Explore Wilmer Valderrama’s Tailor-Made L.A. Home

Kathryn Romeyn
·8 min read

In his mid-20s, NCIS actor Wilmer Valderrama, now 40, says he began to think deeply about his future. This vision revolved around his dream home: “My forever home, the home where I would see my kids grow up,” he says, looking back. He was on That ’70s Show at the time, quite content in Tarzana, California, with a pool and guest house. But, coming from a family in which Valderrama was the “little man of the house” by 14 and well aware their move from Venezuela to the U.S. had been to work in pursuit of the American dream, “by 25 I was pretty late to the party when it came to ‘What is the plan? Where am I going?’”

Ultimately, Valderrama would be going to Chuck Norris’s house. A friend was selling the fellow actor’s six-bedroom, nine-bathroom compound a mile away and invited Valderrama to the open house. “He had about three and a half acres, and I was walking through thinking, This is a pretty interesting layout—a main house and his office, a pretty massive gym, all surrounded by trees.” Norris had vacated the place and it was overgrown, with poor plumbing, wiring, carpets, and wallpaper, but, Valderrama says, “I saw through that.” He made an offer and got to work.

With its RH leather Cloud Sofa, the warm living room holds Valderrama’s favorite piece of furniture: the Timothy Oulton coffee table made from a retired Japanese fishing boat propeller. “It could be a hundred years old, and there’s something really beautiful about that, where it’s been,” he says. “It’s a precious possession to me.”

Valderrama knew there was plenty he wanted to change, but began with a year and a half–long undertaking to make it livable—which included digging through eight feet of concrete to build a dream pool worthy of this “tropical guy.” Then, over time, Valderrama says, “the house began morphing into who I was becoming, what I was being exposed to, the experiences and influences I was coming across as I traveled more.” He decided to take it one room at a time.

The capacious living room, with its timber ceiling, was the first space overhauled using Valderrama’s new eye for art and color. He installed hardwood floors, repainted, and coated the molding and brick fireplace in black, “to give it a little more elegance and sophistication,” and create a canvas for the art he was becoming more interested in (see photography by Michael Muller and a Mister Cartoon mural drawing). Some of Valderrama’s favorite pieces are now in this space: the Timothy Oulton coffee table repurposing a Japanese fishing boat propeller, RH Cloud Sofa, and refinished vintage cantina-style bar with intricate woodwork left by Norris.

Valderrama’s 1967 Ford Mustang sits outside his Tarzana home, which he purchased from fellow actor Chuck Norris and renovated over the course of years.
Valderrama’s 1967 Ford Mustang sits outside his Tarzana home, which he purchased from fellow actor Chuck Norris and renovated over the course of years.
Valderrama with his Belgian Malinois, Marrok, on a bench in his oft-used retro barbershop.
Valderrama with his Belgian Malinois, Marrok, on a bench in his oft-used retro barbershop.

“I would come across certain things I just felt I was being inspired by,” says Valderrama of the driving force in his rolling revamp over years. To wit, he fell in love with and ordered a classic barber chair, which informed the transition of a memorabilia room to the time capsule of a barbershop where his stylist, Christine Nelli, cuts his hair weekly. The vibe sparked a “crazy idea” to wallpaper the space with vintage newspapers. Valderrama tracked down a collector who sold him 30 years of iconic headlines for $100, and experimented with his contractor to work out the durable lacquer finish. “It’s so incredible to have a time capsule on these walls,” he says.

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As much as the actor's maturing tastes ignited the renovations, he considered function, too. “I feel like everyone’s doing these white and brass kitchens, and I do like the elegance and feel of that sharp architecture, but to me, I don’t even feel welcome to cook in that kitchen,” says Valderrama, who designed alongside his friend, architect April Gray, an expanded, skylight-lit room with chocolate-hued walnut, gray granite, and stone-like flooring that felt sharp and sleek, yet rustic and durable enough to actually work in. “It was very poetic,” explains Valderrama of his process throughout. “I wanted it to feel formal, beautiful, almost eccentric, with sexy vibes from oversized candles, artwork and skulls by Ernesto Yerena Montejano in collaboration with Shepard Fairey.”

Explore Wilmer Valderrama’s Tailor-Made L.A. Home

Architect April Gray of Lamb & Gray Architects helped actor Wilmer Valderrama with the kitchen floor planning in his L.A. home, which included replacing the windows with more panoramic glass that would let in not only more light, but green. Materiality was important to Valderrama, who chose light blue Roman clay for the walls and dark granite that felt rustic, yet elegant and sharp, and could withstand actual cooking. For the cabinetry, the veins of the wood line up top to bottom. “They were all cut from the same plank, so it’s symmetrical. When you walk in, nothing is distracting, it all becomes part of the same DNA.”
Painting the living room fireplace black—accented with a pair of axes from Best Made Co.—to match the molding throughout the house, was a major change Valderrama made to elevate the atmosphere and up the elegance quotient.
With its [RH](https://www.restorationhardware.com/) leather Cloud Sofa, the warm living room holds Valderrama’s favorite piece of furniture: the [Timothy Oulton](https://www.timothyoulton.com/) coffee table made from a retired Japanese fishing boat propeller. “It could be a hundred years old, and there’s something really beautiful about that, where it’s been," he says. "It’s a precious possession to me.”
“Everything you see on the walls and the furniture was not done because some amazing interior designer decided this is the way it looks,” says Valderrama, standing behind the antique wooden bar in his living room. “Everything was hand-picked because it made me feel some type of way.” Two of his favorite sources to shop are H.D. Buttercup and Crate and Barrel.
“Even though its looks a bit vintage and warm, I wanted a touch of modernism in it, so the light’s a little bit more modern, and I think there’s an elegance that comes with the black colors,” says Valderrama of his barbershop.
“Even though its looks a bit vintage and warm, I wanted a touch of modernism in it, so the light’s a little bit more modern, and I think there’s an elegance that comes with the black colors,” says Valderrama of his barbershop.
Valderrama’s “crazy idea” for the walls and floor of his barbershop were to paper them in lacquered newspapers. “There are headlines like, ‘Holyfield bites the ear,’ the assassination of John Lennon and From Dusk Till Dawn, which meant something to me because I was in the series later.”
Valderrama’s “crazy idea” for the walls and floor of his barbershop were to paper them in lacquered newspapers. “There are headlines like, ‘Holyfield bites the ear,’ the assassination of John Lennon and From Dusk Till Dawn, which meant something to me because I was in the series later.”
Skulls are a recurring theme throughout Valderrama’s house. “To me skulls represent wisdom and protection.” Each one is made out of a different stone, quartz, or crystal and, to the actor, “each skull has its own presence.”
Skulls are a recurring theme throughout Valderrama’s house. “To me skulls represent wisdom and protection.” Each one is made out of a different stone, quartz, or crystal and, to the actor, “each skull has its own presence.”
Valderrama’s production company, WV Entertainment, which develops film and TV, has its creative space in Chuck Norris’s former offices, which he upgraded to make more modern.
Valderrama’s production company, WV Entertainment, which develops film and TV, has its creative space in Chuck Norris’s former offices, which he upgraded to make more modern.
Valderrama tackled his own bedroom first, expanded the bathroom, and followed later with the redo of this guest room, modeled after one of his favorite hotels in the world, the Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, Texas. “I definitely ripped a lot of ideas from there,” he says. “We didn’t want the room to feel too gloomy and dark because the blue on the walls is so strong, so the light hardwood floors are meant to give it a fresh, welcoming feel.”
Throughout the compound, Valderrama’s eclectic taste inspired a combination of vintage and modern touches. “For me, it was really reaching within and asking myself, What are my favorite colors? What are the textures I really like in a table? What are the finishes that make me walk into a room and be like, I love this?”
Throughout the compound, Valderrama’s eclectic taste inspired a combination of vintage and modern touches. “For me, it was really reaching within and asking myself, What are my favorite colors? What are the textures I really like in a table? What are the finishes that make me walk into a room and be like, I love this?”
Before he moved into a space where he could have a conference room and offices, Valderrama’s production company worked out of studio lots and other spaces. Streamlining it all into his home was one of his early goals.
Before he moved into a space where he could have a conference room and offices, Valderrama’s production company worked out of studio lots and other spaces. Streamlining it all into his home was one of his early goals.
“I love Hawaii. I’m a tropical guy. I came from South America, so I built the pool with the waterfalls, the palm trees, the stones that I was really excited about,” says Valderrama of his dream pool, which was the very first project he embarked upon.
“I love Hawaii. I’m a tropical guy. I came from South America, so I built the pool with the waterfalls, the palm trees, the stones that I was really excited about,” says Valderrama of his dream pool, which was the very first project he embarked upon.
Valderrama’s 1967 Ford Mustang sits outside his Tarzana home, which he purchased from fellow actor Chuck Norris and renovated over the course of years.
Valderrama’s 1967 Ford Mustang sits outside his Tarzana home, which he purchased from fellow actor Chuck Norris and renovated over the course of years.

Skulls are a prolific accent throughout. “To many people, skulls represent a weird gothic, macabre situation, but to me they mean something completely different,” says Valderrama, whose extensive collection includes carved crystal and stone. “If you look at ancient history, skulls are protecting symbols in homes. They each have their own personality and spirit.” They also highlight the idea that each and every element should transport or remind him of who he is. “If you’re going to be there for years of your life,” says Valderrama, you have time to make it into your dream home.”

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest