Inside Sofía Vergara’s Personal LA Paradise
Sofía Vergara doesn’t mince words about the condition of her palatial Beverly Park manse when she acquired the property. “There were arches on top of arches, all with columns. It felt like a castle in Transylvania,” recalls the effervescent actor-producer, currently playing against type as Colombian cocaine queenpin Griselda Blanco in the Netflix series Griselda. “But the layout was perfect, and I loved that you could see the landscape from every room, even though there wasn’t much of a garden to look at yet. I knew what I would do to make it my own,” she insists.
There were, predictably, a few challenges. Despite the voluminous rooms and high ceilings, Vergara wanted the house to feel “homey and comfortable, a place where people would want to hang out and relax,” she says. On top of that, the existing 1990s architecture did not exactly conform to her vision of “a house with history and texture, a well-lived house.” The structure may not have been new, but it most certainly wasn’t old in the way the actor fancied. After Timothy Corrigan worked for several years on the architectural design and interiors, ultimately Instagram led Vergara to the perfect collaborator to fully realize her transformation mission. Having long followed the work of Ohara Davies-Gaetano, Vergara simply dialed up the Los Angeles–based designer and got started. “I called her, we clicked, and I fell in love with her ideas,” the actor recollects. “When I handed her my inspiration folder, I realized most of the images were hers.”
Davies-Gaetano seconds the notion of an immediate click. “Sofía articulated a clear vision for the project. She wanted a home that felt ethereal yet grounded, something fresh, clean, and bright, with lots of great antiques that added patina and warmth to the architecture,” the designer explains. “It had to feel layered and curated. Sofía wanted to tell a particular story,” she adds.
Casting a wide net, Davies-Gaetano and Vergara stocked the house with a broad array of continental antiques from Sweden, Spain, France, and Italy. The airy living room, for example, is anchored by an 18th-century French limestone fireplace and a pale Persian Tabriz rug, while a pair of heavily carved, gilded Baroque armchairs rests beneath a lyrical 19th-century Italian chandelier. “I’m not afraid to spend money, but it has to be for something practical, not just things that are there to look good. I didn’t want furniture that is so precious that people would be afraid to use and enjoy it,” Vergara avers.
In the dining room, Davies-Gaetano applied a foliate wall covering hand-embossed with plaster vines and leaves to the ceiling. “Every room has special flourishes to add depth and interest to the composition,” the designer notes. “We really focused on decorative lighting to underscore the emotion and essence of the house,” she continues, citing the baronial Spanish tole chandelier that tempers the scale of the double- height family room as well as the jewel-like Baguès rock crystal sconces that grace a powder room.
As for color, Vergara confesses that her predisposition is to avoid it altogether. “If it were up to me, everything would be monochromatic. I don’t like crazy jolts of color, and I really don’t like pastels—they remind me of The Golden Girls,” the actor quips. Nevertheless, while maintaining a ubiquitous palette of serene whites, Davies-Gaetano managed to introduce hushed tones in the form of upholstery details, antique carpets, artwork, and other subtle accents. The family room is a case in point: Davies-Gaetano gently tweaked the neutral scheme with throw pillows in various shades drawn from the hues of the carpet. Of course, the brightest chromatic pop in the room comes from a striking painting by Vergara’s fellow countryman, the late Colombian artist Fernando Botero.
The primary influx of color arrives by way of the refreshed landscape. To rejuvenate the grounds, Davies-Gaetano brought in landscape designer and antiques dealer Stephen Block of LA’s Inner Gardens. “Initially we came in with a few great trees for the interior, but Sofía wanted more and more and more. The landscape had never been properly finished, so we tried to bring the property to life with new plantings and a mix of unusual antique urns, fountains, benches, and pots,” Block reports. “We also added a few tropical elements that connect Sofía to her roots. She was so excited and grateful for everything we did—she’s really the perfect client,” he enthuses.
Although Vergara doesn’t cook, she relishes any opportunity to entertain, and her new home allows her to host friends and family in high style. “I love decorating for parties, setting beautiful tables, and watching people enjoy my home,” she says. “My friends from Colombia find any excuse to visit. There’s just something about this place that makes guests want to stay. It’s special. I still wake up every day thinking, I can’t believe this is my life.”
An earlier version of this story did not report that Timothy Corrigan worked for several years on the architectural design and interiors. The story has been updated to include this information.
Sofía Vergara’s home appears in AD’s March 2024 issue. Never miss an issue when you subscribe to AD.
Hair by Kelly Kline; makeup by Sabrina Bedrani using Dior for the Wall Group. Art: Fernando Botero/Gary Nader, Miami.1/16Sofía Vergara, wearing a Lapointe top and pants and jewelry by Dena Kemp, Yeprem, and Kavant & Sharart, in her living room, beside a Fernando Botero sculpture. The Baroque armchair is from ODG Galerie, and the limestone fireplace is 18th-century French. Fashion styling by Rhonda Spies.
2/16In the entry, an 18th-century Venetian mirror hangs above an Italian neoclassical console.
3/16The living room is outfitted with an antique Italian chandelier, a Tabriz rug from Mehraban, a resin planter from Inner Gardens, and custom seating in Pierre Frey linen.
4/16In a hallway, Dennis & Leen lanterns join a 19th-century Italian console from Blackman Cruz and a Malayer runner from Lawrence of La Brea.
5/16The dining room is crowned with a wall covering that is hand-embossed in plaster by MJ Atelier. Dining chairs by Dennis & Leen, de Le Cuona curtain fabric through Thomas Lavin, and a 19th-century French buffet.
Fernando Botero/Gary Nader, Miami6/16An antique Spanish tole chandelier hangs in the double-height family room. Painting by Fernando Botero.
7/16Rose Uniacke pendants hang above the kitchen island. Antique urn and tree from Inner Gardens.
8/16A painting by Nick Gaetano hangs in the sitting room off the kitchen, where custom seating surrounds a custom oak cocktail table on a Ben Soleimani rug. Tree and planter from Inner Gardens.
9/16The primary bedroom is furnished with a Louis XVI regency-style fireplace from the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and an antique Swedish armoire, mirror, and commode.
10/16A graphic stone tile floor anchors the primary bath.
11/16Vergara’s closet was designed by Linda Koopersmith of The Beverly Hills Organizer.
12/16In the foyer, a black olive tree from Inner Gardens is planted in an 18th-century Anduze vessel from ODG Galerie. Tabriz rug from Lawrence of La Brea; antique limestone center table from Authentic Provence.
13/16Vergara refers to the loggia as her command center.
14/16The allée of olive trees terminates in an antique marble trough planted with hydrangea. Landscape design by Hoffman & Ospina and Inner Gardens.
15/16View of the poolhouse across the lawn.
16/16Outdoor furniture by JANUS et Cie is arrayed on the pool deck. Landscape design by Hoffman & Ospina and Inner Gardens.
