Hugh Hefner and his wife, Kimberley, have sold their personal residence, just a hop away from the Playboy Mansion next door in the Holmby Hills section of L.A., for $18 million. The buyer is Daren Metropoulos, a 25-year-old entrepreneur who will be moving from Beverly Hills.

The son of equity investor C. Dean Metropoulos, he originally intended to purchase the estate for the value of its 2.3 acres but now plans to keep the 7,300-square-foot English Manor-style house. The two-story home, built in 1929, has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms and sits behind gates on a flat site that backs up to the Los Angeles Country Club.

There is a formal living room, a dining room, a library, his-and-her powder rooms and a media room with a film projector and a screen that drops from the ceiling. Interior treatments include maple paneling, leaded-glass windows and a hand-carved staircase. The master suite overlooks the gardens, grounds and pool.

Metropoulos, who has worked with his father and older brother Evan from a young age helping reinvigorate such household brands as Chef Boyardee and Bumble Bee tuna, is a fan of muscle cars. The property includes a large motor court and a three-car garage.

Holmby Hills was conceived as a development of exclusive estates by Broadway department store founder Arthur Letts. The Hefner residence was designed by Arthur R. Kelly for the sister of Arthur Letts Jr., the original owner of the Playboy Mansion. It had been listed since early March at $27,995,000.

The Hefners bought the property in 1996 for an undisclosed sum. It was priced then at $17.25 million.

STEVIE WONDER SELLS

IN LOS FELIZ SECTION

A home owned by singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder in the Los Feliz section of L.A. has sold for $2,407,000.

The 4,511-square-foot house, described as Mission-style with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, was built in 1928. A tiki room on the bottom level of the two-story home leads to a pool with a large yard, gated parking and a one-bedroom guesthouse. There are city views, and arched windows look out onto the less-than-half-acre of grounds.

Public records show Wonder is the owner of about a dozen residential and commercial properties in the Los Angeles area.

ACTOR SELLING HOME

HE JUST HAD REMODELED

Actor Barry Miller's wood, stone and glass retreat in the Hollywood Hills is for sale at $2,125,000.

The 1963 home, which underwent a down-to-the-studs remodel by architect Robert Kerr that was completed this year, has a courtyard entry with a fountain, hand-distressed walnut floors and a dramatic two-story wall of glass in the stairwell that overlooks trees and a stream.

The window configurations identify the home as Kerr's design, Miller said. ``It's kind of a motif the way his windows are shaped.''

There are three bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms. Oversize French doors open to a deck.

The actor purchased the two-story home from The King of Queens creator David Litt in March for $1.95 million and had been making the home his own with custom changes to the exterior, kitchen, bathrooms and lighting, among other alterations.

``I sanded off some of the rougher edges,'' Miller said. He used more earth tones inside and out to blend with the setting of the home, which is surrounded by oak trees and ``has browns, olives and green all around it.''

Miller is selling the house because he is considering relocating back to the East Coast to work on a play.

``It's an actor's life,'' Miller said. ``One minute you are living one sort of life here, and then fate steps in. I had every intention of living in the house.''

ACTRESS LISTS BEL-AIR

HOME FOR $5.4 MILLION

Actress Pamela Bowen has listed her Bel-Air home at $5,495,000.

The five-bedroom, 5 ½-bathroom traditional house, with 4,307 square feet of living space, sits on a knoll and was built in 1952. It has a pool, a guesthouse and 180-degree views extending from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean.

The gated house was purchased in 2003 for $2,435,000.

Bowen is the ex-wife of KISS front man Paul Stanley.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@