Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are showing off their opulent La Jolla, California, property. The vocalist (born Alicia Augello Cook), 40, and record producer (born Kasseem Daoud Dean), 43, invited Architectural Digest into their house for the December 2021 cover story.
“Every wall in this house, every bit of it, is sculpture,” Beatz told the publication. “These beautiful ‘S’ shapes, these chevrons going down the hillside, curvatures flying in space over your head. It’s more akin to sculpture than architecture.”
In fact, the home was the inspiration for Tony Stark’s futuristic mansion in Iron Man. The 11,000-square-foot property lies on a mountainside overlooking the Pacific Ocean and features floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a beautiful infinity pool.
Behun’s design for Keys and Beatz’s home included wood components, Moroccan wool carpets, velvet fabrics, magnificent walkways, and floating staircases. She brought them all together with a warm color palette that complements the view of the water.
“The interiors don’t in any way shout; they’re simple and timeless,” Behun told AD. “It was never going to be about trying to upstage the natural surroundings, the architecture, or the art.”
There is alot of art. The living quarters of the house are decorated with works by African and African American artists. According to AD, the couple’s collection contains over 1,000 pieces of art, including works by award-winning photographer Gordon Parks.
“To be able to keep his collection together and for it to live in the home of Black artists is really emotional for me,” Keys said of owning Parks’ work.
Their grand piano is one of the Grammy Award-winning couple’s most valued assets, which they also showcase in their house. Keys received it as a gift from the record label that signed her when she was only 16 years old.
The musicians also have their own recording studio, which Beatz refers to as the “grown-up floor,” where they enjoy getting creative. Being creative and expressive is vital to the family, and both Keys and Beatz stated that they can do so freely at home.
“We do a lot of dreaming, you know,” Keys said. “And [the home] doesn’t get in the way of whatever we could possibly imagine.”
The family is known for being kind and friendly hosts, and they hope that all of their guests feel the same way they do at home.
“When you hear a song or something we’ve produced, the foundation is to make people feel good and feel loved. That’s what our art is about,” Keys shared. And “when you come into our home, that’s exactly what we want you to feel. We want you to feel loved, to feel safe, to feel relaxed… We want you to feel inspired.”
Read the full feature and see more photos in the December issue of Architectural Digest or on archdigest.com.
