When you picture the home of an A-lister, it’s likely that expensive interiors, sprawling square footage, and splashy amenities come to mind. But some stars take home design a step further, embracing bold, unconventional architecture. Whether designed for sustainability, elegance, or sheer spectacle, these places offer a glimpse into the artistic and architectural tastes of their famous owners. Here are six historic — and stunning — celebrity homes and the stories behind them.
Bob Hope House – Palm Springs, California
Completed in 1979, John Lautner’s surreal Bob Hope House looks like something from another world. The architectural marvel resembles a flying saucer or, on its rugged hillside perch above Palm Springs, a desert volcano of sorts. Lautner, a celebrated L.A. architect who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the 24,000-square-foot home specifically for the late comedian and actor.
The home features a sweeping concrete roof and a massive circular opening that punctuates it, flooding its central courtyard with Southern California sunlight. Throughout, the home also offers stunning views of the San Jacinto Mountains. A 2019 restoration project introduced Quartzite flooring, African mahogany, and Brazilian granite, cementing its status as not only a storied Hollywood home but also a modernist masterpiece.
Twin Palms – Palm Springs, California
Few celebrity homes embody Palm Springs midcentury modernism like Twin Palms — also known as the Frank Sinatra House. The sleek, single-story structure was designed in 1947 by E. Stewart Williams. It was the architect’s first residential design, commissioned when Ol’ Blue Eyes himself walked into the designer’s office and said he wanted a house. According to the architect, Sinatra originally wanted a Georgian mansion, but after Williams explained that a more modern style would suit the area’s topography and climate, Sinatra agreed to his vision.
The house — with its clean lines, flat roof, and floor-to-ceiling windows that seamlessly merge indoor and outdoor spaces — became a defining structure in desert modernism. It exemplified a mix of minimalism and Hollywood glamour, perhaps best demonstrated by the home’s piano-shaped swimming pool (a playful nod to Sinatra’s legacy). Today, the house is available for private tours and even overnight rentals.
The Bunshaft Residence – East Hampton, New York
The Bunshaft Residence — also known as the Travertine House — was a rare example of minimalist modernism in the Hamptons. Originally designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft in 1962, the glass-and-concrete structure stood in stark contrast to the traditional shingled mansions of the upscale coastal hamlet.
A rare residential project for Bunshaft — best known for designing New York City’s Lever House skyscraper — the home was a study in restraint. Its low, flat roof and vast floor-to-ceiling windows made it feel like an extension of its bucolic surroundings.
When Bunshaft’s widow died in 1994, the property was willed to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. However, they were unable to afford the upkeep, and in 1995, Martha Stewart bought the house for around $3 million. Stewart began renovations on the house, but property line disputes got in the way, and after a number of years the property was all but abandoned.
The house sat empty for years until 2005, when it was sold to the late textile magnate Donald Maharam. Eventually, it was controversially demolished (Maharam claimed it was “decrepit”). While the new home built in its place retained some nods to Bunshaft’s sleek design, architecture enthusiasts still lament the loss of the original landmark.
The Manor – Los Angeles, California
The excess and ambition of 1980s Beverly Hills is on full display at the Manor. Built in 1988 for television mogul Aaron Spelling and his wife, Candy, the Manor — nicknamed “Candyland” — is unapologetically lavish.
The home sits on the Holmby Hills site of Bing Crosby’s former mansion. Designed in the French chateau style, the Manor features a dramatic double staircase and a staggering 123 rooms, including a two-lane bowling alley and rooms once used solely for flower cutting and gift wrapping.
Following Aaron Spelling’s death in 2006, Candy lived in the Manor until 2011, when she sold the property to British F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone for $85 million. Ecclestone renovated and updated the modern castle before selling it for almost $120 million in 2019 — the highest-ever recorded L.A. home sale at the time.
Friar Park – Henley-on-Thames, England
Friar Park is a Victorian Gothic wonderland that’s more akin to a castle than a mansion. Completed in 1895 for Victorian lawyer Sir Frank Crisp, the whimsical estate was purchased by Beatles guitarist George Harrison in 1970. Harrison lived there for 30 years until his death in 2001; today, it is still owned by his widow, Olivia Harrison.
The sprawling estate features turrets, gargoyles,intricate carvings and inscriptions, and hidden grottos and detailed landscaping that were a sanctuary for the former Beatle. The storybook grounds also include a massive rock garden, an elaborate topiary, and even a model of the great Matterhorn mountain.
Though it’s not open to the public for tours, Friar Park stands not only as a piece of architectural history, but as a rare, fantastical retreat — one that captures and still conveys both Victorian imagination and Harrison’s creative spirit.
Piazza di Liberace – Palm Springs, California
Originally built in 1951 as a simple contemporary-style home, Piazza di Liberace was one of several homes owned by famous pianist Władziu Valentino Liberace. After Liberace purchased it in 1966, he not only reoriented the facade to face North Kaweah Road, but also added a grand circular drive, Corinthian columns, and Roman statues — all in gleaming bright white stone that reflected the pianist’s appreciation of the classic aesthetic.
Today, it’s not just a plaque by the driveway or the piano-shaped mailbox that retains Liberace’s style — Piazza De Liberace is the only one of the performer’s properties that still resembles how it looked at the time he owned it. A 2012 interior remodel sought to modernize the home while retaining Liberace’s vision. It is currently open for private tours by appointment only.
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