Arrivederci, Italy (well, Irvine)
Jim Rome, host of the syndicated sports radio show “The Jim Rome Show,” is ready to turn the dial on his home in Irvine, listing the custom-built mansion for sale at $13.995 million.
The Italian villa-style home, built in 2007, sits on nearly an acre in the Shady Canyon community.
Outdoors it includes a covered patio/entertaining area, an infinity-edge swimming pool, formal gardens and an expansive lawn.
Inside, rows of French doors reveal panoramic golf course, city-lights and mountain views. The formal living room is topped by a barrel ceiling and has a centerpiece fireplace with a marble surround. The center-island kitchen connects to the family room, and a pair of offices sit within a dedicated wing.
Also within more than 12,300 square feet of living space: a home theater, a wine cellar, an elevator, six bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms. A wood-paneled lounge area holds a game room, a gym and a speakeasy-style bar. There’s also a six-car garage. Jacqueline Thompson of Surterre Properties holds the listing.
Rome, 52, has been a mainstay on radio airwaves since the mid-1990s with “The Jim Rome Show.” More recently he hosted the premium cable sports-talk series “Jim Rome on Showtime” from 2012 to 2015.
He bought the property in 2003, records show.
New pasture for former mayor
Richard Riordan, who served eight years as L.A.’s 39th mayor, has bought a large estate in Ojai for $5.7 million.
The Spanish-inspired home, built in 2001, includes a main house, a second home, a foreman’s cottage and a studio on nearly 60 acres. Horse facilities and acres of income-producing orchards also lie within the property.
Fronted by a motor court with a large fountain, the main house features an updated kitchen with a broad center island, a great room with a fireplace, an office/den and a billiards/game room. A wine vault has a tasting room and a separate entrance that opens to the patio.
The master suite takes in a view of the valley and mountains from its private terrace. A total of five bedrooms and seven bathrooms lie within roughly 8,000 square feet of space.
Outdoors, there are a swimming pool and spa, large entertaining spaces and a pool house with an outdoor kitchen and changing room. The second home, with six bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms, sits among orchards and mature trees and has a separate driveway.
A two-stall barn and three corrals are among the equestrian features.
Anne Williamson of Coldwell Banker Property Shop was the listing agent. Mary Pizzimenti of PHA Realty represented the buyer.
Riordan, 86, was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1993, succeeding Tom Bradley. He is credited with restoring the city following the L.A. riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
DJ is looking to record a quick sale
A sale is pending for the Altadena home of Taboo, a recording artist, DJ and member of the Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas.
Sitting on nearly half an acre, the 1940s Mediterranean Revival came to market in early November for $2.175 million and had an offer in hand in less than a week.
The two-story house, updated by Franco Naravian in 2007, opens to a formal living room with a two-way fireplace shared by the adjacent dining room. Box-beam ceilings and crisp white wainscoting lend a traditional vibe to the interiors.
A soundproof recording studio and an office/library are among other rooms in the 4,555 square feet of living space. An updated kitchen with a breakfast nook opens to a two-story family room. There are five bedrooms and 5.75 bathrooms as well as a sixth bedroom that was converted into a custom closet.
Patios and terrace balconies extend the living space outdoors. Lawns, mature trees and a detached four-car garage complete the setting.
Vicky Botsford of Partners Trust and Thomas Atamian of Dilbeck Estates share the listing.
Taboo, whose legal name is Jaime Luis Gomez, is a six-time Grammy winner as a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Among the best-selling artists of all time, the pop/hip-hop group has hits that include “Where Is the Love,” “My Humps” and “I Gotta Feeling.”
He bought the house in 2007 for $2.2 million, records show.
Historic home is her new showcase
Tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D has inked a deal in Windsor Square, buying a noted Victorian-style home in the historic neighborhood for $6.5 million, The Times has confirmed.
Built in 1890 for Isaac Newton Van Nuys, the prominent landholder for which the San Fernando neighborhood of Van Nuys is named, the mansion originally sat on a corner in Westlake but was moved to its current location in 1914 by his son, J. Benton Van Nuys.
Fronted by a turntable driveway, the three-story home retains its vintage good looks with extensive brickwork, decorative trim and stained-glass windows. A steep cross-gabled roof and domed turret lend a whimsical note to the exterior.
A grand entry, a wood-paneled sitting room, a library, a den and a ballroom/living room are within roughly 12,600 square feet of interior space. In a nod to the Prohibition era, a hidden speak-easy features hand-carved walls and a secret door to the outside. A stage/ theater room with original footlights resides on the third level.
Including a carriage house above the two-car garage, there are 12 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms.
A swimming pool, various patios, lawns and landscaping fill out the more than half-acre setting.
The property came up for sale in April for $8.195 million and was more recently listed at $7.35 million, records show. Prior to the sale, it last sold in 1998 for $1.3 million.
Lisa Hutchins of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage was the listing agent. Jamie Sher of the Sher Group represented the buyer.
Katherine von Drachenberg, 34, appeared on the reality series “LA Ink” from 2007 to 2011, following a stint on “Miami Ink.” This year, she appeared on the CBS series “Life in Pieces.”
Familiar designer for the 90210
Neil Jacobson, an executive at Interscope Records, and his wife, Celine Gumbiner Jacobson, chairman of the textile purveyor Brookwood Cos., have sold their home in Venice and broken ground on a new spot in the 90210.
Their old address, which sold for $6.1 million, was designed by Venice-based home builder Kim Gordon. Gordon is also designing the couple’s new house in the flats of Beverly Hills.
Built in 2012, the 3,639-squarefoot residence has an earthy yet contemporary tone, with vaulted ceilings, muted hues and accents, and siding made of reclaimed Kentucky barn wood. Handmade windows framed in steel bring in garden views while underscoring the open and airy design.
An open kitchen, a dining area, a formal living room, five bedrooms and five bathrooms are among the living spaces. An artistic wood-and-steel staircase — a signature of Gordon’s designs — connects each of the three stories.
A rooftop deck invites entertaining, with an outdoor kitchen, a trellis-topped dining area and a putting green. Views take in surrounding treetops and mountains.
Justin Alexander of Halton Pardee + Partners was the listing agent. Michelle Zoolalian of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage represented the buyers.
Jacobson, 39, has worked with such artists as the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Fergie, LMFAO and Robin Thicke. Earlier this year he was named to Billboard’s annual power list of DJs and music execs.