Home interior
Ellen Pompeo opens the doors to her weekend home in Malibu
Ellen Pompeo still remembers passing out in front of the beach house the first time she saw it. There was something special about the modernist structure, perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean in Malibu, California.
But there was a major hurdle: cost. At the time, “Grey’s Anatomy” — ABC’s medical drama series in which Pompeo played lead character Meredith Gray for nearly two decades — was still a new show and the house was too expensive. She reluctantly gave up her dream of owning it.
But not too long.
Finely veined black marble covers accent walls throughout the home, including the living room. Credit: Douglas Friedman/Architectural Digest
Fast forward to 2013, and the house was on the market again. At the time, Pompeo was one of TV’s highest paid actors and jumped at the chance to add him to his real estate portfolio. (His family’s primary residence remains a 1920s Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles.)
“I really love the craftsmanship and the art of the houses,” she told the magazine. “He exercises a different creative muscle.”
A classic property with modern touches
The 3,000 square foot property, designed by mid-century architects Conrad Buff and Donald Hensman, is the perfect spot for weekend getaways. Originally built in 1979, it wraps around a central courtyard lined with grass, palm trees and a swimming pool lined with pristine white marble.
The property’s interior courtyard juxtaposes clean lines and crisp marble with lush greenery and pops of color on poolside furniture. Credit: Douglas Friedman/Architectural Digest
Throughout the house, subtle nods to this decorative principle add personality to its living spaces. The home also reflects “the sexy swagger of ’70s fashion,” as the magazine puts it — vintage patio chairs and a leather couch in the living room; a 1970s cutting table from Yves Saint Laurent’s studio in the lobby – and Pompeo’s appreciation for fashion icons of the era, with framed photographs of Diana Ross and Grace Jones on display.
Surf! The January 2023 issue of AD features a tour of Ellen Pompeo’s Malibu retreat. Credit: Douglas Friedman/Architectural Digest
As someone the magazine describes as having “a soft spot for real estate,” this isn’t Pompeo’s first renovation. She has already done up several properties, including a modern barn in Sag Harbor, New York. This is even his fourth project with Bullard, and there are more on the horizon. Pompeo and Ivery have purchased the property behind their beach house and plan to build what Bullard describes as a “true Malibu estate.”
A new home marks a new chapter
“I’m entering a very exciting phase of my life, if I do say so myself,” Pompeo said.
