What were you doing when you were 21 years old? Looking for a job? Settling for an unpaid internship? Shopping for a foldout futon? Kylie Jenner hasn’t got time for all that. The wildly popular entrepreneur, reality-television star, and youngest member of the Jenner/Kardashian clan is busy presiding over a cosmetics empire worth roughly $800 million. Forbes magazine speculated that she is on track to become the youngest self-made billionaire in history. She also has more than 124 million followers on Instagram—a single 2018 post introducing her daughter, Stormi Webster, garnered more than 18 million likes. To borrow a hackneyed phrase, when Kylie talks, people listen.
“Kylie is the ultimate celebrity, the ultimate influencer. For someone her age to have achieved so much is frankly astonishing,” says Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the Los Angeles AD100 designer tasked with conjuring a dream home worthy of a vivacious almost-billionaire superstar. The residence is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Hidden Hills, close to the homes of Kylie’s high-profile siblings and their mother, Kris Jenner. “When we started this project, she wasn’t even old enough to drink legally. This was her first really grown-up house,” he adds.
“I told Martyn I wanted a fresh, fun vibe to match the way I was feeling. Color was essential. I love pink, and I wanted a lot of it!” Jenner recalls of her earliest conversations with the decorator. Functional requirements were also at the top of her agenda. “My closets and glam room are very personal to me, even down to the size of each drawer, so they fit my specific products and clothes. I spend a lot of time in those rooms, so we had to make sure they were perfect.”
Bullard obliged with a design scheme that is equal parts sparkle and sumptuousness. On the more glittery end of the spectrum are the white lacquer-and-acrylic grand piano in Jenner’s monochromatic, Old/New Hollywood living room; the gold-leafed ceiling of the dining room; vintage Lucite furniture by Charles Hollis Jones; and reflective wall coverings galore. On the plush side of the equation, Bullard deployed carpets of Patagonian shearling, alpaca, and silk; snow leopard–patterned velvet on the vintage Milo Baughman barstools in the lounge; and fur bedcovers.
“The look is glamorous but totally inviting. Kylie loves to have people over, and there’s nothing so precious that you can’t stand, jump, or dance on it,” Bullard explains of the decorative mix.
Sly nods to Kylie Cosmetics, Jenner’s blockbuster business, abound. In the dining room, for example, the leather upholstery on the chairs was custom-dyed to match colors from Kylie’s lipstick collection, ranging from ceruse to pale pink to deep garnet. In the living room, seemingly liquescent brass consoles riff on the drip patterns of the makeup line’s signature packaging. “I have a lot of Kylie Cosmetics, awards, and my magazine covers around the house that inspire me on a daily basis. I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished,” Jenner notes.
Halfway through the project, Jenner learned that she was going to have a baby with rapper Travis Scott (given name Jacques Bermon Webster II), which necessitated a retrofit for a nursery and playroom. “Stormi has definitely taken over the house with her toys,” Jenner says, laughing. And not just any old binkies and baubles. Chez Kylie, it’s all about the bling—a Fendi baby stroller and a Lamborghini child’s car are among the many high-end playthings.
Of course, the fun is not reserved exclusively for Stormi. In the lavish family room, Jenner and her guests can take a swing on a Jim Zivic hammock suspended from the ceiling while enjoying treats from custom cocktail tables with cutouts for ice, champagne, and caviar. The entertainment continues in the bar/lounge, which is tricked out with a billiard table, arcade games, a Saint Laurent limited-edition surfboard, and, for a little added cheekiness, a group of giant condom sculptures from artist Beau Dunn’s “Size Does Matter” series. Andy Warhol dollar-sign lithographs and a dramatic portrait of the homeowner round out the art on display in the lounge.
“Kylie feels a deep connection to Marilyn Monroe, so we placed a series of Warhol screen prints of Marilyn along the main stairway. In general, we selected artworks that felt appropriate for a young collector with feminine tastes. Everything reflects Kylie’s personality,” Bullard says, referring to the Damien Hirst “I Love You” butterfly silk screens that adorn the dining room, the Jean-Michel Basquiat screen print that presides over the living room, and black-and-white photographs of Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, and Twiggy. The Tracey Emin neon sculpture that hangs in the bar perhaps best sums up the saucy vibe of the dynamo’s dazzling home. It reads, “I Can’t Believe How Much You Love Me.”
