When Ashley Benson initially saw her future home in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood, it wasn’t entirely love at first sight. “It was very old, and I really had to be open-minded [about] the potential,” the Pretty Little Liars actor recalls of the abode, which was designed in 1930 by architect Arthur Kelly. But Benson couldn’t help but be drawn to the Spanish-style five-bedroom. “The outside felt like I was in Barcelona, or somewhere in Europe. And if I [did the work], I knew I would fall in love with it,” she adds.
She purchased the house in 2020 and moved in after renovating the interiors. Benson enlisted her friend, interior designer Nicole Gordon, as well as architect John Farrace to help with the updates. “She really wanted to respect the architecture and the integrity of the house,” Gordon says. “I think we both felt it was really special that she was [only] the third owner and that there hadn’t been a lot of bad additions.” For her own part, the designer also couldn’t help but notice the home’s natural assets. “The bones and all the interior architecture were amazing,” she says.
The house, built more than 90 years ago, was filled with stairwells, tiny rooms, and extra pockets of space nestled throughout. This warren-like quality may seem undesirable in an era in which open floor plans so often reign supreme, but for Benson it helped spark a larger idea: “I wanted to make each turn and each room—no matter the size—a unique experience,” she explains.
To achieve Benson’s overall vision, some of the oddball layouts had to go. Gordon and Farrace “tore out almost every wall in the house,” which allowed Benson to see where rooms could exist. A library was revamped as a hybrid guest room, while a former staff’s quarters and wine cellar were combined to make a moody speakeasy. Elsewhere, Benson was able to create a Carrie Bradshaw–inspired primary closet.
Ashley Benson lounges on her Serena & Lily daybed near the pool area. “The original pool had a kidney shape,” Nicole Gordon says. “I didn’t want to just plop in a square or rectangular pool because the backyard layout is more of an amoeba…. I wanted to respect that curvature.”
Much of the home is informed by Benson’s love of femininity and travel, as well as her profession. As someone who is often on the road for work, she wanted the space to feel cozy while paying homage to some of her favorite hotels around the world. Enter the sensual speakeasy inspired by Hotel Costes in Paris, and a pool area reminiscent of Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Since Benson loves to cook and entertain, the “spacious and open” kitchen seemed especially important. “One of my favorite directors is Nancy Meyers, so my dream was always to create something that I felt would be in one of her movies,” she says.
While Gordon envisioned a “sophisticated and cohesive” abode, she also wanted Benson to have a few places that were just “fun.” The powder room, laundry room, and aforementioned speakeasy became areas where Benson could infuse the home with bolder touches. For instance, the laundry room is covered in a wallpaper featuring astronauts. Bolder still is the secret door, which connects the room to both her closet and a library-slash-guest room, while obscuring its existence.
Taken together, it’s clear that all these individual zones combine to create not just a house, but a dream home. And yet, dreams have a funny way of changing. Recently, Benson sold the labor of love to make way for a new one—life with fiancé Brandon Davis.
Art: © Estate of Kazuo Nakamura/ Christopher Cutts Gallery1/23A look inside the predominantly white living room. Benson and Gordon designed the sofas with Claudia Bracamontes of Arche Custom. Upholstery from Kerry Joyce at Kneedler Fauchere.
2/23Benson is pictured here in the elegant living room. Not pictured is the projector she installed instead of a TV. “You can either have drinks and play music…[or] have a huge screen come down [for] movie night,” Benson says.
3/23In the dining room, a converted sun room with black-painted walls, moody style meets romantic vibes. A vintage Italian brass and Murano glass teardrop chandelier, custom dining table by Bestway Marble, and Legacy Antiques dining chairs reupholstered in Makrosha green velvet all can’t help but stand out. “Nicole found those chairs from the Paris flea market,” Benson shares. “We spray-painted the arms and legs black.”
4/23On display in the sunroom are dishes and glassware that Benson and Gordon have collected over the years from flea markets and estate sales. “We found all these vintage wine glasses and cocktail glasses from various markets in Geneva, Paris, and Cambridge, Massachusetts,” says Gordon. “It’s eclectic, and we felt that wall could be its own little art space.”
5/23Benson dreamed of having a spacious, open kitchen. She opted for a dramatic color story, pairing emerald green paneling—inspired by the Polo Bar in New York—with gold accents and pink velvet Kimberly Denman bar stools. “I love a nice blush tone with a good rich color like green,” she explains.
6/23For Gordon, it was important for the sink to be centered so that Benson could appreciate the light and the view of the Griffith Observatory while she does the dishes.
7/23In the kitchen, Benson and Gordon decided to use white brick and Statuary Supreme white marble to further open up the space.
8/23Gordon changed the orientation of all the appliances to take advantage of the existing elevations.
Art: Katy Cowan/Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles9/23Off the kitchen is a cozy living area, which features a blue velvet JF Chen sofa and an area rug from Silk Road Rug Inc. The room is both Benson’s “dogs’ room” and a makeshift concert space. “I always keep a guitar there because I have a lot of friends who are musicians and will play music,” she says.
10/23A powder room is enveloped by Gucci wallpaper and Farrow and Ball Hague Blue paint. French brass lights from Paris flea market Galerie Glustin.
Art: Norm Clasen/M+B Gallery, Los Angeles11/23Four different rugs were cut apart and laid out on different levels of the house. “It adds character,” says Benson. “I thought [they] added really nice warmth and depth.”
Art: Franz Walderdorff12/23A painting by Franz Walderdorff is the star attraction of the second-level of the speakeasy. “Nicole found it for me,” Benson explains. “I thought it was so beautiful.” The green chairs were reupholstered in Pierre Frey fabric.
Art: Lisa Jack/M+B Gallery, Los Angeles13/23After knocking down the walls on the third floor of the house, Benson and Gordon turned a former staff’s quarters and underground wine cellar into a “girly” European speakeasy with burgundy walls and floral Jonathan Yeo wallpaper on the ceiling. “One of my favorite bars in Paris is at Hotel Costes,” Benson says. “Their hotel has a lot of blacks and reds, [as well as] a 𝓈ℯ𝓍y feel to it. I kind of wanted to [use] that as an inspiration.” Velvet sofa from Brabbu.
14/23Benson’s love of feminine accents is reflected in the stunning pink marble used for the bathroom floors.
Art: Letitia Quesenberry15/23Inspired by an Amsterdam hotel, Benson wanted to create a caged-in bathroom that didn’t feel too enclosed. “We loved the idea of the wrought iron,” adds Gordon. “We wanted it to feel open and airy, and bigger than it truly was.”
16/23A custom copper tub with a steam room seems like it would be the highlight of the bathroom, but for Benson it’s actually a TV. “I was like, ‘It’d be so fun to watch the Lakers game in my bathtub,’” Benson says.
17/23The primary bedroom is inspired by Benson’s travels. With a saffron velvet bed frame designed by NGS, made by Claudia Bracamontes, and upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric, as well as floating side tables and a bar, it’s a cozy homage to the hotel rooms she stays in across the world. Not pictured is a fireplace for added comfort. “My dog won’t go to bed unless the fireplace is on. No matter if it was, like, 100 degrees out, she will just wait for me to turn it on,” Benson laughs.
18/23Benson wanted to feel like Carrie Bradshaw in her closet. She envisioned a relaxing interior with an island where her friends could get ready. Custom cushions upholstered in Mark Alexander fabric.
19/23A secret door that hides the laundry room features the most eccentric accent in the house: retro space wallpaper.
20/23Benson loved the 1930s Old Hollywood feel of the bathroom off of the guest room, so she kept it as it was. “It reminded me of the Chateau Marmont,” she says. “It just added so much character.”
21/23The house came with a beautiful library that had a yellow-orange hue. “We knew we needed some more bedrooms for when her family comes to visit, so we wanted to make it not only a handsome library but also a cozy bedroom,” explains Gordon. The end result was an appealingly hybrid space.
22/23Benson wanted to turn her large, dated pool into an inviting space inspired in part by her favorite resort in Cabo San Lucas, Las Ventanas al Paraiso. “They use a lot of amazing, blue tiles in all their pools, and in a lot of their hotel rooms. It reminded me of what I wanted to do,” Benson says excitedly.
23/23The pool area was originally two levels, but Gordon and Benson wanted to take advantage of the square footage in order to have room for a lawn, coffee tables, and chaise lounges.
