mother nature

Taking inspiration from her own childhood memories, Jennifer Garner crafts a cozy California home and garden where she and her family can put down roots

- ARIEL FOXMAN

Of her new home, Jennifer Garner notes, "I wanted it to feel old and cool and historic, but I also wanted to make it work for a big family with a lot of things going on." The actor, who reprised the role of Elektra in this past summer's Deadpool & Wolverine, will start shooting the second season of the Apple TV+ series The Last Thing He Told Me later this year.

Nestled in LA's sun-dappled hills, the resulting retreat is a dexterous blend of farmhouse charm and contemporary comfort, one that prioritizes togetherness, usefulness, and down-to-earth living-the kind of place that can handle muddy feet and impromptu dance parties in the living room.

It's a thoughtfully designed haven that defies Hollywood stereotypes-just like Garner herself, who in addition to her acting work, serves on the board of Save the Children and is a cofounder of Once Upon a Farm, a company that makes organic, farm-fresh snacks and meals for babies and kids.

Garner's search for the perfect place began more than five years ago. "I realized that I was going to need to move out of a dream house kind of scenario," she says. "I looked and looked for a house to move into, but I needed privacy, and any house that had privacy was more grand than I felt comfortable in."

This challenge led her to consider crafting something from scratch. "I was frustrated, but finally said, Okay, I think I'm going to have to build and found this lot." She then enlisted the now Tennessee-based husband-and-wife architect and interior designer duo Steve and Brooke Giannetti, with whom she had worked before on previous projects. (Designer Laura Putnam also collaborated on the project.)