Meg Ryan is ready to part ways with her Montecito gem—again. The beloved Sleepless in Seattle actress has relisted her effortlessly chic estate in the coastal enclave, this time with a fresh new look and a $19.5 million price tag.
The estate was originally owned by the late mystery novelist Sue Grafton and her husband Steve Humphrey. They sold it to Alicia McFarlane, the granddaughter of John Wayne, and her husband James in 2020 for $5.4 million. Ryan purchased it from them just a year later for $9.5 million. She listed it in February this year for $22.5 million with no takers. The following month, she reduced the price to $19.5 million, according to the listing.
The two-acre estate is located on Picacho Lane, one of Montecito’s most prestigious streets just minutes from the Pacific, with neighbors like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow. The 6,500-square-foot home sits perched at the end of a long, gated driveway with dense greenery.
Originally built in 2010, the home exudes laid-back California elegance, with a bit of sophisticated Hamptons style in its wood-beam ceilings, arched doorways, and hardwood flooring.
The house has seven bedrooms and six bathrooms. And the actress added nearly 3,000-square feet to the property, expanding the entryway with a porch and swinging chair, and adding three fireplaces to the living room, primary bedroom, and patio. There’s also a media room, an outdoor back patio, an elevator to all three floors, and a guest house located atop the three-car garage. The wallpapered primary bedroom has a private balcony, a walk-in closet, and a soaking tub with a floating vanity.
Ryan has a knack for home projects. “I feel like I’ve been renovating houses my whole life,” she told ELLE DECOR in 2010, “I’ve renovated apartments, lofts, a log cabin in Montana—just tons and tons of places. I’m constantly ripping pages out of magazines in search of inspiration. I’ve found ideas everywhere, from a friend’s kitchen to a hotel lobby.”
In 2021, she renovated another Montecito home, which she flipped to make an impressive $8.3 million profit. She also might have a new project in the works. According to Robb Report, she snagged a 5,000-square-foot traditional shingled home in the Hamptons for $13.5 million.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
