Last year, cannabis kingpin Andrew Modlin — co-founder of marijuana juggernaut MedMen — paid $11 million for a brand-new mansion in L.A.’s Bird Streets neighborhood, high in the hills overlooking West Hollywood. And with no longer any need for his “starter” house down in prime WeHo, he soon listed the blocky contemporary structure and recently unloaded it for $3.9 million, the same price he’d paid back in 2016.
The striking home’s new owner is Bay Area native Emma Chamberlain, the 18-year-old YouTube wunderkind who has risen from obscurity to become — in less than three years — one of the world’s top influencers, a relatively new brand of Gen Z-propelled celebrity that is sometimes dismissed by older generations as having less than “legitimate” fame.
But there’s no denying the money and fans are there. Despite her youth, Chamberlain can well afford a home of this stature. Her YouTube account boasts nearly 9 million subscribers and more than one billion lifetime video views. She’s also got lucrative sponsorship deals with Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein and more. And she’s the CEO of Chamberlain Coffee, a somewhat controversial company peddling steeped coffee bags at premium prices.
Chamberlain was also a member of the erstwhile “Sister Squad,” the small friend gang of mega-popular YouTubers that included James Charles and the Dolan Twins. But that posse has gone kaput, lost to the fickle sands of time and the social media era’s ethos of disposable friendships.
Chamberlain’s nearly $4 million new home was built in 2016 and sits on a .15-acre lot that’s completely walled, gated and ringed by an exceptionally tall hedge for privacy. There’s also a state-of-the-are security system with a slew of cameras that can be controlled remotely, from the convenient touch of an iPad.
The front yard is landscaped simply, in line with the home’s monolithic architecture, and includes a pebble garden that runs past the two-car garage. A custom front door opens into a dramatic open-concept living area with a “floating” staircase and concrete floors. There’s a formal dining area, a sleek modern kitchen with designer appliances, and a living area centered around a large fireplace. Beyond that is a mesmerizing wall of glass that opens and disappears, effectively blurring the indoor/outdoor living line.
There are four bedrooms in the house, one of them downstairs and currently done up as a library with built-in wooden bookshelves. Upstairs, a long hallway overlooked by skylights leads to the two guest bedrooms, both of them complete with ensuite bathrooms. Also up there is the master suite, which overlooks the backyard and packs in a sitting area, a walk-in closet with custom built-ins and a spa-style bath with dual vanities and a soaking tub.
Out back, there’s a private courtyard with a wee patch of grassy lawn, a built-in BBQ grill and a plunge pool with inset spa. Beyond that, at the far rear of the property, lies a hulking concrete cabana with an outdoor fireplace and a secluded lounge area for alfresco dining or moments of quiet reflection.
Lindsay Guttman of The Agency held the listing; Andrew Sanchez of ACME Real Estate repped Chamberlain.
