Diane Keaton Was a House Flipper

Posted: October 20, 2025 | Source: toptenrealestatedeals.com

Diane Keaton was world-famous for over 50 years and accomplished many things in her life, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Diane was also well-known in the real estate world for her keen design eye and the notable homes she renovated and restored. Her resume included historical properties, such as Lloyd Wright’s Samuel-Novarro House in Los Angeles in 1988; another Lloyd Wright design, the Newman Residence in Pacific Palisades in 2007; and a Barrio Viejo mud adobe house in Tucson in 2018. Most of her work was in Southern California, where, in 2003, she sold one of her home redo flips to Madonna for $6.5 million.

One of Diane’s earliest restoration projects was in 2004, a Laguna Beach house steps from the sand with big views of the Pacific and the rugged cliffs over the ocean. Built in 1928 for the J. Roy Smith orange tree groves family, when the idea of having a beach house was still somewhat new in California, there were still many excellent lots from which to choose. The Smiths chose a bluff overlooking the wide beach of Shaw’s Cove, which afforded protection from storm waves and an expansive view. It was built in the Mediterranean Revival style with stucco, decorative Spanish tile accents, wood beams, carved doors, ironwork, and terraces surrounded by lush plantings and an outdoor fireplace to toast one’s toes on chilly evenings.

Diane was one of several Hollywood celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, and Meg Ryan, who buy and sell homes as a sideline. She was no stranger to building restoration, as she had watched her real estate broker father do the same for most of her childhood. In 2004, Keaton bought the beach house for $7.5 million and worked her magic in the restoration, preserving and accentuating its fine original details. Taking two years to complete, she sold the 4,158-square-foot, four-bedroom, six-bath house in 2006 for $12.75 million.

One of Diane’s final projects was her own home, an 8,000-square-foot 1920s-era home in LA’s Sullivan Canyon, which was also the subject of Diane’s 2017 best-selling book, The House That Pinterest Built. The book is an account of her own “dream house,” from the initial idea to its completion. Diane used Pinterest to find inspiration for the home, which she described as a combination of a barn and a factory. She found many of the home’s furnishings and accent pieces in thrift stores.

Photo credit: Robert Hansen Photography

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