Esquire’s ‘ultimate bachelor pad’ returns to L.A.

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Esquire magazine’s annual “ultimate bachelor pad” -- which alternates between New York City and Los Angeles each year -- recently opened its doors here for another round of invite-only charity events, and this time around, the ‘ultimate’ part is only slightly hyperbolic.

Perched on the Hollywood hillside, the six-bed, 6 1/2-bath, 8,600-square-foot property in Doheny Estates includes a two-story pool house (with a sound-proofed recording studio upstairs), a flight simulator, an indoor waterfall (that actually flows in front of a fireplace), a screening room (with a floor that rotates so guests can switch from watching 3-D television to gaming without leaving the overstuffed couches and chairs) and art work on the walls by the likes of Basquiat and Ed Ruscha.

As in past years (this is the eighth), each room is sponsored by a different Esquire advertiser (for example Hugo Boss lays claim to the dining room and great room that dominate the ground floor, and the floor-to-ceiling flight simulator comes courtesy of Lufthansa).

But the big change this time around has to do with the singular vision of Porta Bella’s Elaine Culotti, who oversaw the complete renovation of the home. “We took it down to the studs,” she said during a walk-through of the space earlier this month. Although the lithe blonde in a brown leather dress and leopard print heels is happily married, her explanation of the decor makes extensive reference to someone she calls ‘my bachelor.’ As in ‘My bachelor is an American who has traveled through Europe -- he’s sophisticated ... He’s a throw back to the ‘70s -- my bachelor likes exotic things.’

Culotti said that envisioning a specific (albeit imaginary) bachelor client allowed her to create a cohesive vision which she describes as ‘organic, and not too brassy ... My bachelor isn’t the kind of guy who is so shallow all he has in his apartment is a guitar and a casting couch.’

Based on Culotti’s tour, her bachelor also has a thing for walls and ceilings covered in snakeskin and ostrich textured naugahyde, linen and leather (‘Drywall is for apartments,’ notes Culotti); he cares little for guest bedrooms (‘My bachelor doesn’t have a lot of sleepovers unless they’re in the [Ferragamo-sponsored] master bedrooms,’ she says); and can never be too careful (there’s a hidden ‘safe room’ in the master bathroom complete with bullet-proof glass).

Also new this year are pieces from the first-ever Esquire Home collection -– which Culotti aptly summed up as ‘Ralph Lauren meets Restoration Hardware’ -- which decorate the home office. Among them are a patchwork rug and chairs with arm rests fashioned from strappy leather belts.

The first of four celebrity-studded charity events took place on Oct. 15 -- a benefit for the International Medical Corps hosted by Sienna Miller -- with events for Oceana, Oxfam America and City of Hope still to come.

If you don’t think your invitation to any of the above events is on its way (we’re pretty sure you’d know if it was) you can still take a virtual tour of this year’s bachelor pad by through a tab on Esquire’s Facebook page.

And yes, in case you were wondering, the property is for sale -- for $18.9 million . While that purchase price includes a lot of Esquire’s (and Culotti’s) sweat equity, it doesn’t include everything.

When we asked which improvements would come with the house, Culotti dismissed the question with a wave of her well-manicured hand. ‘Traditional leasehold law applies,’ she informed us.

While we may not be as smart as Culotti’s mythical bachelor, we think it’s safe to say the safe room stays, but the Basquiat does not.

-- Adam Tschorn

Top photo: Esquire’s ‘ultimate bachelor pad,’ which has returned to Los Angeles for 2010, includes a Hugo Boss sponsored great room.