Serra Barn Retreat, Estate of the Day

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed)
May 20th 2010 at 1:01PM

Malibu's Serra Retreat neighborhood doesn't enjoy the same high-profile as the Malibu Colony, and that's just the way the approximate 96 homeowners there like it. Both neighborhoods are gated and both count A-list celebrities among their residents. But that's about where the similarities end.

While the Colony homes are oceanfront or ocean view, they tend to be smaller, closer together, and despite what the guards at the gate would have you believe, many of the residents seek out the publicity they purport to shun. The Colony is about seeing and being seen. It's where big summer parties are held and the cache of owning or renting a home there has huge name-dropping appeal.

Give me the wooded canyons of Serra Retreat any day, where lot sizes are frequently measured in acres, the homes more original in style and residents are more serious about keeping a low-profile, at least at home. It's where Kelsey Grammer and Mel Gibson have their family compounds, as well as some of Hollywood's top producers, directors and agents.

New to the market is this Hamptons-style barn, listed at $14,795,000.The home is tucked away on 2.6 acres of rolling lawns with views of the foothills. Private, serene and dramatic: It epitomizes Serra Retreat. It was created by architect Michael Kovac with the interior designs by Vanessa Alexander. It blends modern details and has an expansive lofty feel. There is an impressively seamless indoor-outdoor flow with the use of rosewood slate flooring both indoor and out, and full-wall sliders and walls of glass.

The six-bedroom home has a full outdoor kitchen including a pizza oven, and several outdoor dining and living areas with fire pits. There is a gym and oversized pool with a pool cabana, and a three-car garage. The master suite has a sitting area and soaking tub.

Entry to the neighborhood is controlled by two guarded gates.

Matt Rapf of Pritchett-Rapf, Malibu, is the listing agent.

Gallery: Serra Barn