How Cher’s design-forward home hides the chaos of real life—and how you can do it too

Cher’s Malibu villa looks like a fantasy—arched loggias, carved stone, ocean everywhere—but what makes it livable is how the structure carries the drama so daily life can stay simple. She built a timeless envelope (stone, plaster, classic proportions) and layered rich textures inside, which means a stray bag on a chair doesn’t kill the mood.

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Let architecture do the heavy lifting

The villa leans Italian Renaissance—symmetry, rhythm, and natural materials. In a normal house, you echo that with a handful of moves: align furniture to a centerline, repeat an arch shape (mirror, lamp, doorway), and use one honest material everywhere you can—wood, linen, or stone. When the envelope is calm and classic, décor becomes optional instead of a daily performance.

Choose weighty textures that age well

Cher’s spaces rely on tactile finishes—travertine, marble, carved doors, raw silk walls—so the rooms look finished even when nothing “decorative” is out. Obviously you’re not importing marble, but you can bring the same feel with a stone tray, a heavy linen tablecloth, or a plaster-look paint on a single wall. The goal is depth, not clutter.

Frame views and control light

Part of the calm is how every room points to a view and manages glare. If you’re not on a bluff over the Pacific, steal the logic: decide what the focal point is (window, art, mirror), face seating toward it, and use lined drapery or woven shades to soften light. Your room will feel more expensive instantly because the light feels intentional.

Hide the “life” in beautiful containers

Even Cher needs storage. The difference is scale and finish—armoires, carved chests, built-ins—so function looks like part of the design. At home, skip flimsy baskets and pick fewer, heavier containers that match your furniture wood tone or wall color. When storage blends with architecture, visual noise disappears.

You can’t copy the square footage, but you can copy the rhythm: classic envelope, tactile finishes, controlled light, and storage that looks like furniture. That’s how a very real life hides in a house that photographs like a dream.