Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood’s more eccentric hero archetypes, a fact which has never been more evident than when you take a look inside the actor’s remarkable Malibu bungalow guesthouse. Situated on RDJ’s seven-acre estate that he purchased back in 2009, the weird and wonderful easter eggs hidden throughout the property really are worthy of a retired superhero.
While RDJ originally purchased the property with his wife Susan Downey just a year after Iron Man first saw the big screen, it has been a labour of love in the years since and has become a vehicle for the couple to explore the everyday sustainable technologies that they’re so passionate about. With its own solar-generated water systems and wind turbines, the estate was the inspiration for the Footprint Coalition venture capital fund that RJD and his wife started, which exists to offer grants to organisations looking to progress sustainable technology.
The property already featured an elegant home that was constructed in the 1970s, but RDJ wanted something else and commissioned the build of a Binishell bungalow guesthouse, which looks like it took equal amounts of inspiration from a Hobbit hole and a Mars colony. The retro-futuristic structure gets its name from the construction method developed by industrial designer Dante Bini in 1964.
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The unusual look is thanks to the home using a series of nylon-coated neoprene air bladders, which are then covered in wet concrete before they are inflated to create a bubble-like appearance. The visual impression is dominated by organically asymmetric curves and contours, which create a unique external appearance and free-flowing spaces inside.
The open-plan Binishell bungalow guesthouse contains two guest rooms with views across the estate, an expansive kitchen and dining space, as well as a cosey loungeroom and a home cinema. Just like the saltwater aquarium that you’re greeted by as you enter the residence, much of the rest of the fittings and details have been custom-made to order, such as its oval front door and parametric windows.
It’s a long way from the towering ceilings of the all-white and marble-laden mansions we’re used to seeing celebrities live in, which not only confirms RDJ’s eccentricities extend beyond his acting roles, but also that he has refined and specific taste. After all, what’s the point of having hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank if you’re going to live like everyone else?
All images are credited to Joyce Kim for T Magazine.
