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| 9.17.2021
R E S T O R E D | W I L L I A M H E F N E R
the touch of a button. "There's no division between inside and
outside," Hefner points out, "They can drift in and out and sort
of follow the light during the day."
To underline the focus on pleasure, work areas, including the
husband's office, the staff quarters, the prep kitchen, the garage
that houses the family's large collection of cars and the laundry
facilities, are tucked out of sight. The bedrooms, too, are posi-
tioned for seclusion and quiet: friends of the couple's children
stay in the accommodations tucked atop the main house; long-
term visitors commander the guest house, where they have easy
access to the home's hamman, sauna and massage room; and,
the primary suite luxuriates in the solitude of its own separate
building. "When you have a house full of people, you need a
sanctuary," Hefner points out, "Here everybody has their private
area and then they meet together in the public spaces."
The interiors underline the relaxed ebullience of the exterior. Pale
walls tinted with a hint of rose, voluptuous furniture in delicate
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shades, mirrored surfaces, sparkling lights, swipes of pastels
and a terrazzo floor that glitters with mirrors and abalone shells,
infuse the house with a whimsical take on the glamorous aura of
Old Hollywood. This feeling is reinforced by the bright art, includ-
ing Michael Moebius' photos of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn
Monroe blowing bubble gum. At the front entry, a show-stopping
curved staircase — an exhilarated helix of lucite and marble with
treads illuminated by the a flick of switch — and a line of pink
and green lucite panels that face the street and wink flirtatiously
at passersby, dispel any lingering doubts about the home's
worship of fun and sun.
As a testament to the success of Hefner's vision and the clients'
pleasure in the result, the house, initially conceived of as a
summer residence, has now become their full-time home. "It's
a happy place. It always feels good," says Hefner, "It makes
you feel like you're on vacation." It's the promise of Los Angeles'
endless summer in one happy, welcoming home.
