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Arts & Entertainment

Photos: Johnny Carson's Elegant Former Home In Malibu Is Back On The Market

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Johnny Carson may have worked from "beautiful downtown Burbank", but he spent much of his time in Malibu’s Point Dume, where he owned a home from 1984 into the later years of his life, reports the L.A. Times.

That home, situated on a bluff, was acquired by fashion mogul and film producer Sidney Kimmel in 2007 for about $46 million. Now, that home isback on the market for a cool $81.5 million (Carson originally bought it for approximately $9.5 million).

The estate is, of course, luxurious and elegant. In contrast to the minimalism of many modern-day celebrity mansions, Carson’s former home is thoroughly furnished and splashed with warm hues. Wood panels and indoor plants (we’re not sure if they’re real) give the home an Earthy vibe—was this the progenitor to “glamping”?

The home comes with 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Some of the crazier amenities include an indoor arboretum (OK, so maybe those plants are real), a “cascading waterfall” at the pool, an elevator, and a separate parking lot for the staff. There are also four fireplaces to stave off those chilly Malibu winters. Outside, you get sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, as well as direct beach access.

The home, built in 1980, was somewhat of a departure for architect Ed Niles, whose work tended to favor sharp angles and clean aesthetics. For instance, he came up with this steel-beamed curiosity that’s also out in Malibu.

As noted in an earlier L.A. Times article, Carson had helped popularized the Point Dume area as a celebrity enclave. Carson was famously protective of his privacy, and it’s believed he’d purchased the Point Dume home because it offered some isolation. After his arrival, however, a number of the rich and famous would follow. The Times notes that in 2005, Point Dume was the home of celebrities like Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, and Martin Sheen.

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