Take A Look Inside Kirsten Dunst's Home

Few stars shine as brightly in the Hollywood night sky as Kirsten Dunst. The actor has been a staple in Tinseltown for almost three decades now, from her breakthrough role in "Interview With A Vampire," to her inclusion in the "Spiderman" universe, to her Oscar-nominated role in 2021's "The Power of the Dog." She's become renowned for performances that exude class, poise, and warmth. So it naturally makes sense that she favors the same qualities when it comes to her interior design taste. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, following her engagement to fellow movie star Jesse Plemons — who she met on the set of "Fargo" and subsequently built a young family with  – it was clear that they needed to build a nest of their own.

Enter their San Fernando Valley home. While they are A-listers, this isn't your typical celebrity home with ridiculous features. The couple and their young sons have created a peaceful setting in the 1930's ranch style house, which has eclectic decor and personal touches that speak to both their shared and personal experiences (via Architectural Digest). Designed with the help of long-term friend and interior designer Jane Hallworth, the home is a truly one-of-a-kind setting that needs to be seen to be believed. Which is lucky because we're gonna take you through it right now.

Seeing how Dunst has been Hollywood royalty for much of her life, it's not surprising that she has made Los Angeles her home. But unlike other stars, she doesn't like to dabble in the real estate market. Instead, before moving into her current property, she kept put in her Toluca Lake home for the better part of 20 years, purchasing the property for $2.6 million in 2001 and placing it on the market, with a pretty sweet price appreciation, for $4.7 million in 2019, as per Dirt.

Her former Toluca Lake house spoke to Dunst's taste for the historic. Antique objects gave a sense of personality throughout the home, but modern effects like the ultra-sleek kitchen brought it firmly into the 21st century. And when it was time to upgrade to her current property, Dunst only dove in deeper into her love of the unique and treasured.

No person is an island, and this saying is especially true when it comes to interior design. When it came time to decorate her new San Fernando Valley property, Dunst went straight to a trusted ally: friend and designer Jane Hallworth, who she has known for upwards of 20 years.

According to Hallworth's official website, she began her career in 2000 and quickly embedded herself in Hollywood. She has a deep respect for architecture and seems to be the A-list go-to when it comes to historic homes. Because of this, she had the pleasure of restoring homes by A. Quincy Jones, Paul Laszlo, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

During her Architecture Digest home tour, Dunst says that she wasn't too interested in hitting Rodeo Drive when it came to spending her hard-earned money from her acting jobs. "I wasn't particularly interested in clothes and cars, but I was excited about my home. Jane really educated me about furniture and design. I was her student in that realm," she said. Hallworth, too, is equally glowing about her friend and client, speaking with deep respect about Dunst's aesthetic. "She has an amazing eye. She gets inspired by beautiful things. She can see the poetry in them. For her, it's not about style or pedigree per se, but that sweet, lovely call of home." One look at Dunst's property, and it's clear what Hallworth means. 

With the rustic, cozy aesthetic that runs through Dunst's home, she needed a base color palette to stand up to all seasons and accommodate her unique taste. Dunst and Hallworth decided to incorporate a range of neutral tones throughout the property, which would serve as a versatile backdrop throughout the rambling ranch house. Muted neutrals create a simultaneous sense of light and comfort from room to room, such as in the family room. Beige walls and a light gray sofa blend with the dark wood flooring and bleached wooden beams.

Dunst's property is a clear testament to the fact that neutral paint colors are far from boring. But if you're about to jump on the neutrals train, make sure you're considering how light works in your room before committing to a full neutral palette. "It is crucial to observe the light at multiple times throughout the day. All colors, and neutrals in particular, can look completely different in different areas of the room at different times of the day," Lexi Tallisman of Greyscale Interiors told Elle Decor. Tallisman also points out that it's important to consider the materials that'll be in your space, since mirrors can bounce off light, but fabrics can absorb it.

Now, call us old-fashioned, but we think a house is for living in. Quirky, right? Luckily, Dunst appears to feel the same, creating a home that is quite clearly meant to be enjoyed by herself, fiancé Jesse Plemons, her young children, and her friends and family. "Our home is the gathering spot where everyone comes to eat, drink, swim, make music. The bar is always in full swing. We want people to have a good time, so as much as we value pretty, nothing is too precious," Dunst aid in the home tour.

And frankly, even without being invited to one of their parties (although we'd be thrilled to be), we can see how suitable this home is for entertaining. From the outside area — which has a gorgeous pool, deck, and soaking tub just begging for guests — to the home bar that Dunst mentions, every corner of the house is created to be used and shared. And for those long L.A. summer evenings, Dunst and her family can kick back on the deck and enjoy each other's company. Ahh, bliss.

Dunst's property is a testament to her taste, but she made sure to include her partner Jesse Plemmons' vision in their home when designing it. It's not always easy to coordinate aesthetics, but luckily, they nailed it. Plemons' Texan roots shine throughout the property, helping the home feel like a true ranch house. A little piece of the Lone Star State is present in each room, but you can especially see its influence in the living room. 

The living room has an old piano organ and a copper chandelier that's fashioned to be evocative of the spur of a boot. Rather than randomly throwing these influences together, designer Jane Hallworth carefully considered how to mesh Pemons' Texan influences with Dunst's elegant tastes. "There's a dash of Jesse's cowboy aesthetic mixed in with Kirsten's more glamorous things. We had to shake it all up into just the right cocktail," she said to Architectural Digest. We think that cocktail is looking pretty drinkable, quite frankly.

There are kitchens, and then there are great kitchens. And then there are amazing kitchens. And then there is Kirsten Dunst's kitchen. If you're sick of seeing identical celebrity kitchens fashioned in creams and chromes, one step into Dunst's cooking space will leave you feeling completely reinvigorated. The moody-yet-light area offers class and comfort. "I don't like white kitchens," Dunst says during the tour. This is surprising because her former Toluca Lake house featured an all-white kitchen with white marble countertops and backsplashes, according to Apartment Therapy. Maybe she always had an itch to change it.

The kitchen's most notable feature — the eggplant wall tiles that frame the space — was a joint decision made by Dunst and Hallworth, predominantly for their textural effects. "Jane brought over this tile, in a bunch of different colors ... I just liked this because it reminds me of old brick, even though it's not. And it's cracked a little, so it reflects light really interestingly inside," Dunst said. The unique Majolica tiles that make up the backsplash offer an excellent contrast to the deep-colored tiles and evoke Plemons' Texan roots thanks to their bandana pattern. We don't think we've ever wanted to cook in a space more than this.

You don't spend the majority of your life in Hollywood without encountering a few interesting objects. Dunst clearly places huge importance on objects that have emotional resonance, like an antique gilded mirror that her mom bought. Found in a French flea market, the "magical" mirror was one that Dunst used to dance in front of as a child and now sits proudly in her home. But she didn't recently inherit that mirror from her mother. Instead, Dunst has slowly gathered antiques throughout her adult life, and they not only decorated her Toluca Lake house, but also her Soho New York apartment. If you check out Realtor's listing for the property, you can see the gilded mirror leaning against the brick wall of her east coast living room.

Elsewhere in the property, a Frits Henningsen wingback chair is an eye-catching feature in the living space. Estimated to be one of just 50 that were ever made, Dunst bought it after she landed one of her most notable roles. "Doing Spiderman, it was the first time I'd made money, and you're like, 'whoa, what do I do with this?'" she said in her home tour. "And I never cared about clothing or cars, but art and furniture I knew I could have forever." We can get behind that kind of decision-making.

If you're sick of dining rooms that are identical in feel, one look at Kirsten Dunst's will have you ready to look at them in a new light. Dunst has made some seriously brave and inspiring choices with her San Fernando Valley dining space. Upon entering, the eye is immediately drawn to the turquoise Gio Ponti chairs that sit around the Galerie Half antique New England dining table. This was originally in her Soho apartment and had to be transported to the west coast, as per Realtor. Flanked by a Swedish secretary from the 18th-century, the table sits underneath a Josef Frank light pendant, with a shade evocative of elegant tailoring (potentially inspired, we'd say, by Dunst's work in "Marie Antoinette.")

Going with turquoise in a space is a bold, brave choice. But if done right, it can give your room the life it deserves. By adding small touches of turquoise, you can jazz up an otherwise neutral room, as Better Homes and Gardens shows. You can also bring some color to your kitchen by incorporating turquoise backsplash tiles or kitchen cabinets or using turquoise furniture (as Dunst has done.) This makes a room feel invigorated and lively without the color being too overbearing.

Okay, so let's be honest here — who had "Kirsten Dunst is a fan of ships" on their bingo card? We certainly didn't, and yet, here we are. A few items have a distinctly nautical feel in Dunst's home, which adds to the varied, unique decor in the property. One of them — a crystal lantern shaped like a ship — has slight wear and tear to it that only adds to its one-of-a-kind nature. It's evident that Dunst loves things that aren't purely shiny and identical, stating that, "We like things that look a little, like ..." Hallworth finishes her sentence: "Imperfect." This is a meeting of minds, folks.

Elsewhere, Dunst has a range of model ships on display, which is a touch of family history harking back to her grandfather Howard, a shipbuilder. Dunst's decor shows us how nautical themes can be used tastefully and stylishly, which is a perk since they're currently trending (via Homes & Gardens). Other simple tweaks — like using Hamptons-style stripes or picking out colors reminiscent of the ocean — allow you to create a nautical effect without things getting gaudy or predictable.

As a proud parent, it's clear that Dunst wanted her kids to grow up in a house in which they felt loved. This extends to the style choices that she's made in their favorite rooms, where she's created spaces that are comforting but cool at the same time. There's almost a storybook feel in her son Ennis' nursery, with the illustrated wallpaper displaying pictures of wolves to keep the young boy entertained. The sage green walls and window blinds are offset against the blue striped rug, which creates a colorful effect that doesn't lean too far into the predictability of using primary colors. The nursery had to be appropriate for children of all ages since the young family welcomed a second son, James, in 2021. This is the newest guy, the Big Kahuna," Dunst said in an interview with The New York Times about her 18-pound baby. "He's an angel, but he's a hungry angel. And a heavy angel."

There's a kind of treehouse vibe running through the room. The furniture emphasizes natural woods, with a curved side table featuring a pair of owl eyes. The colorful light fixture is something between a lantern and a traffic light and immediately catches the eye. There's a picture of a cowboy on the wall, potentially thanks to dad Plemons' Texan upbringing. Outside the windows, the trees from the yard give the whole room a sense of safety and privacy.

No home is complete without objects with a story behind them, and Dunst understands this more than most. In fact, she's got one thing in her house that probably trumps a lot of other lineage stories. During her home tour, at one point the camera pans over a beautiful yet seemingly unassuming bathroom door. It was made from dark wood, had carved panels, and was outfitted with a gleaming handle.

Except this isn't just any door. Nope. This is Jackie O's door. In the video, Dunst explains how she came to acquire this one-of-a-kind item, explaining to Hallworth that she bought it in New York, where it previously lived in Jackie Onassis' apartment. The former First Lady famously lived in a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue opposite Central Park, and it embodied the luxurious lifestyle Onassis was known for, per Scene Therapy.

Dunst installed the door in her own New York apartment, but when it came time to sell her east coast digs, she couldn't let the door go and brought it with her to L.A., where it now lives happily with her. "It also feels like it was always here, which I love," Hallworth says, giving it her seal of approval. 

It's pretty hard to get a bathroom terribly wrong, but it's surprisingly easy to make a bathroom super dull. For Dunst, this was a big no-no when it came to her home, and it's clear she was determined to make her bathroom as unique and fashionable as possible. We'd say she succeeded. Her bathroom is a room that feels deeply connected to the ranch house aesthetic, with neutral walls and wooden beams paired with splashes of color from the yellow bathroom cabinets.

The copper bathtub nestled in the corner is particularly eye-catching, which Dunst proclaims is "just an old cowboy tub!" Far from it just being a style statement and a throwback to fiance Plemons' Texan lineage, the copper tub is also super-functional. "Copper baths conduct the heat fantastically, meaning that your bath water will never go cold, ensuring the longest and most enjoyable bathing experience possible," Nancy Straughan, interior designer at Hugo Oliver, says to House Beautiful. Hey, that sounds good to us!

With a home this resplendent in rich, deep colors, there's a chance that things can feel dark or stuffy. But Dunst's house is light and airy throughout, with natural light offering the best possible illumination for all of the incredible furnishings that she's collected throughout her life. You can see this most clearly in the living room. In the room, the natural light positively floods through and is helped considerably by the neutral walls, high ceilings, and objects from which light can bounce off.

It's pretty easy, naturally, to read articles like this and be like, "Yeah, sure, but I don't have that house ..." But maximizing the natural light in any space is a worthwhile move that'll make your home feel easier and breezier. And the best part is that it can be pretty easy to accomplish. "I love using mirrors to create a second window effect in a space," Denise McGaha of Denise McGaha Interiors tells Forbes. "I feel it can double the light in a room. As long as they reflect the natural light, the placement is completely up to you."

What's life without a little alfresco living? In her home, Dunst makes the most of the incredible outdoor space that the San Fernando Valley property has to offer by creating outside nooks that give her, her family, and her friends a place to relax. Dunst has gone as far as to place a cedar soaking tub in her backyard, a sure-fire winner for her and her loved ones. "Sitting in the cedar soaking tub, looking up at the pine tree — it feels like you're on vacation in Big Sur," she says during the tour.

According to The Wallstreet Journal, this is all part of Dunst's transformation from "couture to sweats." She's a self-proclaimed homebody, so it makes sense that her house would be filled with amenities that put her in a cozy and relaxed mood. "I don't leave the fricking house," she told the publication in 2019. "I like being at home. My favorite thing to do is to eat dinner in bed. It's so luxurious." Her cedar tub is also part of that luxury.