The Hollywood production duo behind American Psycho and The Virgin Suicides have listed their one-of-a-kind “unseen” home in the desert for a whopping $18 million — hoping the one-of-a-kind home will be as a hit as some of their past projects.
Chris and Roberta Hanley, who have been life and work partners since they met in college, spent years designing and building their dream home in Joshua Tree, California after they were told their 720-square-foot temporary guest house violated local codes rejected because it was too small.
The pair decided to make it big — and go home. They began imagining their 5,500 square foot mansion, complete with an indoor-outdoor pool, four bedrooms, 360-degree views of the amazing natural view of Joshua Tree, and visual features so spectacular that the House featured in Netflix’s The World’s Most Amazing was Vacation Rental.’
It’s also become something of an industry secret, and has hosted A-list guests over the years, including singer Demi Lovato and musician Diplo.
“I think Demi Lovato saw aliens there,” Chris told the Wall Street Journal.
The $18 million home in the desert took six years and millions of dollars to build
The house is adorned with few objects of a personal nature. The owners said they did so on purpose so as not to disrupt the structure’s minimalist flow
The home was designed by the couple and was originally designed by Chris, who said he was inspired by the black cuboid monolith from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as the work of Bauhaus architect Lugwig Mies van der Rohe.
Van der Rohe belongs to a small school of architects credited with transforming the face of American industry, particularly office buildings in cosmopolitan centers. He famously designed the Seagram Building in New York City.
However, Chris’ initial effort may have been a little less involved. “I just drew a rectangle on paper and said, ‘Okay, let’s build this,'” he told the Journal. He said he was looking for an “ultra minimal thing”.
The project, which began in 2011, finally concluded in 2019, just in time for the couple to spend most of the COVID-19 pandemic in a secluded paradise. Before the pandemic forced some to retire permanently to their weekend homes, the couple used the Joshua Tree House to escape Los Angeles for the weekends.
The approximately 5,500-square-foot home has a fully reflective glass facade that reflects the arid, rocky desert landscape. The visual effect blends the huge rectangular unit with the depth of its surroundings.
The four bedroom home sits on nearly 70 acres adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. It measures approximately 225 feet long from end to end. It should feel like a large, open, floating space.
An exterior view of the cantilever portion of the house supported by metal beams built into the desert rock
The house was built and is owned by Hollywood couple Roberta and Chris Hanley, who own the company that produced The Virgin Suicides, American Psycho and Spring Breakers
The spectacular unit measures approximately 225 feet long and 25 feet wide. It is largely environmentally sustainable and cantilevered to make it appear as if one side is floating
Among other things, it features a 100-foot pool in the center of the house. The glass walls on three sides of the house can open to the outside, making the pool a hybrid indoor/outdoor space
The appearance of the house changes with the weather and the time of day. Reflecting fully against the bright desert sun, it reflects its stunning natural surroundings while taking on a completely different appearance at night
The master bedroom features a bed resting on a 2,500-pound glass base that took five workers two days to assemble and install
Inside there are very few partitions and most of the glass walls that line the house open onto the outside. Nestled between the master bedroom and the other two bedrooms is a large open plan living area with a 100 foot indoor pool.
Roberta says they chose to put the pool inside to create their own “ecosystem” in the arid environment and bring moisture to the structure.
The structure is also ecologically sustainable. It is powered by a solar thermal system that uses heating panels for electricity, the pool and hot water. The roof is also made of an environmentally friendly foam.
Eco-friendliness is a must considering the abundance of game that surrounds the house on all sides. The Hanleys reported seeing coyotes, rabbits, hawks, quail, and other animals. Only some of them ‘bumped’ against the reflective glass walls.
The house is also cantilevered, meaning that only one side is fixed to the ground and the other side appears to be floating.
In the master bedroom, a bed rests on a 2,500-pound glass base that took five workers two days to assemble and install, the couple said.
The home has been rented by some Hollywood A-list names looking for a quiet time away from the city. Demi Lovato and Diplo are two of Intrigue’s guests who stayed at the home, which was formerly available for rent at $150,000 a month
The home, most of which has glass that can be removed outdoors, was featured on Netflix’s The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.
A magnificent view of the open desert from inside the house
A few personal items adorn the spacious house. Roberta says they did this on purpose so as not to disrupt the place’s peaceful, minimalist aesthetic.
“I like that it kind of exists on its own, so I don’t like tossing my clothes around,” she said. “I wanted it to be a place where your thoughts [could] Let yourself drift and be inspired.”
The couple said the home took more than half a decade and millions of dollars to build. The steel beams alone cost half a million dollars, while the cost of thousands of pounds of glass rose to $700,000.
Tomas Osinski, the architect who helped the couple design the house, said he jokes with the couple about the house that it “took so much money and so much effort, and you can’t even see it.”
The house is meant to honor the area’s stunning natural beauty with its invisibility, despite criticism that it only became a “rich man’s madness”. Its list price now far exceeds any home in the area, where the median price is around $400,000.
In addition to success in the film industry, Chris has worked in the music industry for years and says he was influential in bringing karaoke to the United States.
Real estate agents — especially those currently holding the listing — say it’s a pointless endeavor to compare the mirror house’s price to those in the area because it’s so different. Listing agent Aaron Kirman of AKG told the magazine that it’s now impossible to build another home like this because of new regulations about the use of glass.
“Good works of art fetch top prices,” he said.