âBig Little Liesâ houses: Tracking down the Monterey Fiveâs stunning California homes
âBig Little Liesâ houses: Tracking down the Monterey Fiveâs stunning California homes
With an onslaught of non-stop drama, a slew of Hollywood heavyweights, and an abundance of breathtaking filming locations, HBOâs Big Little Lies was always destined to be a raving success.
Luckily, the two-seasons drama based on Liane Moriartyâs 2014 smash-hit book of the same name certainly didnât disappoint.
It did, however, switch up the location of the action basing the Monterey five in California instead of Australia like in the book.
And, though Iâll never stop dreaming of how this show and the breathtaking beachfront homes couldâve looked down under, I canât say we werenât totally spoiled getting a glimpse inside the California-based houses they did use!
Ready to take a closer look at the most beautiful bayside homes on TV? Keep on scrolling. Weâve done a big little bit of digging to find out all there is to know.
Episode 1. Somebodyâs DeadâŠ
First thingâs first, if youâve yet to catch the series (where were you? Itâs been five years!), let me fill you in.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoë Kravitz, Big Little Lies tells the intertwining lives of five very different women with two very big things in common.
One, they all have young children at the same private school.
Two⊠they all witnessed a murder! Immediately the questions start rolling in, who died? Who killed them? Will they ever be found out?
And what on earth do these women and their partners do for a living to afford these multi-million-dollar Monterey mansions?! Letâs start by finding out all we can about that picturesque oceanside locale.
Where Is Monterey?
With so many TV towns turning out to be fictional (Stars Hollow, Madre Linda, Virgin River) youâre probably wondering if Monterey is even real and if so, was Big Little Lies genuinely filmed there?
Iâm happy to say â the answer is yes to both!
This very real place is located roughly two hours from San Francisco on the central coast of California and, alongside some other picture-perfect spots, it was used for plenty of memorable scenes in the show.Â
Discovering Monterey
In an interview with Vulture.com, Oscar-nominated director Jean-Marc Vallée (who sadly passed away last year) explained how he favored the area mainly due to its symbolically volatile coastline.
He described it as âangry and violentâ and a âforce of humanityâ, the perfect setting for this unpredictable whirlwind of a drama!
Meanwhile, it was writer/producer David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Nine Perfect Strangers) who initially chose Monterey and, alongside veteran locations manager Gregory Alpert, was responsible for scouting out the final shooting locations.
He selected this particular town not only because itâs undeniably beautiful but also because of its wonderfully mixed demographic.
Itâs believable that these five women with varied socio-economic statuses could all feasibly live there.
The picture-perfect houses in âBig Little Liesâ
Although a fair amount of scenes were filmed in and around Monterey, only one of the womenâs houses is truly located thereâŠ
Celesteâs House
According to Gregory Alpert, the only house actually situated in the Monterey area belongs to Celeste and Perry (Nicole Kidman & Alexander SkarsgÄrd).
This interior designerâs dream of a home is a rental property located in Carmel, a particularly wealthy part of Monterey.
Some of the interiors can be seen in the show, like the deck and dining area where a coat of blue paint was used to add warmth to the neutral walls.
Meanwhile, as reported by scenetherapy.com, the bedroom, bathroom, and studio-apartment-sized walk-in closet were constructed on a sound stage and used green screens to create those spectacular ocean views.
Madelineâs House
Gourmet chefâs kitchen? Check. Two master suites? Check. A sprawling ocean view patio complete with an outdoor fireplace and a private beach secluded by a white picket fence? Check!
Yes, Madelineâs home is what I call âthe dreamâ, except itâs completely and utterly real.
Located in Malibu, not Monterey, the 7 bedroom 8 bathroom mansion (which also boasts an 80-foot beach lot) is arguably the most enviable on the show.
Unsurprisingly, Zillow estimates the market value of this home at just over 9 million dollars. If thatâs a little (a lot) outside of your price range, maybe renting is an option!
The Cape Cod-style estate is available to rent with prices ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per night.Â
Thinking youâve seen Madelineâs house somewhere before? It was also used for Hannah Montana!
Renataâs House
Also located in Malibu, is Renataâs seriously enviable hilltop home on Winding Way.
Oozing luxury with its epic ocean views, gigantic pool, and sweeping white concrete staircase, this home would set you back a whopping 13.7 million dollars!
Owing to the breathtaking architecture and grandeur of the interiors, itâs become a wildly popular filming location for other productions too.
According to The New York Times, the Big Little Lies house has also been featured in countless television ads, as well as television series like  90210, Revenge, and Brothers & Sisters.
Janeâs House
If your real estate tastes are a little more modest, perhaps youâre most interested in Janeâs grounded family home.
This cute craftsman-style bungalow can be found at 161 North Chester Avenue, a quaint tree-lined street in Pasadena.
But, whilst it might look like a pretty inexpensive three-bed home, donât be fooled! Realtor.com values the property to be worth around $900,000!
Interestingly, only the outside scenes were shot here, mainly making use of the large front porch. Much like Celesteâs home, the interiors for Jane and Ziggyâs place were built on a soundstage.
Bonnieâs House
In comparison to the other ladiesâ houses, not including Janeâs, Bonnieâs earthy, woodland-inspired residence is relatively affordable.
Oh, and itâs real too!
Youâll find the quirky 4 bed 3 bath eco-style home at 636 Crater Camp Road in Calabasas and, though itâs not currently on the market, Redfin.com estimate the value of the home is close to three million dollars.
Eagle-eyed real estate watchers might also have noticed that Bonnieâs house in Big Little Lies is the very same house used in Felix Van Groeningenâs BAFTA-nominated biographical drama, Beautiful Boy starring TimothĂ©e Chalamet and Steve Carell.
More Reasons Youâll Want To Visit (Live in) Monterey
Aside from walking in the footsteps of your favorite Hollywood stars, there are plenty of reasons to visit Monterey if you can. Most notably, the swoon-worthy filming locations utilized in the show!
The Monterey Bay Aquarium
Arguably their biggest claim to fame before Big Little Lies aired, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where Jane works in season 2, is world-renowned!
Bixby Bridge
If youâre willing to take a short drive during your visit, youâll find the breathtaking Bixby bridge, seen in the shows opening credits, just 18 miles south in Big Sur.Â
Blissful Drip Café
Unfortunately, Blissful Drip Café where the ladies frequently meet for coffee in season 2 was built specifically for the show and removed afterward.
However, according to afar.com, the set and plans for how to re-construct it were donated to the city when production wrapped. As of today, itâs sadly still not there but the beautiful Lovers Point Park where those cafĂ© scenes were filmed is always open to visitors.Â
Oh, and if youâre thinking of heading to Blue Blues cafĂ© from season one instead, Iâm afraid that dreamy hang-out spot was built on a sound stage at Culver Studios and used a digital background for those picture-perfect waterside vistas.
However, if you fancy a coffee by the sea next time youâre in Monterey, all is not lost.
You can always head to Paluca Trattoria, the Monterey restaurant that served as inspiration for our fave fiveâs go-to meeting point.
If all this has made you hungry for a third installment of oceanside antics, youâre certainly not alone and you may also be in luck.
While thereâs no plan currently to continue the story, many of the showâs leads have expressed that theyâd be up for filming another series. It also seems that HBO hasnât ruled it out either so hereâs hoping!
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