Oprah Winfrey is known as the most successful and famous public figure in modern history. Although she’s very famous on social media still her huge mansion is not shown to the world until now. She likes to keep her privacy; that’s why many people don’t know about her mansion in southern California.
Read Next Here information about her home which was obtained by reporters.
Small screen queen
Oprah Winfrey is not only famous on social media but also a great influencer. It will be the biggest understatement if you say that you don’t know this great woman. She appears very much on television on some channels.
She has made an empire of her own for the last five decades. You might wonder where this great woman with such a huge empire lives; of course, it’s natural to think about this when you see someone this much success. She is worth $3.1 billion at the moment. You might want to look at her home and see where and how she lives. So here we are giving you a little sneak peek into her huge mansion.
A gorgeous getaway
It’s not a big surprise to hear that Oprah lives in the wealthiest communities of United States. This community is called Montecito, which is located in the Southern California city of Santa Barbara. This city is surrounded by Santa Ynez Mountains and the shores of Pacific Ocean.
This area is very famous, even the tourism sites of Santa Barbara gives the visitors many warning that doesn’t overreact or freak out when you pass through her area and see her gigantic mansion. Many people freak out when they see an incredibly famous person’s house; it’s very common still they give warnings to avoid this behavior. But the real question arises that why Oprah chose this neighborhood to live in, so let’s move onto that.
A chance encounter
Oprah’s wealth comes as the perfect peak of her charm, intelligence, persistent determination, and organized career choices. When she came to Montecito for the first time, she wasn’t planning any of this; she was doing well in her way is a real estate powerful person. But she wasn’t sure of her dream house, that what kind of house it will be.
Soon it was resolved when she went to a party in 2001 purely by chance. That party was held in the grounds of a gorgeous mansion. Oprah was completely lost in the beauty of this place, and the owners couldn’t even imagine what would happen next.
Oprah’s offer
After visiting that mansion, she knew what her dream house would look like. But the house wasn’t on sale; it belonged to aeronautical equipment manufacturing giant, Robert Veloz and his wife, Marlene. They were living in the recently rebuilt stone gatehouse of 2000 square feet.
But Oprah was so determined to buy this mansion; she offered $52 million checks to the couple, which was not easy to reject at all. She made another record of executing one of the biggest sales of a private home not just in California, but the entire nation.
Fit for a queen
This house was completely suitable for a person like Oprah. The grounds of Montecito estate were first built in 1912, but many changes and renovations were made for the past few centuries. The entire complex covers 23,000 feet. The ground has breathtaking views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
The recent look of the mansion was completed in 1959, and it is worth $88 million in today’s market. It has a total of 6 bedrooms and 14 washrooms plus ten fireplaces in its hallowed halls. The house had additional rooms which could be turned into a theatre and a wine cellar. This was soon to be hers.
Home at last
Robert Veloz and his wife finally agreed to sell their house to Oprah. This mansion was hers now, and it was the most incredible thing for her. Now she had to make changes to make it feel like home.
Oprah realized that the mansion needed a name, while she was strolling with her friend Bob Greene, a fitness guru. She thought of the name, Tara II because it reminded her of Gone with the Wind. But her friend refused.
Keeping perspective
Bob Greene wanted to remind Oprah to put things in perspective under the bigger picture of this bright moment. Oprah was an African American woman who was born into poverty in Mississippi; she was able to own all this marked a historic moment.
Oprah was never shy about discussing her difficult life before she became a real estate tycoon. She was born to a single mother and raised by her grandmother in the Jim Crow era Mississippi. Her family was in such crisis that she even had to wear potato sacks as dresses.
Bob had an idea for her mansion’s name.
Searching for inspiration
After much thinking, Bob told her to read the Bible that will be her inspiration. He found a name ‘Promise Land,’ and Oprah knew that no name could be better than this. So it became the identity of her new palace.
After having her dream home, she had to make preparations to make it according to her liking. She made new changes and did massive projects. She wanted to decorate it in her very own style.
For starters, there’s the library which was filled with a massive collection of books for this champion literature. But there’s more now.
Fabulous foyer
This was the main entrance hall of Oprah’s mansion which was named as the foyer. There was an elegant white stair case which curves up through creamy yellow walls.
The entrance of the hallway was full of photographs of her friends and loved ones on tables, which stands out the most. Many things were found that were really common, might find in anyone’s home. Even after a lot of wealth and status, she’s still a human. But the rest of the house is no less than a queen’s house.
Cooking up a storm
That’s obvious to have a well organized, well arranged, and spacious kitchen in this house. But the kitchen was much more than that. After moving in this Promised Land, she realized that the art of the kitchen has its very own fireplace.
Having a fireplace is a pretty good idea, but Oprah wanted to remove it because many of her guests, mostly friends, go directly to the kitchen. She didn’t dislike the fireplace, but she wanted to have more space. The upcoming rooms of her mansion hardly lack for space.
Reading room
So, there was a reading room in her mansion, whose every corner was made after much thinking. There was a large doll at one of the couches. Oprah grew up with poverty, and she didn’t have money to buy toys. Moreover, no toys reflected her skin color, so this doll represents progress, both personally and as a society.
Oprah always wished to engage her fans into reading; that’s why she opened up a club called Oprah’s Book Club. The back wall of it was full of Oprah’s impressive collection. There’s more to admire.
Welcome to the promised land
It’s natural to have a place for her guests to stay, and it wouldn’t be any less than the rest of the house. There were extraordinary arrangements for the guests; if you get invited by the queen of television, you can guess how lavish it would.
The shelves of the rooms were full of bouquets of fresh flowers, which added fragrance to the rooms. There were soft lilac and lavender tones, furniture, and decorations. There was even a fireplace for brutal winters in California.
A meal with Oprah
You will notice many candelabras hanging above the table and ceiling. This will surely take you back to Beauty and the Beast. The wood table of the dining room has been polished with love that it looks like the glassy ocean
reflecting the sky.
Checkered for success
The most amazing thing in Oprah’s house is that each room appears to be absolutely different from the other. Every room has its own specific color and furniture that adds beauty to the whole mansion.
The famous green striped couch has since been sold along with plush pillows and daisies. The entire set was priced $3000 at the auction. And there’s not only living room to be explored in this Promise Land.
Care for a cuppa?
The purpose of Oprah’s tea room is originally very different. It was first built as the space for the garden staff to cut off and arrange flowers. But then Oprah decided that it should be a place to relax with a nice cup of tea.
The tea house is such a way that it completely lacks the distraction. There’s no television in there, nor any digital device meant for amusements. This is the place where you can unburden yourself with electronic accessories and sit
quietly and relax.
Space to relax?
This is another living room in Oprah’s Montecito mansion. This room is a little bit crowded, and everywhere you look, there are various objects like candelabra, pictures, a mirror, and a piece of furniture.
With such a gigantic amount of space at her Promised Land, Oprah has plenty of things to mix up. She can play with her design dreams in her place and keep everything in flux.
Wisteria dreams
Outside the tearoom, there is an entryway to the gardens that are occupying most of the space of Oprah’s mansion. There is a sweet smell of purple wisteria and a small copper fountain. The entire entrance is surrounded by multiple flowers like lilies, roses, dahlias, daffodils, and many more. Just like a dreamy entryway.
Oprah is proud of her new touch-ups that she gave the mansion. She says that whenever she droves away from home and look back, it reminds her The Wizard of Oz.
A sneak peek
This is the personal closet of Oprah. It is amazing to see how excellently color-coded all of her clothes are arranged in her cabinets. But this is just a glimpse of her closet.
She has her own mall of shoes. There are all variety of shoes set in her closet. Plus it’s big enough to decorate it as it a public room of the house. There is a number of vases filled with freshly cut flowers.
Penny for your thoughts
Andrew Walker and David Simmons are the two best designers who are responsible for many decorations in Oprah’s Promise Land. They were the real masterminds of the guesthouse. The central room of the house is, of course, the enormous penny on the wall, and the rest of the colors follow its cue.
The designers found an extraordinary statue of Lincoln’s head at an antique sale in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is not really far from where Oprah herself grew up.
The outer of the house is as much important as the interior; the enormous gardens have huge space to utilize
‘Hallelujah’ lane
Oprah has a strong religious core, and she has Biblical theme of the Promised Land that’s why she names one of her main pathways in the lush garden as Hallelujah Lane. There is a white Greco Roman statue which is placed inside a quiet nook framed by wrought iron arches.
Sombreuil roses weave their way through the arches, and smaller iceberg roses flank themselves on the statue. There are white hydrangea bushes surrounding everything. That is placed intentionally to pay tribute to Oprah’s grandmother, who actually raised her and had similar flowers outside their home in Mississippi. Anyways, this isn’t the only installment on her sprawling grounds.
Coming Up with a Name
First, Oprah was looking for a name for her new mansion. The first name she came up with was Tara II due to how it was reminiscence to Gone With the Wind. However, after giving it some thoughts, her friend Bob Greene believed that such a name won’t do any justice to Oprah’s amazing property.
He tried to come up with some ideas, and after looking for inspiration from the Bible, Greene finally came up with a name. He suggested “Promised Land” as the fitting name to Oprah’s property. Unsurprisingly, the name instantly resonated with her due to how it fits the overall theme of her new property. Therefore, she took that suggestion from Greene and decided to call her new mansion “Promised Land”.
Finally Home
Oprah finally had her new mansion. However, there were still quite a few things lacking. The next thing she has to do is to launch a massive project that will let her design and personalize her own house based on her own style. To make that project a reality, she had to work with various professionals who are known in the field of design.
For that, she worked with designers Andrew Walker and David Simmons who were to ones who took care of the mansion’s interior decoration. The entire designing project took quite a while to finish considering the massive size of Oprah’s property. However, once it’s all done, her mansion was finally transformed into the one she’s been dreaming of.
Twelve Oak Trees
Outside Oprah’s garden, you can see twelve oaks trees that have their wriggling branches extending up into the sky. These oak trees are fairly massive, and all twelve of them have a special meaning. According to Oprah, the idea of having twelve oaks in her garden can be linked to Gone with the wind. However, she also pointed out that they actually have a different meaning.
Oprah christened all twelve oak trees as her Twelve Apostles. She mentioned that having these twelve oak trees in her yard provides her with a sense of inner peace. In fact, she often references these trees on her Instagram, and she even considers them as one of her most favorite features throughout her mansion.
Peace and Tranquility
Oprah’s mansion is vast, so vast that there are tons of things, either man-made or natural, that you can find when you take a tour around it. In fact, Oprah shared that she can even go for weeks at times without watching TV, just finding herself enjoying the vast space that her mansion has to offer.
She also recalled that there are times when she just drifts into silent dreaming even while still awake while she’s just simply sitting on her porch while reading one of her books. There’s just a lot of things to look at. Oprah even claimed that she can go the entire summer without turning on her television at all.
Seamair Farm
Shortly after Oprah moved into her new property, she immediately befriended her next-door neighbor. It didn’t take long for her to get acquainted with them, and finally, they became close friends. Unfortunately, her neighbor passed away sometime back in 2016. Meanwhile, the family of the neighbor was hoping that Oprah would assume the property that was left behind, and that’s exactly what she did.
The property, which was known as the Seamair Farm, cost Oprah around $28.9 million dollars and acted as an expansion to her own. The property had a unique layout compared to Oprah’s Promised Land, and by adding it into her own, she was able to further expand hers and even added a unique touch into it.
Wonderful Fishing Spot
Seamair Farm was designed by architect Cliff May who is known for designing more than 18,000 ranches and 1,000 custom residences. He’s also best known for creating the concept of the California Dream Home. Now, with Oprah’s acquisition of the Seamair Farm, that only means she’s able to have one of May’s creations in her own property.
Seamair Farm is actually a vast property that covers up to a total of 23 acres. It’s a mid-century beauty that comes with four baths and five bedrooms. It also comes with other amenities like a fish pond teeming with Japanese koi, an avocado grove, and a fruit tree orchard.
Due to the property being a farm, it sure is a nice addition to Oprah’s own property since hers don’t have any farm at all.
Amazing Ranch
Apart from its wonderful fishing spot, Seamair Farm also has a wide equestrian area which was previously used as a horse track back in the days. In other words, it also contains a well-maintained riding course alongside several stables for horses. With Oprah’s acquisition of this property, it had given her a chance to let her collective design imagination go wild once again.
The entire area is so vast that if you go for a horse ride, you won’t see any neighbors at all. However, it still pales in comparison to the spacious property that Oprah has, but it’s still very large nonetheless. Aside from the stables and the riding course, this new property also features two natural wells which will play an important role in Oprah’s life sometime soon.
A Bountiful Harvest
Oprah is proud to show everyone her fondness of her vegetable garden. She even shared how much she loves tending to her own garden and even growing her own produce. This means that she’s able to enjoy a bountiful harvest every now and then.
However, things weren’t always as smooth. With the occurrence of the statewide water shortage throughout California, Oprah is faced with a major problem – the lack of water. There is where the two wells that come with the Seamair Farm enters the picture. Thanks to these wells, she was able to continue growing her own produce during droughts. However, since the water supply isn’t unlimited, she had to cut down her water usage in half.
Even though the drought ended, there were still some issues in the area.
A Muddy Disaster
Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, devastating mudslides have befallen Montecito back in January 2018. Oprah recalled waking up at 3:47 AM that day due to the loud barking of her dog, only to find out that red, fiery sky over the Santa Ynez Mountains.
That was when the mudslides occur, resulting in massive damage across various homes throughout the area. Nearby homes were greatly damaged, and the mud entered into her property and even ventured as far as Highway 101. Unable to leave, Oprah decided to call a friend who is another Montecito resident.
The extent of the mudslide was huge, with most houses completely destroyed. Oprah was quite fortunate that her property wasn’t affected that much compared to the rest of the area.
A Call with Ellen
As it turns out, that friend was none other than Ellen DeGeneres who also happens to be a resident of Montecito. Oprah decided to call Elen via FaceTime while she’s still on her show to allow viewers to have a personal look at the extent of damage caused by the mudslides. Aside from that, Oprah also used that opportunity to praise and recognize the help and efforts by the firefighters and rescue teams who responded to the scene.
Oprah was lucky enough that her property only suffered from minimal damage compared to the other houses. Aside from that, she also has other houses she can temporarily live in while cleanup is still underway. During that time, all water mains and gas valves were shut off.
Mountain Lodging
Oprah actually has several properties which she has purchased over the last few decades. One of them is the beautiful mountain lodging that’s located in Mountain Village on Telluride, Colorado. It’s a 60-acre property she purchased for $11 million. It includes a fitness room, five bedrooms, six and a half baths, a home theater, and more. It’s also installed with smart home technology for further convenience.
Aside from that, she also owns an apartment in Chicago, a tropical vacation home in Maui, Hawaii and Antigua in the Caribbeans, and a home in New Jersey. There’s also a wood cabin in Orcas Island’s rainforest which she purchased for $8.2 million. Despite all those riches, Oprah is quite charitable, donating over $40 million through the Oprah Winfrey Foundation.
Cozy Ranch House in Hawaii
Oprah’s fascination for Maui is so great that she decided to purchase more than 60 acres of land on the island, and that includes this small yet historic Thompson Ranch that’s located near Keokea. She actually thought about tearing down the property apart back then but fortunately decided not to.
Another reason why she bought land in Hawaii is because her property manager, Bob Greene, advised her to do so. After buying the property, she then called her Hawaiian designer and architect to start the renovation project of the said property. It’s for that reason why the property is now a marvelous 21st-century farmhouse.
She actually made that decision after she saw a picture of her designer’s Connecticut home on a magazine’s cover.
$8 Million Compound in Orcas Island
Another property included in Oprah’s real estate portfolio is this luxury home located on Orcas Land in Washington. It’s basically a private luxury compound that was built back in 2007 and is sitting on over 40 acres of land. Oprah brought the entire property, which was known as the Madroneagle Estate, for $8 million.
The property’s main house features three bathrooms, four bedrooms, and a powder room. From there, Oprah can get to enjoy the wonderful sunset along the west-facing shoreline. Meanwhile, the kitchen room features a huge center island, skylights, as well as a built-in pizza oven. On the upstairs family room, you can find a shuffleboard table and pool for entertainment. The entire property is also complete with a gym and yoga studio, a woodworking studio, as well as a tea house.
Real Estate in Chicago
Apart from the previously mentioned property, Oprah also used to own several real estates through Chicago. After all, she was based in the city back then. In 2018, she decided to sell off her remaining Chicago property for $375,000. This was a 2,250-square-foot house that is located in Elmwood Park. This property was built back in 1941 and comes with two wood-burning fireplaces, a formal dining room, two bathrooms, and recessed lighting.
Oprah also has other properties in the Chicago area such as the 9,625-square-foot duplex in Water Tower Place which she sold for $4.625 million back in 2015 and the 4,607 square foot co-op unit in Gold Coast for $2.75 million. The coop-unit she owned composed of eight rooms and was never occupied.
A Condo in Fisher Island
Oprah also used to own a condo in Fisher Island, Island. According to Sun-Sentinel, the place can be described as somewhere the peacocks can roam freely, and so can the movie stars, millionaires, and moguls. All in all, the condo covers a total area of 1,838 square feet and comes with 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms. Apart from those, it also features two parking spaces, a balcony, custom wood built-ins, and high ceilings. You can also get to enjoy an inviting layout as well as a luxurious tropical living experience.
According to reports, Oprah bought the property for $660,000 back in 1996. However, after years of living in the area, Oprah decided to put it up for sale back in 2008 for $2 million.
Indiana Farm
Oprah also had a farm in Indiana which she used to own back in 1988 and decided to sell it later in 2004. The farm was undoubtedly huge and comes with a ton of amenities like a swimming pool, tennis court, a cabin, a private orchard, and many more. The property was her weekend retreat from Chicago, and it was visited by a lot of famous figures over the years. In 2003, she listed the property for $8.5 million.
More and More Houses
Oprah actually purchased and own lots of houses and properties throughout her career. Apart from the properties we’ve covered, she also has a property in New Jersey which is worth $68 million, a tropical vacation home that’s located on the island of Antigua in the Caribbeans, and a wood cabin in the Orcas Island worth $8.2 million.
Home is Where the Heart Is
Even though Oprah has purchased several properties over the past decades, we must not forget just how charitable she is. In fact, she’s already donated more than $40 million through her own organization which is the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. As of now, Oprah remains the most charitable celebrity to date.