Oprah’s Promised Land estate main house, Montecito, California
Back in 2001 Oprah was invited to a party at this dreamy estate in the idyllic village of Montecito near Santa Barbara and instantly fell in love with the tranquil 42-acre property, so much so that she used her formidable powers of persuasion to get the owners Robert and Marlene Veloz to sell up—the estate wasn’t actually on the market—and wasted no time writing out a cheque for almost $52 million (£43m).
Worth more than $100 million (£82.5m) today, the glorious Promised Land estate spans 70 acres thanks to some canny deals on neighbouring properties. At its centre is Oprah’s 23,000-square-foot mansion, an impressive neo-Georgian pile, and the amazing landscaped grounds include rose gardens, terraces and fountains.
As her forever home, Promised Land is where Oprah and her long-term boyfriend Stedman Graham love to spend time. Beautifully decorated and filled with mementoes, books and artwork, it’s been lovingly put together over the years. Oprah runs her business empire from here too, and is often posting pictures at home with her dogs on her Instagram page.
In order to make the dining room space more welcoming and relaxing, Oprah gave it—and the rest of the mansion—a huge makeover. Out went striped wallpaper and ornate antique furniture, replaced with a beige colour scheme, cream New England-style dresser and comfy upholstered chairs.
The kitchen is the heart of Oprah’s mansion, a place where her friends can congregate and kιck back. The TV legend had the fireplace and pizza oven removed to free up more space, but left everything else as it was.
All in all the mansion boasts several living rooms, a library, kitchen, two home theatres, a wine cellar, an office, six bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Seen here on New Year’s Eve 2021, Oprah posted a video to her Instagram showing another glimpse of her fabulous dining table topped with Haitian food cooked by chef, Gregory Gourdet.
For Winfrey’s 2022 New Year’s Day brunch she posted another video walking from her beautifully revamped dining room through to a bright and airy sun room, brimming with large potted plants and awash with shutter-styled walls. Tables were laden with fresh fruit, pastries and tasty buns.
As you can imagine, celebrities love a walk-in wardrobe and Oprah is no different. With regular TV appearances and public appearances for her charity work and many business ventures, the media mogul needs to look the part. This smart room with fitted cabinets is where she stores her extensive clothing collection and she regularly shares videos with her followers while she’s packing for one of her many trips around the world.
Oprah’s renowned love of books makes itself felt in almost every room of the house, including her beautiful study. In addition to the sprawling neo-Georgian mansion, Oprah’s estate comprises orchards, a koi pond, tennis courts, a pool and pool house, as well as a two-bedroom Craftsman-style guest house spanning 4,000 square feet.