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Nasty Gal Founder Sophia Amoruso Lists Chic 1950s LA Home for $9.2 Million
Sophia Amoruso just offered one if you’ve ever wished you could purchase a real piece of Hollywood history. It’s not just another designer flip when the founder of Nasty Gal lists her mid-century property in the Hollywood Hills for sale. Situated on over an acre of uncommon, level land in Los Angeles, this architectural jewel from the 1950s has been purposefully restored. They’re demanding $9.2 million.
Although I am aware that postings such as this one are common in Los Angeles, Amoruso’s house has something that most don’t: a backstory. There is more to this than square space or opulent finishes, as evidenced by the previous owner, a Hollywood cosmetics icon, and the careful makeover done by architect Barbara Bestor. It’s about taste, legacy, and how a home can capture a person’s whole life.
This listing is perfect for anyone who follows Amoruso’s career, appreciates mid-century architecture, or simply keeps up with LA’s crazy real estate market. However, there is more to the story than meets the eye, and we will examine it here.
Would you ever want to live in a house with such a Hollywood history? Let’s discuss in the comments section.
Fast Facts About the $9.2 Million Hollywood Hills Home
Let’s dissect this. Amoruso’s house is situated in the Hollywood Hills, on a level bluff, which is uncommon in Los Angeles, according to Mansion Global. You and I both know that the property’s approximately one-acre size adds significant value, particularly in a city where land is crucial.
The house has a single-story living area of 3,100 square feet. It has a large indoor-outdoor flow, an open-concept kitchen, three bedrooms, and four bathrooms. You have light-filled rooms that flow into private patios, sliding doors, and glass from floor to ceiling. Even a saltwater pool, an infrared sauna, a two-car garage, and views of the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles are available.
If you’re like me, you’re immediately attracted when you hear the words Hollywood Hills, mid-century, and flat lot. It’s not a flamboyant mansion with enormous chandeliers. It’s subtle luxury that holds up beautifully over time.
Sophia Amoruso s Journey from Nasty Gal to Now
Sophia Amoruso is most likely someone you know from Girlboss on Netflix or from the rise of Nasty Gal. The important thing to remember in this situation is that she didn’t just show up at this house with influencer money. Before turning forty, she created an empire, lost everything, and then rebuilt herself.
In 2006, she began selling antique clothing from her bedroom on eBay under the name Nasty Gal. The company’s annual sales reached $100 million by 2012. She paid $2.775 million for this home that same year. Her book #GIRLBOSS became a success, and she was listed among Forbes’ richest self-made women.
However, in 2016, Nasty Gal declared bankruptcy. Sophia might have vanished. Rather, she turned around. She currently manages Trust Fund, a venture financing company that focuses on early-stage entrepreneurs. The sale of this house marks the end of a chapter in a city that influenced her, not merely a real estate transaction.
If you’ve ever experienced a significant change in your work or in your life, you understand what it’s like to leave a home that has been a part of your development. This goes beyond a simple transaction. It’s a release.
The Historic Legacy Behind This Mid-Century LA Home
I was blown away by this part. Maurice Seiderman, a Hollywood makeup artist best known for aging Orson Welles in Citizen Kane, had the house built for him first. From the 1930s to the 1960s, he produced a variety of pictures, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Jane Eyre.
It also gets more profound. Clyde Grimes was hired by Seiderman to design the home. You ought to know his name even if you don’t. Grimes was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II in addition to being an architect. Later, under Governor Jerry Brown, he was appointed California’s first Black Deputy State Architect.
You are not simply entering a trendy listing when you enter this house. You are entering a legacy that was created by two men who made significant contributions to American history. How many houses on Zillow can honestly say that?
Inside the Restoration: Design Meets Authenticity
The house had not been occupied since the 1950s when Sophia purchased it. The majority of people would have demolished it or stripped it to sell. However, she didn’t. To reinvent it without sacrificing its essence, she enlisted the help of Commune Design and Barbara Bestor, two titans of LA interior design and architecture.
The outcome? A modern update that is simple, minimalist, and timeless. In order to create an open-plan arrangement, the kitchen was enlarged. Although tiled, the flooring is not chilly. Somehow, the mirrored fireplace mantel doesn’t seem out of style. In keeping with its heritage, the cabinetry is made of light wood that is neutral and delicate.
Both of us have witnessed sterile makeovers damage mid-century properties. One of them isn’t this. When someone genuinely appreciates the original building while continuing to live in the real world, it looks like this.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s Manhattan apartment recently made headlines for selling for more than its asking price, if you’re interested in residences with interesting personal histories.
The Ultimate LA Lifestyle: Views, Privacy & Outdoor Living
This is the part where you have to release your breath. Because, let’s face it, purchasing a home in the Hollywood Hills entails more than just paying for flooring and bedrooms. This house provides the lifestyle they are paying for.
There is a sense of space that is uncommon in Los Angeles because Griffith Park borders you. The mansion is set up to frame the vistas that extend from downtown to the Pacific. All-day light is drawn in by floor-to-ceiling windows. Sliding glass doors open out to patios that feel like private escapes.
There s a saltwater pool, an al fresco dining area with a retractable awning, and enough greenery to forget you re even in a city. It’s not too much. It s not trying too hard. It s just peaceful, clean, and quietly luxurious.
If you ve ever looked around your apartment and thought, I need more sky, this is the kind of place you imagine escaping to.
In fact, a few real estate WhatsApp groups have already picked up on this listing the kind where people quietly track unique LA homes that blend privacy and soul. It s that type of buzzworthy architecture that stays in conversations long after the sale.
From Fixer to Dream Estate: The $2.7M to $9.2M Transformation
Let s talk numbers. Sophia bought the house back in 2012 for $2.775 million. A few months later, she grabbed the adjacent lot for $1.15 million, giving her nearly a full acre something you and I both know is almost unheard of in the Hollywood Hills.
But here s where it gets interesting: she didn t just sit on it. She poured in time, design, and taste not just cash to shape this into something rare. A fully restored mid-century property with historical weight, design credibility, and nearly panoramic views.
So yeah, the current $9.2 million asking price might seem steep on paper. But when you look at the lot, the design team, the neighborhood, and the story? It tracks. Especially in a market where new builds with zero soul are going for even more.
This wasn t a flip. This was a long play. And it shows.
What Sets This Listing Apart in LA s Competitive Market?
If you ve browsed high-end LA real estate, you ve seen how saturated it can get. Modern boxes, cold finishes, and rooftop decks with no context. But this house? It doesn t follow the trend it sets its own tone.
First, it s on aflat promontoryextremely rare in the Hills. That means more usable land, more privacy, and more flexibility. You re not dealing with steep driveways or cliff-side decks. You re living on actual ground.
Second, it s got aclear identity. Mid-century homes in LA are everywhere, but very few stay true to their era while being updated for how you actually live. This one does.
Third, it hassoul. You can feel it in the textures, the layout, the calmness. This home doesn t scream it speaks. And in a city that s often loud and showy, that s a rare luxury.
Interestingly,Tom Petty s Malibu estaterecently returned to market too proving that music legends and design-rich properties still draw strong attention.
Why Sophia Amoruso Might Be Moving On?
There s a more personal layer to this sale and if you ve ever built something during a defining moment in your life, you ll get it.
Sophia has been open about how much LA meant to her. In her Substack post, she wrote: The city that gave me legs. She s also mentioned on Instagram that she left LA nearly four years ago. So while this house was once her sanctuary, it hasn t been her day-to-day for a while now.
Selling it now feels like closing a chapter one filled with success, loss, reinvention, and rebuilding. And if you ve ever outgrown a home not because you stopped loving it, but because you became someone new you ll understand exactly why she s letting it go.
It s not just a real estate move. It s a release.
It s a similar energy toAdam Levine and Behati Prinsloo s Montecito listing, which blends design-forward living with quiet scale.
Who Might Buy This Home? A Look at the Likely Buyer
So let s play a game who do you think this home was made for?
If you ask me, the ideal buyer isn t someone chasing clout. It s someone creative. Someone who wants peace without leaving the city. Maybe a founder, maybe a filmmaker. Someone who gets the value of clean lines, natural light, and quiet privacy.
They ll want design that doesn t date. Views that don t get old. And a story behind their walls that s worth telling at dinner parties. This home isn t flashy. It s intentional. And that s what makes it powerful.
If you ve ever imagined living somewhere that feels like a reflection of where you are in life this is that kind of place.
Final Thoughts
Some homes are just about location. Others are about luxury. But once in a while, you come across a place that feels like a time capsule where history, design, and personal growth all collide.
Sophia Amoruso s Hollywood Hills home isn t just a listing. It s a reflection of a life lived boldly, built during a time of immense transformation both for her and the world around her.
If you had the chance to own a home with this kind of soul, would you take it? I d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Love stories like these? Dive deeper into more iconic homes and celebrity properties in ourReal Estate & Homeownershipcollection.
Disclaimer:Property details, pricing, and transaction history are accurate as per the public real estate records at the time of writing. Any personal insights or opinions expressed are for editorial purposes only. Final sale prices, timelines, and ownership may vary.
Table of Contents
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Fast Facts About the $9.2 Million Hollywood Hills Home
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Sophia Amoruso s Journey from Nasty Gal to Now
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The Historic Legacy Behind This Mid-Century LA Home
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Inside the Restoration: Design Meets Authenticity
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The Ultimate LA Lifestyle: Views, Privacy & Outdoor Living
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From Fixer to Dream Estate: The $2.7M to $9.2M Transformation
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What Sets This Listing Apart in LA s Competitive Market?
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Why Sophia Amoruso Might Be Moving On?
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Who Might Buy This Home? A Look at the Likely Buyer
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Final Thoughts
