The Grand Tour

Tour Colman Domingo’s Story-Filled Wonderland in Southern California

The actor, writer, and director takes Clever inside his incredible midcentury-modern home

June 17, 2021

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“I’ve always been a person who’s felt Hollywood-alt,” says Colman Domingo, the award-winning actor, writer, director, producer, and now professor, known for, well, everything. The self-proclaimed “joyful disruptor” has starred in some of the most profound and thought-provoking projects of recent years. From an addict turned insightful mentor in Euphoria to a jazz musician dancing between the exploitation of Black artists and his role as a mediator in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Colman’s roster is impressively robust, to say the least. Even this summer, prepare to see him in three different films (Zola on June 30, The God Committee on July 2, and Candyman on August 27). But the acting stops there. When it comes to matters of the home, his alter egos stay at the door.

“To be honest, I never thought I would own a home—once you start to think about a home you start thinking about things like generational wealth,” Colman says, reflecting on his safe haven. Filled with meaningful keepsakes and gifts, the playwright’s dwelling is a time capsule of memories. Case in point: The Ron Haywood Jones painting titled The Amazing Afro Boy was given to Colman by his husband, Raúl Domingo.

After making a not-so-expected move from New York to Los Angeles—being a Tony-nominated Broadway star, the West Coast wasn’t always in the cards—the seasoned multi-hyphenate has added a new title to his portfolio: decorator.

Video by William Rouse

While some may recognize this as the set of his hit Web series, Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s, Colman and Raúl view this as just another area to welcome guests and garner laughs.

One of many dining areas is complete with a Knoll Saarinen dining table and chairs. “We wanted everything to be vintage or a replica,” says Colman of his design approach.

Working in tandem with his husband, Raúl Domingo (who, by the way, he met in the most star-crossed meet-cute moment at a Walgreens in 2005), Colman set out to find a place the two could call home. “We were house hunting for six months,” he says of the quest to find the perfect space. This particular “rat race,” as he calls it, culminated with Raúl stumbling upon a listing posted just two hours prior in a neighborhood they’d never heard of. In other words, it was already perfect. “No one ever suspects Hollywood is coming through this door,” Colman jokes of his star-studded dinner parties tucked away in the private world he’s created for himself on an undistinguished street in Southern Los Angeles.

“Everything is an event in my house,” Colman notes. “I only eat off stoneware plates with gold silverware—it really feels like I’m in my own luxury hotel and if I want to live that way, why not?” The wallpaper inspired by The Beverly Hills Hotel is a true testament to his theatrical background.

“It felt like Big Bear meets Palms Springs,” the actor raves about his pine tree–lined driveway and dreamy outdoor space, respectively. “I walked in and said, ‘Oh, this is our home,’” he recalls of his initial reaction upon arriving at the open house. Built in 1964 by architect Jules Salkin, Colman and Raúl’s home is where old meets new in the best way imaginable.

“I love having people over. There’s literally a fridge outside so that people can really make themselves at home,” says Colman of his Southern California place.

Thanks to the previous homeowners, nothing had been touched. Walls dripped with original woodworking while indoor fireplaces (yes, fireplaces, plural) added warmth to the perfectly midcentury-modern space. All that was left to do—inside, anyway—was rip up the dated white carpeting and polish the already poured concrete.

Maintaining the integrity of their new home was key to Colman and Raúl. The main bathroom, most notably, harbored a particular piece of history the couple felt inclined to hold onto. Laying proudly against the wall above a retro sunken bath are original tiles from LAX terminals 3, 4, and 6. “When I came into this bathroom, I actually had the feeling of ‘I have to preserve this,’” he remarks of the colorful tiles that grace the walls of only three other homes in Southern California.

When it came time to furnish his new space, Colman says the words of a dear friend rang true: “Linda Dresner told me, ‘Colman, the thing about style is if you love it, it will work—don’t buy everything at once, source what you love, and your home will tell you what it needs.’” This mentality served as the backbone to his decor process.

Each room and hidden nook is a unique iteration of the couple's stories, travels, and experiences. Introspection meets inspiration and vice versa in the “wonderland” Colman and Raúl have crafted. “It has different personalities,” according to Colman. “Everything is a mood.” From plushy velvet seating to carefully sourced vintage accents, everything serves a purpose, whether onlookers notice or not.

“People would be surprised to see that most of our books are in Russian, Raúl's first language,” Colman remarks of the guest room closet turned walk-in library.

“We wanted it all to feel like Alice in Wonderland," Colman says. And a wonderland they did create. In Colman’s home office, there’s a hot air ballon and neon lights that contrast with down-to-earth Article seating and warm tones.

Code-switching has no place at Colman Domingo’s. “My home means freedom, it should always be a space where I can be whoever I am, whoever that is at any given time.” Cue the Gordon Parks and Kerry James Marshall books lining his office bookcase, or the framed print of James Baldwin standing regally behind a pulpit draped in a “God Is Love” blanket. “It’s all images of hope,” Colman says. “There’s something everywhere that reminds you of where you are in history and who did it for you…everything you need to know about me is in my home—you just gotta look, you just gotta ask.”

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“I made sure my office was saying something,” says newly titled USC guest lecturer and master artist Colman Domingo of one of many of his Zoom backdrops. “You’ll know exactly how I feel about academia, poetry, literature, art—it’s all there right behind me and it often surprises people.” He adds: “Yes, I’m from West Philadelphia—but that’s not limiting.”