Diane Keaton built successful house flipping career alongside her Hollywood acting work

Diane Keaton was best known for her legendary acting career, which spanned six decades across film, television, and theater. However, the late Hollywood icon also had a successful sideline as a house flipper. Over the last 40 years, Keaton, who passed away on October 11 at the age of 79, bought, renovated, and sold a variety of houses. She cultivated a reputation as a respected restorer of historic homes, some of which boasted notable architectural pedigrees.

“I follow my impulses just like I did with acting,” Keaton said of her approach to house design in a 2017 interview with Architectural Digest.

Keaton earned praise for her restorations and home design skills from the real estate community. Her work was profiled in top industry outlets, including Architectural Digest, which highlighted her aesthetic sensibilities, instincts as a renovator and restorer, and dedication to preserving the authenticity of historic homes.

### Diane Keaton’s House Flipping Highlights

In March, Realtor wrote that the Oscar winner “has developed a keen talent for home flipping, particularly when it came to the restoration of neglected or abandoned properties.” Here’s a look at some of Keaton’s most prominent renovation projects.

### Samuel-Novarro House in Los Feliz, California

In 1988, Keaton purchased the historic Samuel-Novarro House in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. Built in 1928 by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s son Lloyd Wright, the house is an example of Mayan Revival style, combining decorative concrete blocks, dramatic geometry, and an indoor/outdoor aesthetic.

By the time Keaton purchased it, the landmark residence was in deteriorating condition and needed significant repair and restoration. She undertook extensive renovations to update the home while retaining its architectural character, selling it five years later.

Years later, renovation contractor Justin Krzyston of Stonehurst Construction undertook further restoration work, addressing aging finishes and structural issues while repairing original details.

“I was able to meet with Diane Keaton who lived here in the early ’90s and did one of the first renovations and she gave me some great advice on how to approach the restoration 20 years later,” Krzyston told Architectural Digest in 2016. “She told me to go slow, don’t treat it like any other renovation, and don’t change any more than you have to; keep the integrity of the house and the way Wright intended it to be.”

The Samuel-Novarro House is often cited as one of Keaton’s first “design-driven” flips and is emblematic of her aesthetic sensibility. Her restoration established her reputation as a serious preservationist.

In addition to this project, Keaton was also involved in the preservation of the Ennis House, another Lloyd Wright design. She served on the board of the Ennis House Foundation, actively fundraised, and advocated for its restoration.

### Spanish Colonial Revival in Beverly Hills, California

In 2007, Keaton bought an 8,434-square-foot, seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom Spanish Colonial Revival house in Beverly Hills for $8.1 million. While living there, she undertook a restoration with designer Stephen Shadley.

Her work was covered extensively by Architectural Digest in 2008 and revisited in a profile published shortly after her death in October 2023.

According to the outlet, she initially bought the property at the beginning of the 2000s but later backed out due to the renovation challenges it posed.

“My feeling is that you find an authentic house and, authentically, try to restore it,” Keaton said during a 1999 tour of the home. “I wanted a Spanish Colonial because I’m in love with California and our history. My fantasy would be to continue to buy homes that are representative of the architecture of California and restore them.”

Keaton listed the home for $12.995 million in 2009, and it was eventually purchased by “American Horror Story” producer Ryan Murphy for $10 million.

### Shaw’s Cove House in Laguna Beach, California

Keaton bought the historic Spanish Mediterranean oceanfront house known as Shaw’s Cove in 2004 for $7.5 million. Listed by Andy Stavros of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the property underwent a two-year restoration led by Keaton.

She preserved original decorative Spanish tile, ironwork, wood beams, carved doors, stucco, and terraces, as reported by Ocean magazine. The home’s fenestration was altered to maximize views and enhance indoor-outdoor flow.

The primary bedroom was updated with a nod to the property’s heritage while being re-imagined to suit modern needs, according to Starts at 60.

In 2006, Keaton sold the home for $12.75 million, marking one of her most profitable flips.

### Newman Residence in Pacific Palisades, California

In 2007, Keaton purchased the Newman Residence in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood for $9.1 million. Designed by Lloyd Wright in 1950 for composer Alfred Newman, the home underwent significant restoration under Keaton’s care.

Her updates included modernizing the kitchen, restoring original woodwork and built-in furniture, and converting part of the second floor into a glass-walled loft/master suite to bring in more light and offer expansive canyon views.

She sold the Newman Residence in 2010 for $10.75 million.

### Barrio Viejo House in Tucson, Arizona

Keaton’s best-known project outside California was her home in Tucson’s Barrio Viejo neighborhood. The “Godfather” star purchased a 1880s Sonoran-style adobe row house in 2018 for $1.5 million.

She completed a high-touch refresh emphasizing historic materials and sold the home for approximately $2.6 million in 2020.

During a 2018 appearance on *Jimmy Kimmel Live*, Keaton expressed her fondness for Tucson, saying, “I’m going to redo and fix the adobe. I just love Tucson.”

### “House That Pinterest Built” in Brentwood, California

Perhaps Keaton’s most famous renovation is the “Pinterest House,” the subject of her best-selling book *House That Pinterest Built*. Beginning around 2011, she embarked on a multi-year, full-scale gut renovation.

Describing it as her “dream home,” Keaton drew on decades of collected visual inspiration—from tear sheets and magazines to Pinterest—to design the residence.

Built largely of reclaimed brick, steel, and industrial windows, the home blends an industrial sensibility with a warm, tactile aesthetic. Keaton prioritized light, openness, and material authenticity by using raw textures, exposed structure, and glazing. She famously noted that she does not use curtains in her home.

“I always had an interest in homes and the concept of home, but the problem is I never really land and stay. Something’s wrong. But something’s right, because I love it,” she told *Wine Spectator*. “I started to really love the brick and the textures of it… how they weren’t perfect.”

“My favorite room in my home is that damn kitchen,” Keaton added.

The home became her primary residence for about eight years until her passing. In a surprising move, Keaton listed the house for sale in March, with an asking price of $25 million, according to *People*.

Diane Keaton’s remarkable talent and passion for restoring historic homes left a lasting impact on the world of real estate and architectural preservation, complementing her illustrious career in entertainment.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/diane-keaton-built-successful-house-flipping-career-alongside-her-hollywood-acting-work

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