Yahoo News Joe Robert Cole Lands Secluded Bel Air Traditional
The 2018 colossus “Black Panther” may not be first Black superhero film to ever be released, but it is indubitably the most successful with more than $1.3 billion in worldwide box office — not to mention three Academy Awards and four more nominations. Many of the film’s already well-known stars have become household names around the world, and word on the showbiz property gossip grapevine is that one of the money-minting epic’s writers, Joe Robert Cole, has celebrated his blockbuster success with the $3.5 million purchase of a secluded home nestled into the hills of the L.A.’s ritzy Bel Air neighborhood.
A long, gated drive sweeps up a precipitous, planted hillside to a stone-paved motor court that comfortably accommodates six or eight cars. Updated with a decidedly contemporary flair, the 1970s two-story traditional sits on about 1.2 acres with five bedrooms and 4.5 renovated bathrooms throughout its not quite 3,100 square feet.
Honey-toned hardwoods add organic warmth to the crisply tailored interiors that include a glass-railed staircase, lots of can lighting in the flat ceilings and generously proportioned windows that frame scenic vistas of the gardens and surrounding mountains. Just off the double-height foyer, a formal living room sports a simple fireplace and the adjoining dining room looks out over the backyard. Bucking the ubiquitous trend of open-plan living space, the kitchen is a thoroughly modern room of its own fitted with sleek, up-to-date appliances and a high-contrast mix of glossy-white and dark-brown wood-grained cabinets. Arranged around a huge island with an integrated snack bar, the kitchen flows out to the backyard through glass sliders, while a neighboring family room, which also spills out to the backyard, easily works as a library or home office with full-height wood shelves.
A service wing completes the main floor, and incorporates a powder room for guests, a spacious laundry room with direct garage access, and a staff or guest suite complete with an itty-bitty lounge (or home office), a bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs are three average-sized family bedrooms, one with a private bath and another with a small dressing area and direct access to a shared hall bath, plus a primary suite that comprises a roomy bedroom, sleek bathroom and a fitted walk-in closet, plus a separate dressing area lined with custom built-ins.
Out back, a vine-draped pergola shades part of a huge stone-paved terrace amid gorgeous flowering gardens and a pretty koi pond. A grassy, tree-shaded path leads to a manicured lawn notched into the steep hillside. At the far end of the lawn, set against a wall of trees with a cross-canyon view, a small terrace provides the perfect spot for quiet repose.
The property was listed with Nadia Saad and Jeffrey Saad of Compass; Cole and his wife, actress Polly Cole, were repped by Griffin Sweet at The Agency.
The rapidly up-and-coming writer-producer earned a 2016 Emmy nomination for his work on the first season of “American Crime Story” (“The People v. O.J. Simpson”), where he was hard at work when tapped to co-write with director Ryan Coogler what became the runaway megahit “Black Panther.” Since then Cole has written and directed the 2020 Netflix film “All Day and a Night.” A sequel to “Black Panther” is planned, but, certainly, the recent, untimely passing of the film’s star, Chadwick Boseman, means adjustments will need to be made.
Launch Gallery: Take a Look at Joe Robert Cole's Secluded Bel Air Spread
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