One of Bel-Air’s Most Opulent Homes Hits the Market

Somewhere out there a dreamer enthralled by the melancholy of a bygone era is waiting for this story. A Bel-Air mansion, Il Sogno, which was previously the home of Hollywood and TV star Yvette Mimieu, is on the market for $39,500,000. 

For the first time in more than half a century, Il Sogno villa (“The Dream”), in one of America’s most prestigious neighborhoods, is on the market via Jade Mills Estates of Beverly Hills. Hailed as one of Bel-Air’s loveliest homes, the property was built back in 1928 from designs by renowned architect Mark Daniels.  

Laid out as a typical Tuscan-style villa, the home sports six-bedrooms, seven-baths, and two half-baths. Literally surrounded by the Bel-Air Country private country club, the 10,607 square foot mansion is an opulent display of the tastes of the owners. Lush gardens surround sumptuous interiors to form a dreamlike atmosphere. 

Kalef Alaton, one of America’s greatest interior designers, had craftsmen from Italy flown in to ensure the authenticity of the Italian-style. Alaton, who also designed interiors for the likes of Paul Newman and Marilyn Monroe, etched his signature style into the magnificent home. 

Bought by Mimieu's famous husband, business mogul husband Howard Ruby Ruby back in the late 1970s, the home includes a ballroom, a formal dining room, a solarium, a formal living room, a professional kitchen,  wine cellar with tasting room, and a gym and spa. Special touches such as hand-carved fireplaces, plaster walls, finely hand-painted frescoes, terracotta and marble floors, are but a few of the unique features of the house. 

One of America's most popular actresses in the 1960s and 1970s, Yvette Mimieu was the star of such films as Where the Boys Are, and of TV shows like the Love Boat, and Dr. Kildare. She cut her career short when she married Ruby in 1986. Ruby made a fortune in corporate housing, and was the founder of Oakwood Worldwide, a forerunner to today's short-term leisure traveler and corporate rental industries.

Il Sogno villa also features a custom reading room dubbed the “red library” because of its stunning hand lacquered panels. A master suite sports its own private balcony, patio with fountain, a  hand carved fireplace, as well as twin bathrooms and closets.

Outside, Il Sogno is surrounded by almost a full acre Eden-like landscapes, a fantasy of rare plants, marble statues, benches, and lush accents that are transformative. There’s even a private garden designed by David Jones, the florist who once worked with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on similar projects.

For more information on this remarkable property, interested parties should contact Stephanie Zebik, the managing director at Jade Mills Estates, at 310-285-7509, or via email at homes@jademills.com.