12/21/2007
Adventures in Exterior Decoration: Orlando Bloom's Black House
Page Six reports: "Orlando Bloom is about as far from a goth as you can get which is why his decision to paint his Los Angeles mansion all-black is so shocking. The house, which he paid $2.7 million for this August, is nestled on Outpost Drive in the Hollywood Hills, the same neighborhood that Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson call home. And both blonde starlets are reportedly annoyed with Orlando for his decision to paint it black, since most Outpost Drive residents paint their homes white to reflect the sun. 'Orlando went completely the other way,' a source tells British newspaper The Sun. 'It’s a bit weird, but that’s Orlando — he’s an original guy.' How come the hot guys get to be 'original' while the average joes are labeled 'weird'?"
Posted 3:45 PM EST by Andy Towle in Architecture, Los Angeles, News, Orlando Bloom, Real Estate | Permalink
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If I pay 2.5 mil for ANYTHING, it had better mean I can paint it any color I want. They're lucky he didn't paint it safety orange.
Posted by: Brian | Dec 21, 2007 4:06:47 PM
Yeah, Brian. Exactly. I live in L.A. and drive Outpost. It's an easier and faster drive from Mulholland to Hollywood. (now that I know where he lives...I'll keep a look out). The houses are expensive, but(for the most part) real dumb. Painting his house black, at least from the picture, seems to keep it hidden more than a glaring white house would.
Posted by: woodroad34 | Dec 21, 2007 4:25:24 PM
It's nothing new if not for riding the latest trend. One of Britian's most popular architects David Adjaye designs most of his residential works to be black
http://www.adjaye.com/docs/work2.html
Posted by: Randy | Dec 21, 2007 4:35:28 PM
I just visited a friend who lives two houses down from Orlando (she says he's a great neighbor by the way) and the house looks fantastic! Much better than the bright white houses that all look like cookie cutter homes.
Posted by: Wayne | Dec 21, 2007 4:48:28 PM
At least he didn't paint it purple like Prince or stripes like Madonna.
Posted by: RP | Dec 21, 2007 4:48:48 PM
Wouldn't painting a home black make it absorb sunlight and thus increase your energy consumption to keep it cool?
Posted by: crispy | Dec 21, 2007 5:03:31 PM
For someone who purports himself to be a proponent of the sustainability movement this is probably one of stupidest decisions that he could have made. The amount of energy he is going to use to cool his
black house is incredibly and blatantly wasteful.
In the article below he talks about the house he is building in London and says it is gong to be “as green as I can make it.” Maybe all this time he has been confused with the whole “green architecture" concept and thinks it's just about the color GREEN. Coming soon - the people of London bitch because Orlando paints his house NEON green.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/orlando_blooms.php
Posted by: Harris | Dec 21, 2007 5:16:24 PM
His house, like a lot of houses on Outpost and throughout the Hollywood Hills...may be in a "pocket" where not all that much sunlight gets in. So this may help warm his house up. Despite what many people may think...LA gets cold. Even in summer sometimes, if you're in the shade. It's his house, he can paint it black, he paid for it. (Plus he may have solar panels, who knows?) At least he didn't buy a house on Orlando (street, in West Hollywood!)
Posted by: Thomas | Dec 21, 2007 5:40:06 PM
He's a celebrity. Celebrities like doing things to get attention. That's why they're celebrities.
Celebrities also update their houses quite often, and my guess is that in a year or so he'll tire of the black and paint it something else.
Posted by: Paul | Dec 21, 2007 5:59:14 PM
Be wasteful. Anything to piss off environmentalists, who have become the most insufferable bossy-bootish pricks the world has ever seen. I deliberately refuse to separate my garbage purely for that pleasure. Grow a mind, not a vegetable garden.
Posted by: Mike | Dec 21, 2007 8:01:56 PM
Mike,
You deserve to be bitch slapped.
Posted by: RP | Dec 21, 2007 8:29:58 PM
MIKE,
your mind isn't growing, dear. it's, failing.
orlando, poor little dear, is experimenting with "creative" individuality. unfortunately, that does not involve a lot of analyzing in terms of context and viability, much less practicality and practicability.
if one lives in a sun-filled zone, a smart person would take advantage of the gift, not defeat it. from what i can surmise, orlando is a good boy, but he is not particularly smart.
Posted by: nic | Dec 21, 2007 9:55:58 PM
It's like, how much more black could it be? And the answer is None, none more black...
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Dec 21, 2007 10:02:42 PM
This way it'll burn so much quicker...
Posted by: John C | Dec 21, 2007 11:13:50 PM
Good for him, if you pay those foolish prices, and, its done tastefully like he has done it, more power to him since he's making the house note!!!
Posted by: Sebastian | Dec 21, 2007 11:34:32 PM
MIKE...you are an idiot.
Posted by: peterparker | Dec 22, 2007 3:14:53 PM
Seriously, loosen up! Get lost everyone!, everyone is litterly sitting on his lips.
Everyone is so into it what Orlando's next decisions are..I've got nothing against him, I adore him! But people are getting concerned for nothing..So what! he painted his house black, that doesn't have to mean that he's getting crazy though,He's just an Englishman doing his thing! Maybe that's just his way of making his home nice..
I've seen more crazier things!!
Posted by: sandra | Dec 23, 2007 9:58:35 AM
Damm!! get a chill pil people!
He's just a human being like us..
We are putting so much energy and time on certain things, put your energy and time on something else..seriously, let the man live!
Peace...
Posted by: sandra | Dec 23, 2007 10:01:39 AM
Umm....
It looks grey to me....
Posted by: Jonathan | Dec 24, 2007 10:46:42 AM
wow maybe this black is the new blak? mmmm... it looks cool. Good on him!
Posted by: Marc Thommo | Dec 26, 2007 8:10:17 PM
A black house in SUNNY california???!!!???
This moron's going to pay a fortune for air conditioning.
He's already made his mark by getting paid waaaaaay too much money for having no talent or personality whatsoever, so why not have a black house.
Posted by: Ednonymous | Dec 27, 2007 1:06:00 AM
I happen to live on Outpost canyon...our house is Olive Green and Grey..our neighbors complement the color all the time, There are very few white houses on outpost, this is just the silliest story I've ever heard, no one on outpost gives a sh*t what color a house is.
Posted by: bob | Dec 27, 2007 3:00:29 AM
If that is his actual house, it looks to be in an area with lots of shade.
Regardless, if your walls are insulated well the color on the outside doesn't reall matter all that much. I took energy and environmental physics classes and did a research project on energy audits for homes: the type, size and placement of windows can have a huge effect on the energy effeciencey (or lake their of) of a house. But if you have insulated walls the difference in the color of the exterior doesn't has a VERY NEGLIGBLE effect.
Posted by: lambman | Dec 28, 2007 2:31:41 AM
Really people put yourselves in his shoes. If you bought a house would you really care whether your neighbors like your colour scheme or would you go for what you like? So he painted his house black so what? It's not as though this harms anyone.
Posted by: Martin | Jan 8, 2008 12:50:20 AM
to be honest about everything imagine yourself paying 2.7 million dollars for a house. wouldn't you want to to paint or design it like you wanted to or like other people would want it? any person in their right mind would do it the way that they want to do it. as far as the engery bill goes he is worth million what in the world is he going to worry about a energy bill. you go orlando with your black house! i like it. it matches sidi.
Posted by: sabrina | Jan 23, 2008 12:22:40 AM