Prices in the once-unfashionable-yet-now-seriously-swank San Fernando Valley community of Encino continue to skyrocket, just as the local buyer crop continues to trend younger and more diverse. As such, developers of new Encino spec-homes have shifted their efforts to woo moneyed home shoppers into full throttle, flooding their party-ready mansion developments with every expensive tech gizmo and gadget known to mankind. Take today’s property, built by a local developer in an ultra-contemporary style. The place is so fancy, it doesn’t even have a “real” backyard — just a giant deck dedicated to entertaining. And there’s a wine closet in the home theater. How modern is that?
Of course, all this trendy luxury comes at a remarkably dear price. The 9,600 sq. ft. house was first marketed at a whopping $9 million before eventually — one year, a change of realtors and several price-chops later — transferring for a still-hefty $7.55 million last month.
A bit of digging reveals the buyer is Kenya Barris, the high-flying producer who created the critically acclaimed “Black-ish” ABC sitcom and also co-created the long-running Tyra Banks vehicle “America’s Next Top Model.” Last year, Barris signed a Netflix production deal reportedly valued at an astounding $100 million, and it appears he’s wasted little time in putting some of that cash to good real estate use.
Barris and his longtime wife Dr. Rainbow Edwards-Barris, a WeHo-based anesthesiologist, will undoubtedly appreciate the serene nature of their new property, which is completely walled, gated, and protected by a Control4 system for privacy. There’s a large motorcourt and two front-facing two-car garages flanking the home’s glassy formal entry, which bypasses a striking water feature into the double-height foyer.
The wood-and-glass contemporary includes spacious formal living and dining rooms, a sculptural “floating” staircase, and a massive state-of-the-art kitchen with Gaggenau and Wolf appliances. (Around the corner is a bedroom-sized butler’s pantry with yet a second giant refrigerator, presumably for catering large events.) Upstairs, the lavish master retreat is decked out with a fireplace, his/hers walk-in closets, and a private deck accessible via a disappearing wall of glass.
“Event-ready” best describes the home’s outdoor spaces; there are seemingly endless patios and the full monty of luxury estate features: a full outdoor kitchen, a long firepit, a negative-edge pool with Baja shelf for sunbathing, loggias for al fresco dining, and a sports court. There’s also — tucked off in the half-acre property’s side yard — a sizable patch of grass for Fido to romp.
Just two doors away from the Barris residence is the home of fellow TV bigwig I. Marlene King, and other high-profile folks in the neighborhood include Tristan Thompson and Jimmy Rollins.
In addition to their swanky new mansion, records reveal the Barris family maintains a $1.3 million house in the somewhat nondescript San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Valley Village. They also continue to own their Encino “starter” house, which they bought less than two years ago for nearly $3 million. Set at the tail end of a discreet cul-de-sac, that traditional-style mini-compound appears to be undergoing some sort of major renovation.
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