Tour Sofía Vergara’s sumptuous home in Los Angeles

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Sofía Vergara’s palatial estate in the star-studded Los Angeles neighborhood Beverly Park evokes an old-world grandeur fit for royalty. But when selecting the space, the actor wanted to make sure guests felt comfortable there.

“I’m not afraid to spend money, but it has to be on something practical, not just things that are there to look good,” Vergara told Architectural Digest. “I didn’t want furniture that was so precious that people would be afraid to use it and enjoy it.”

Vergara, the “Modern Family” star who recently played notorious crime boss Griselda Blanco in the Netflix series of the same nameappears on the March cover of Architectural Digest, one of several celebrities who opened their doors to the magazine for its “Hollywood at Home” issue.

“AD began in Los Angeles more than 100 years ago, and the city and its architecture continue to delight and influence the design world, even today,” the magazine’s global editorial director, Amy Astley, said in a statement. “For this year’s ‘Hollywood at Home’ edition, we enter the private spaces of some of the industry’s most innovative talents.”

Vergara’s home is full of historic charm and opulent details: baroque armchairs in the living room, a Spanish chandelier in the cavernous family room, and hand-etched plaster floral details on the dining room ceiling. But achieving that look and allowing those features to stand out required a significant transformation: “There were arches on top of arches, all with columns. It felt like a castle in Transylvania,” Vergara said, remembering what the property looked like when he first bought it.

Hoping to modernize her new home, Vergara hired designer Ohara Davies-Gaetano, who also spoke to Architectural Digest for the article. “Sofia articulated a clear vision for the project,” the designer is quoted as saying. She “she wanted a house that felt ethereal yet solid, something fresh, clean and bright, with lots of great antiques that added patina and warmth to the architecture.

However, the high-profile renovations have not been without controversy. Last November, contractors who worked on the property sued Vergara for $1.7 million, alleging she breached the contract and mistreated employees, court records show. Vergara’s attorneys disputed the allegations and filed a countersuit last month, alleging that the contractor filed an erroneous lawsuit after Vergara complained of “negligent and inadequate work.”

Although there are hints of teal in Vergara’s soft furnishings, threads of color woven into the rugs, and shimmering gold and bronze accents in accessories and furnishings, the home’s palette is largely calming and neutral.

“I don’t like crazy jolts of color,” Vergara told the magazine of her preferred color combination. (Cake was also banned, she explained, “because it reminds me of ‘The Golden Girls’.”)

However, the interiors are accented with plants and greenery in many rooms, a lively design choice that blends and accentuates the property’s extensive grounds, which include a stucco-roofed pool house and an avenue of olive trees.

The estate’s outdoor spaces (or rather, its potential) were a big draw for Vergara: “I loved that you could see the landscape from every room, although there still wasn’t much of a garden to look at. I knew what I would do to make it mine,” he said.

Landscape designer and antiques dealer Stephen Block brought his vision to life, adding clay pots, antique fountains and tropical elements that nod to the actor’s Colombian roots.

The result is a luxurious property ready for entertaining. “My friends from Colombia find any excuse to visit us,” Vergara told AD. “There is something about this place that makes guests want to stay. Is special. “I still wake up every day thinking, ‘I can’t believe this is my life.'”