissance villas of Europe and the Moorish features of the Alhambra palace.
Originally designed with close friend Ron Wilson and later refreshed by A-list decorator Martyn Lawrence Bullard, (other clients include Elton John and Ru Paul), the house is a masterclass in exotic opulence.
The vast rooms have Eastern-inspired painted ceilings, hand-distressed mirrored walls and Moroccan lighting. In the bedroom, silk-clad walls are hand-stencilled with patterns made from tea leaves, coffee grounds and umber pigments-a nod to the henna designs once painted on Cher’s hands during a wedding in India.
Cher in her primary suite. ‘The house has been one of the greatest passions of my life,’ she says of the property, in which she has lived for the past 20 years.
The living room is anchored by an 18th-century opium bed, the walnut sofas were custom designed for the space, and the table was once a Chinese bed. On the wall, just in frame, is a mandala Cher brought back from Tibet.
The family room overlooks the ocean, and features a ceremonial Tibetan elephant drum on which stands a 17th-century gilded terracotta monk. The Indian day bed is the best spot from which to take in that view, and the Ottoman-style sofa is perfect for watching TV.
In the kitchen, interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard used limestone and marble countertops, imported from Italy and France, and hardware and tiles from Morocco and Spain. A Moravian glass star is a focal point – try etsy.com for a selection. For similar silver wall tiles, try luxurytiles.co.uk.
The house, built in 1999, was designed by Cher’s long-term friend and designer Ron Wilson. Martyn Lawrence Bullard, whose clients also include Elton John, Kylie Jenner and Eva Mendes, came on board 16 years later. The dining-room ceiling is made of painted tin panels; the walls are hand-trowelled plaster.
The large Moroccan windows flood the space with light and spill out to an infinity-edge pool that seems to merge with the Pacific below.
Cher has always described this home as one of her greatest passions-her ‘sanctuary’ and ‘fortress.’
Now, after decades of making memories there, the star has listed the estate for around £60 million ($75 million).
With its mix of old-world grandeur and star style, we don’t think it will be on the market long…
In Cher’s bedroom, the walls are clad in raw silk and stencilled using a mixture of tea leaves and coffee grounds, blended with umber pigments to recreate henna designs painted on the star’s hands during a wedding she attended in India. The bed is 20s-vintage, inlaid with ebony and mother of pearl. ‘My bedroom has been my sanctuary,’ says Cher.
Leading to the guest suites is this calm area, decorated with custom-made hanging lanterns from Mustapha Blaoui, in Marrakech. The carved bench, by Lawrence Bullard, is clad in fabric from vincentvanduysen.com. Try nkuku.com for a range of upholstered benches.
This is an edited extract from Star Style: Interiors Of Martyn Lawrence Bullard, £65, vendomepress.com
