Reality TV
‘I Dream of Jeannie’ Star Barbara Eden Conjures Up Her Ideal Beverly Hills House
As the beloved genie on the ’60s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, all Barbara Eden had to do was blink and nod her head, and — voilà! — wishes came true. But turning a Beverly Hills house into her fantasy home wasn’t quite so easy.
When Barbara was shooting her hit show 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' in the early 1980s and looking for a new place to live, her manager spotted something promising in his neighborhood.
Barbara as Jeannie on 'I Dream of Jeannie' in 1967.
“The house was just being built and they were using a lot of red brick and dark wood, so it wasn’t really love at first sight,” Barbara, 83, shares with 'Closer.' “But I saw the potential — and made it my dream home!”
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The first thing on Barbara’s to-do list? Make everything lighter and brighter! “I covered the red brick walls in the living room with plaster and had the ceilings sandblasted and lightened to make the space look more open,” she says. “I also took out some built-in shelves — I wanted everything white and clean.”
Barbara in July 2013.
The actress also added walnut floors throughout much of the 3,600-square-foot abode. “I saw the same ones in Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home and had to have them,” enthuses Barbara, who worked with an interior designer.
Still, the home’s “eclectic style” is all hers. “A lot of the pieces are from my travels and are lovely mementos and reminders of those trips,” she says. When she started renovations on the three bedroom, four-bathroom home, Barbara — who is twice divorced — wasn’t dating anyone seriously.
To read the full story on Barbara, pick up the new issue of ‘Closer Weekly,’ on newsstands now!
