Playboy Mansion: Stepping Inside Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion

Hugh Hefner, a contentious name to some, but at the same time, a self-built owner of an entrepreneurial empire Playboy, is admired by the whole world. One interesting fact is the symbol of Playboy is a rabbit, as Hefner thought they are shy and fun-loving. Being a WWII veteran and a profound philanthropist, he said,

“For me, the magazine was always the heart of what my life was all about, and the other half was living the life.”

By living the other half of life, he meant his Playboy Mansion. The manor is in Hombly Hills, LA, California, near Beverly Hills. It is also known as Playboy Mansion West. Hugh Hefner lived here from 1974 until his death in 2017 at the age of 91. 

From the ’70s onwards, Playboy Mansion became an iconic location for opulent parties hosted by Hefner and attended by celebrities, businessmen, and socialites. The house is often compared with Elvis Presley’s Graceland and Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch due to its own facts and urban legends, making Playboy Mansion of historical value. 

Let me take you on a ride to Playboy Mansion, its enchanting interiors and fascinating exteriors. 

Come on! Bunny, hop in for the ride!!

Architecture & History of Playboy Mansion 

Playboy mansion is a 21,987 sq. ft. expansive estate sitting on 5.3 acres of land. It has 29 rooms with several built-in amenities like an underground jacuzzi, a zoo, fountains, a game house, a secret wine cellar, and much more.

The architecture of Playboy Mansion is in Gothic Tudor mansion style. It was constructed for real estate tycoon Arthur Letts Jr in 1927. The architecture was done by Arthur R. Kelly, an American architect who specialised in designing the Spanish Colonial Revival style and Tudor Revival Style.

Finally, in 1971 Playboy purchased the mansion for $1.05 million. The Playboy Mansion was sold again in 2016 for $100 million. The credit for redesigning and restoring the Playboy Mansion along with Hefner goes to Architect Ron Dirsmith. He did excellent work with the mansion and helped Hefner complete his paradise within two years.  

A house this big has everything like a catering kitchen, fridge, freezer, a built-in theatre with pipe organ, tennis court, basketball court, gym, four bedrooms, two second-level master bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, 22-foot ceilings in a hall, a secret wine cellar, oak decor, and four offices. It is one of the few houses with permanent fireworks permission and a zoo permit. There were three zoo buildings and a pet cemetery in Playboy Mansion.

There were so many parties that apart from Playboy Bunnies, there was a permanent staff of 80 full-time people working as chefs, butlers, security, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and trained zoo staff.

Let’s move ahead and learn more about its interiors and stunning exteriors.

Peculiar Interiors of Playboy Mansion

The Playboy Mansion has extensively carved oak decor from the 1970s as seen in the image above. The west wing of the house also has the editorial offices of Playboy. Several master suites on the second and third floors have had extensive renovations. The original Gothic furnishings in the house were kept intact, with the oak-panelled drawing room and the open fireplace. Moving on, here are the famous spots of the mansion:

The Game House

The right turn from the main entrance will take you towards the game house with a pool table at the centre. The room has modern and vintage arcade games like a player piano, pinball machines, a television, a stereo, a Wurlitzer jukebox and Jazz recordings, and a couch. 

There are two wings in the game house. The left side has a cushioned floor, mirrors on the walls, a television, and a restroom with a shower. However, the right side has a smaller restroom and a bedroom. The bedroom led to another bedroom with an exit to the backyard. There are lounge chairs and gates on either side in the backyard of the game house.

The Popular Grotto

The Grotto is one of the favourite places in the whole Playboy Mansion during parties. All the guests always gather here. It was one of the main attractions. 

The Grotto has a waterfall, a patio, a barbeque area, a large koi pond, citrus orchards, a sauna, a basement gym, and a small forest. Though it is mainly outside, there was a cave that led directly into the hidden swimming pool inside the house. 

Screening Room

Screenings of several movies has taken place in this epic room of the Playboy Mansion. It has a pipe organ that produces sounds, two leather couches, one velvet sofa, a Persian rug, a fireplace, oak carvings on walls, geometric patterns on walls, a big projector, and speakers. The screening room perfectly amalgamates rustic and Victorian architecture. The classic ceiling also has Victorian-era art on them. The room can literally take you back to the ‘70s. 

Treasure Trove of Books

The library of Playboy Mansion is not less than a regal room with all the wooden carvings, blue carpet, leather seatings, wooden tables, Victorian-era art, and a fireplace. There are portraits all over the walls and a work of mosaic art on the windows, making it look terrific. All these wooden shelves are filled with books that also contain documentation of Hefner’s life. 

Hefner has been meticulously documenting his life since his high school years in a scrapbook. These scrapbooks have photographs, letters he sent or received, and other valuable documents. And, to maintain this massive archive, he has a staff of librarians. 

Due to his scrapbook making, he holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most scrapbooks. He had over 2,900 scrapbooks and each is as thick as a foot. During his last months, he was still making his scrapbooks every Saturday.

Artistic Exteriors of Playboy Mansion

Not only impeccable interiors, the house also has dynamic architecture outside spread over 5.3 acres. You can enjoy the aerial view of the house in the image above. This expansive estate holds so much, from historical presence to memories of lavish parties and the legacy of Hugh Hefner. 

Fantasy Outdoors

This fantasy outdoor of Playboy Mansion is a part of the famous Grotto. The fountain is placed right outside the main entrance and the wishing well. The citrus orchards, two small forests, and a man-made koi pond with artificial streams look immensely beautiful. The outdoor kitchen and bar also make it a perfect dating area. Now, we know why guests loved the Grotto so much. 

A Manor with  Zoo

The Playboy Mansion is one of the few houses that has a permit to have a personalised zoo. Hugh Hefner had three buildings for keeping birds and animals and a pet cemetery in the mansion. 

Only trained zoo keepers took care of all the animals. The Playboy Mansion zoo has beautiful peacocks, macaws, squirrel monkeys, toucans, flamingos, llamas, and ducks. 

Not The First Playboy Mansion 

Don’t be shocked knowing that this giant manor in Los Angeles is not the first Playboy Mansion owned by Hugh Hefner. He also held a pleasure palace in Chicago in 1953. It was famous in the ‘60s and ‘70s as one of the country’s notorious party abodes. 

There is a pool in the basement, sun and steam rooms, a game house, a bowling alley, a theatre room, trap doors, a rotating circle bed inspired by James Bond, a dormitory for Playboy Bunnies and much more. Due to extreme parties by swanky host Hefner, many federal agents and investigators started taking a keen interest and looked into excessive drug use.

Due to the involvement in the case of drugs, Hefner’s assistant, close friend, and Playboy Bunny Bobbie Arnstein was convicted of using drugs in 1974 and sentenced to 15 years of jail. But she committed suicide in 1975. Further, due to the madness of the media, Hefner was forced to leave Chicago and move to Los Angeles. He lived in his Playboy Mansion in LA for 43 years until his death. 

Special Events & Appearances

• The house was seen in 1966 in the film ‘Madame X’. Hugh Hefner bought the house in the next decade.
• The Playboy Mansion was used as a film location for the movie ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ in 1994. Hefner also played a cameo role. 
• The playboy manor also hosted the initial line of Season 12 of CBS’ long-running reality competition ‘The Amazing Race’.
• The film ‘The House Bunny’ in 2008 used the mansion as the primary setting in which Hugh Hefner portrayed himself.
• The main gate of the mansion appeared in the 2011 film ‘Hop’.
• The manor is mentioned in the last summit of the Big Nate comic strip 10th October 2016 edition. 
• The mansion can be seen in Grand Theft Auto V. You can see a small cave, a back patio, and topless women with elderly men at night.
• Even the screening of ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ was featured here in 2019.

Wrap up!

The architecture, secret wine cellar, game house, Grotto, zoo, and fireworks were more lively when Hefner used to host parties. Apart from those vibrant and colourful parties, its interior and fantasy outdoors keep the manor exciting and unforgettable in people’s memories. The excitement of visiting a Playboy Mansion is common among people.

After the death of Hugh Hefner, the Playboy Mansion went under renovation. The new owner Daren Metropoulos is merging his next-door house with the mansion. The renovations have been going on for the fourth year with $1.6 million invested in it so far. Once the renovations are complete, it will become one of the largest estates in LA. 

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