Five interior tips to steal from Bette Davis's oceanfront home in California
The Hollywood icon's home is filled with style tips we can mirror throughout our contemporary decor
Bette Davis may be considered Hollywood elite, but it is her Laguna Beach home that sits at the top of the interior design industry.
The exquisite French Normandy estate currently on the market for almost $20 million is a chic marble-kissed maze of nautical furnishings and unexpected contemporary trends. The home decor is curated to reflect the arty but wholly sophisticated aura of its elegant neighborhood, and we're taking notes on every square inch of this historic estate.
1. Use your color scheme to create a flow between indoor and outdoor living
The only thing better than a house by the ocean is a house by the ocean that pays homage to its location through its color scheme. This is precisely the case with Bette Davis's home, which uses a cream and blue palette – most notably throughout its living and bedroom spaces.
Here, the plush cream soft-furnishings sit alongside an ingenious injection of navy blue accessories that emphasize the aesthetic aquatic backdrop.
See: Master Bedroom Ideas: 31 stunning bedroom schemes
Meanwhile, the subtle paintings and turquoise art pieces continue to highlight the seamless flow between the home's interior and exterior spaces, thus bringing the ocean into the house.
2. Experiment with colored sanitary ware
Yes, even Bette Davis's quintessential kingdom has fallen for the biggest bathroom trend of the modern-day. While this colored sanitary ware craze is not for the faint-hearted, Bette's home reinforces that even the most elegant of spaces can play with color, and that's all the reassurance we need. However, if you need more convincing, follow the advice of the Head of Design at the London-based luxury bathroom company, West One Bathrooms, Louise Ashdown.
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'Colored ceramics are making a comeback. Think peach, red-tinted pinks, and warm greens when it comes to statement basins. And don't be shy of going for an all-over, total-look effect- shower trays that can seamlessly match floor tiles and even glossy black pans for the ever-popular black tap bathrooms,' Louise declares.
3. When in doubt, style symmetrically
The refined aesthetic of symmetrical interiors is unrivaled, and when we see Bette Davis's home, we can see why. Follow this example and showcase the chic rule of symmetry by mirroring your chairs, plants, and soft furnishings to instantly elevate your home – then relax because this rule is never going out of style.
4. Indulge in the unwavering power of gray
You've heard of French Gray, but what about Laguna Beach Gray? It appears another tip is never going out of the style, as gray enjoys another summer at the pinnacle of the interior design world.
See: See Gorgeous Grey Living Room Ideas
Despite its central nautical theme, Bette's home flirts with this ever-popular hue to create a therapeutic and painfully stylish haven fit for a modern home.
5. Create a statement with a dark brown monochromic palette
While the home's rich brown tones pay homage to the classical coastal decor, it also stands as a bold monochromatic contrast against the luminous white features. This contrast is epitomized by the property's statement staircase that allows this timeless scheme to flow throughout every floor of the home.
It's the classic look we would only expect from a royal Hollywood palace, and we're rushing to bring this into our homes once we finish binge-watching Bette Davis movie, naturally.
However, if you don’t only want to mirror the home, but own the home, the property is currently listed with John Cain of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty for $19,995,000. This includes the beautiful main house and a guest house with a quaint Lookout Room and Juliet balcony that looks onto Laguna Beach below.
Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.
Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.
Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment.
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