20 Photos of Oprah Winfrey’s $90 Million Montecito Home
While it is common knowledge that Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul (and philanthropist, though she doesn’t really advertise this fact), you may not realize that she is also quite the real estate tycoon.
In fact, with homes all over the country, from an equestrian estate in Montecito, CA to rural farm property in East Maui, HI and a gorgeous, yet over-the-top $14 million mansion in Telluride, CO, she has plenty of places to call home. However, it’s her large estate in Montecito, often referred to as the Promised Land, where she can most often be found.
A Quick Look at Oprah’s Montecito Property
Oprah originally purchased the 42-acre estate for $50 million in 2001. (Today, it’s estimated to be worth $88 to $90 million, according to a 2012 tax assessment.) In 2016, she had the opportunity to purchase an adjacent 23.26-acre parcel of land, known as Seamair Farm.
For $28.85 million, she picked up the property, which included a 5,000 sq. ft. ranch-style house, a pool, top-of-the-line horse stables, caretaker’s cabin, an equestrian ring, and fruit and avocado orchards. On the other side of the property is a 44-acre dedicated preserve, meaning Oprah doesn’t have to worry about getting any new neighbors, at least on that side.
Seeing as Oprah already has an extravagant mansion on the older portion of the property, it’s highly doubtful that she will be moving into the second home.
Enjoy the rest of the gallery!
The Size of the Property
To give you an idea of the size of Oprah’s property, here’s a photo detailing both the original Promised Land and the new addition. By the way, the property on the other side of the Promised Land was put on the market in 2016 when the owner passed away.
Later, it was taken off, but in October 2017, it was again placed up for sale with a $45 million price tag. This 9-acre estateincludes a 21,345 sq. ft. Italian-style mansion that was inspired by the villas surrounding Lake Como in Italy, as well as a tennis court with viewing cabana, a pool, a reflecting pond, and a two-bedroom guest house.
Oprah hasn’t shown any interest in buying it, but you never know. Just a few days ago she sold the majority stake in OWN to the Discovery Network for $70 million, meaning she has more than enough cash laying around to purchase it (as if she didn’t already). If you weren’t already jealous enough, it is time to take an up-close look at Oprah shares with her beloved dogs.
Keep in mind that Oprah is notoriously private when it comes to her home, so finding pictures of it, particularly the interior, isn’t easy. (At a recent event, she admitted that she rarely opens up this space because “shutterbugs disrupt privacy”.) With that being said, here are 20 amazing photos of Oprah Winfrey’s amazing Montecito home.
A Look at the Back
Before you look inside Oprah’s mansion, you’ll definitely want to take a long look at it from the outside to see how just how massive it really is. Originally built in 1912, it has undergone numerous exterior and interior renovations over the years to get to the size it is today.
Inside the approximately 23,000 sq. ft. Neo-Georgian style mansion, there are six bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen and wine cellar, library, theater, and 10 fireplaces. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t appear that there is a swimming pool in the backyard, which is a very common addition to any California mansion.
An Overhead View of the New Addition
This picture gives you a better idea of what Oprah spent an additional $28.85 million to buy. Unfortunately, you can’t really see anything from the fruit orchard, except for the tops of the trees, but if you look at the top of the photo, you do get a glance at the equestrian ring. There’s no word on what Oprah plans to do with the equestrian ring or stables, but she’s never really shown any interest in horses in the past.
A View of the Garden
Oprah has referred to her backyard garden as a “sanctuary,” and it is easy to see why when you get a glance of just a small part of it in a photo. Perfectly manicured topiaries sit alongside bunches of flourishing roses, lilies, daffodils, dahlias, irises, perennials, and annuals that bloom almost year-round.
Depending on where she stands in the huge garden, she can take in picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean or the Santa Ynez Mountains. See, it really is a sanctuary.
A Unique Backyard Sculpture
This sculpture sits along one of the meandering paths around the estate. Created by famed Costa Rican-born Mexican painter and sculptor, Fransisco Zuniga, it is known as Grupo de quarto mujeres de pie. The bronze sculpture, which sits under a large gathering of pine, palms, and eucalyptus trees consists of four peasant women who symbolize four crucial stages of life: adolescence, pregnancy, middle age, and old age. Oprah hasn’t explained what made her purchase the sculpture or put it in the yard.
Another Sculpture on Hallelujah Lane
Of course, Oprah has more than one sculpture situated along the winding trails of her property. This particular sculpture depicts a woman admiring flowers she appears to have grown, which may be why it sits along this flower covered path that she refers to as Hallelujah Lane.
The path, which pays homage to her grandmother, is lined with thousands of white hydrangea bushes, much like the one that sat in front of her grandmother’s house while she was growing up. In addition to the hydrangeas, you’ll see pinkish-white Sombreuil roses climbing along the wrought-iron arches and white iceberg roses surrounding the statue.
Oprah’s Tea House
Set in the midst of Oprah’s Montecito garden, this building was originally meant to serve as a place to cut flowers. However, while watching the structure being built, Oprah changed her mind and decided to use it as a space for herself. Today, the building’s arched doorway is framed by wisteria, while an elegant copper fountain sits right out in front.
Oprah has previously mentioned that she selected every little detail inside the tea house and out, including what type of gravel lined its path and the color of the grout.
A Look Inside the Tea House
Oprah has said that she comes to the tea house to “read, meditate, and enjoy a cup of tea,” which means there is no TV or way to listen to music in the tea house. She also made it clear that while she could conduct business meetings here, she will never do so.
Surprisingly, instead of choosing a comfy couch to sit on while she reads, Oprah has opted for wicker chairs and a small wicker couch with a cushion. Still, the view is incredible, so maybe that makes up for sitting on uncomfortable wicker.
Reading Room
Thanks to Oprah’s Book Club, we all know that Oprah loves to read, so it only makes sense that she would have her own personal library/ reading room in her Montecito mansion. This is in addition to the tea house that she also uses for reading.
While it’s impossible to tell what books she has on the built-in shelves, you have to admire how artfully they are arranged. In addition to the wingback chair and couch, complete with a large doll, this corner of the room centers on two paintings by Harry Roseland, Rent Day (left) and The Writing Lesson (right).
Another Glimpse at the Reading Room
This photo gives you an even better look at how Oprah has arranged some of her favorite books. However, it is worth noting that in an interview that she published on Oprah.com, she eluded to the fact that she didn’t necessarily want anyone touching the books. She said, “It’s not easy to do an entire library that says, “Do not touch the books, but I somehow managed.”
Oprah’s Dining Room
Surprisingly small, Oprah’s dining room sits right off the kitchen. The table, which fits 10, features two unique candelabras, serving as a focal point. On the floor, you will notice that the hardwoods have been covered by a large rug that appears somewhat faded, though you can almost rest assured that this expensive rug was meant to look this way.
Bathroom
Way back in 1998, Oprah did an interview with Vogue, during which she discussed her love of opulent bathtubs, which is why it makes perfect sense that she would splurge on a huge soaking tub in her Montecito bathroom. Apparently, her obsession goes back to her childhood, where the entire family shared a single tub that was in such bad shape, “Comet could no longer clean the ring around it.”
Though not ornate by any means, the tub is quite large, giving Oprah plenty of room to relax and enjoy the room’s many vibrant plants and soothing color scheme. Of course, it almost goes without saying that Oprah ensures the tub maintains it bright white color, though it is highly doubtful that she is the one responsible for cleaning it.
A Massive Closet
This is believed to be a photo of a small portion of Oprah’s massive Montecito closet. Of course, the closet is complete with plenty of built-in shelving, which is perfect for displaying Oprah’s impressive shoe collection, as well as oak cabinets to hide away all her clothes. The room is more than a closet, just like the rest of the house, it is a place to show off her design skills. Check out the lighting fixtures and plants sitting around the room.
Foyer
While it is not nearly as grand as you probably think it would be, Oprah’s foyer is still nothing short of impressive. (Check out the ornate staircase banister.) Just like in almost all the other rooms of her gigantic home, a painting is prominently featured. Unlike the other rooms in her home, she does have a few personal photos sitting out on the table to the left.
You may or may not be surprised to learn that Oprah has a huge renovation/ makeover plan in place for her Montecito home and this foyer is included. Of course, with Oprah making certain photos of her home are scarce, we may never know what it looks like after the big change.
Oprah’s Kitchen
Apparently this is the only photo of Oprah’s Montecito kitchen, which doesn’t show too much, except for a very impressive stove and architecturally elaborate hood. Check out the fireplace/ pizza oven on the left. Sadly, this is one of the rooms that Oprah plans to redo, so it probably won’t look like this for much longer.
By the way, she plans to take out the fireplace and pizza oven to allow for more space. She has said, “When you have friends over, everybody tends to end up in the kitchen. I like being there.”
A Living Room in Need of a Makeover
Let’s be honest for a second. This is not the type of room you expect to see in a property estimated to be worth $90 million. Don’t worry. Oprah feels the same way and added it to her list of rooms to redo. By the way, she sold the green and cream plaid couch, complete with the overstuffed cushions and Laura Ashley-esque pillows at an auction.
It was priced at $3,000, though there’s no word of whether or not she got the asking price. By now, she’s should be able to enjoy the new room, but she hasn’t yet let us get a glimpse of it.
Another Living Room
You can rest assured that this room was also included on the renovation list. Even Oprah has admitted there is a lot going wrong in this room. From the coral walls to the multiple couches and all the little extra chotskies that crowd the room, there is way too much to look at. It also has a bit of an 80s/ 90s/ Laura Ashley vibe like the previous living room.
The Pool
Sitting directly behind the ranch house on the newest part of Oprah’s property, there’s no word on how much Oprah uses this large pool (or if she even plans to). However, with its light turquoise water, palm trees providing a little bit of shade overhead, and plenty of mature shrubs ensuring privacy, let’s hope she plans to take advantage of everything the pool has to offer. Remember, there doesn’t appear to be a pool on the other part of the property.
A Koi Pond
Also situated on the new addition to the property, Oprah’s koi pond gives her a tranquil place to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. (After all, she may get tired of sitting in the tea house.) Notice the small water feature on the right, which creates a relaxing waterfall sound. There is no word on how often Oprah comes out to the koi pond, but it’s always an option.
The Barn and Stalls
Also situated on the new addition, Oprah’s barns and stalls are likely an equestrian’s dream. The barn appears to hold at least a dozen horses in spacious, covered stalls. If she were to decide to take advantage of all of the equestrian facilities on the property, she could easily hire a horse trainer to stay onsite and take care of everything for her, thanks to the horse trainer’s house, which is not pictured in the photo.
After taking a look at Oprah’s Montecito house, what are your thoughts? Considering her net worth is an estimated $3.1 billion, though that surely increased when she sold the majority share of OWN, is her home as spectacular as you thought it would be?
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