Nancy Meyers gives good movie real estate – perhaps better than any other producer in the industry. Each home featured in her films is dreamier than the last, from the Banks house in “Father of the Bride,” to Iris’ (Kate Winslet) cottage in “The Holiday” to Jane Adler’s (Meryl Streep) Spanish bungalow in “It’s Complicated.” The latter, a charming one-story red-roofed estate, is easily one of the most beloved homes in movie history. Said to be at 1220 La Cima Road in Santa Barbara in the 2009 comedy, the gated residence can actually be found situated at the end of a long curving driveway at 714 W. Potrero Rd. in Thousand Oaks’ Hidden Valley neighborhood.
Only the exterior of the sprawling property, which sits on an incredible 57 acres and serves as an equestrian ranch in real life, was featured in “It’s Complicated.” Sadly, the inside of Jane’s pad (so warm, idyllic and inviting, it had the power to win over even the staunchest of minimalists!) was nothing more than a set built on a soundstage at Broadway Stages in Brooklyn. So when the dwelling hit the market in 2012 (for a cool $12 million), “It’s Complicated” fans were thrilled to finally be able to catch a glimpse of the actual interior via MLS images.
Though barer than its onscreen counterpart with a much less envy-inducing kitchen, the inside of the residence is still quite impressive. With beamed ceilings, Spanish tiled floors and an expanse of windows, the dwelling manages to be charming and cozy, even without a set designer’s touch.
According to a 1975 newspaper listing, the ranch was designed by legendary architect to the stars Paul Revere Williams. Constructed in the late 1920s, the abode is comprised of five bedrooms and six baths in 6,100 square feet. Outside on the vast acreage, there’s a detached guest house, a pool, a pool house and a 6-stall barn.
Per the 2012 real estate listing, the estate was formerly “celebrity owned” and rumors have long circled the internet that everyone from W.C. Fields to Roy Rogers to Richard Widmark to Donna Summer have called the place home. Whether those rumors are based in fact is anybody’s guess, but even without a celebrity pedigree, the property, which finally sold in 2015 for $10.5 million, is one of a kind!
For more Dirt on Jane’s house from “It’s Complicated,” click over to the gallery.