Rob Lowe: His Dream House & the Gifts of Sobriety

Rob Lowe's homeGet a load of the exquisite residence of actor Rob Lowe. Lowe's small mansion, which he and his wife Sheryl built from the ground up, is located near Santa Barbara, California.

There was a time, say around 1988, that Rob Lowe stood at a fork in the road of his own life, and frankly, things didn't look good for the then-24-year-old actor. Suffering the repercussions of a drug and alcohol problem, sex addiction, and a sex tape scandal that included an under-age girl, things could have seriously gone south for the guy.

See more of Rob Lowe's home after the jump.

In the November 2010 issue of Architectural Digest, we get to gasp over the lovely and ginormous Georgian-style home of Rob and Sheryl Lowe. Yep, this little mansion on the California coast houses a mere 20 rooms, including a piano bar for Rob, several rooms for Sheryl's worldly treasures, and plenty of space for their two teen-aged sons Matthew, 17, and John, almost 15, to enjoy and live in comfortably.

"I’ve always been drawn to a historic, East Coast American aesthetic," says Lowe, a Virginia native. Mount Vernon is a favorite, and the couple and their architect all agreed on the splendor of its "clean, efficient lines and proportions of traditional Virginia detailing."

Also inside the Lowe abode, an expansive veranda off the master suite, a white-wood Ping-Pong table, four kitchens (!!!), the largest one with reclaimed French oak floors, a Calacatta marble-topped island, and a breakfast room with a motorized pocket door. There are also two guesthouses on the property.

Oh, the good life!

Living Room: English dog painting above the fireplace;
Lyndie Benson photograph above Dutch secretary.

Master Bedroom: Light and airy with a view of the Pacific Ocean

Veranda: Shaded by two old oak trees; same gorgeous view
of the Pacific; reflecting pool off in the distance

Backyard and pool

Not bad for a guy who almost drove his career and his reputation into the ground. But Rob got clean and sober and counseling for sex addiction, too. Can we attribute his life's wealth (not just the monetary kind) to his sobriety? You bet!

In May 2010, Rob tweeted: "I'm 20 years sober today. Had lots of love and support to get here. If you are struggling, YOU CAN FIND IT TOO; all the gifts are waiting!"

What gifts, you ask? I'll let Rob answer that himself:

I always wanted that house where everybody wants to go, full of energy, dogs, music, fun. I wanted ours to be that house, and it is. ‘Family home’ is a trite phrase, but that’s exactly what we have. Nothing makes me happier than the life that goes on within these walls, the history that’s being created here every minute, every day.

Sounds amazing, Mr. Lowe. Proud of you. One day at a time.

How rad is Rob Lowe's house? What's your favorite part?

Images by Mary E. Nichols via Architectural Digest