Howard Ruby and Yvette Mimieux’s Italian-Style Bel Air Villa Asks $45M
It makes sense that Oakwood Worldwide founder Howard Ruby, who made his fortune supplying corporate housing, would reside on a pristine and polished property himself. Proof comes with the listing of this Bel Air abode that the business magnate shares with wife and Golden Globe-nominated actress Yvette Mimieux. Known as “il Sogno,” or “the Dream” in Italian, the estate certainly lives up to its name—all serene gardens and architectural details inspired by Italy, it’s a grand classic villa unlike anything this side of the Atlantic and now asks $45 million.
Kalef Alaton, a renowned interior designer of the 20th Century, designed the circa-1920s home with the help of the Amalfi Coast’s finest artisans and craftsmen. The result, a fully realized and bona fide Italian villa, spans 12,000 square feet of interior space on an acre of lushly landscaped grounds. David Jones, who was a personal florist to the likes of Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor, created the formal gardens and vast lawns, as well as installed a series of specimen trees. Also tucked within these gardens is a tiled swimming pool that transports you right to the Mediterranean.
The pair picked up the unique Italian-style abode in 1979. They have kept it close for many years now, and with six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a hand-lacquered library, and a ballroom fit to host endless galas, it’s easy to see why.
Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency holds the unapologetically ornate listing.
