Natalie Wood at Home: The Silver Screen Siren’s Domestic Life in 24 Photos

Skip to main contentThe Rebel Without a Cause star, who ran a freelance interior decorating business in the ’70s, took design notes from her movie setsNatalie Wood first achieved fame as a child star in Miracle on 34th Street.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images“Gone too soon” is the lament echoed by admirers of Natalie Wood, one of the last true leading ladies of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Renowned for her beauty, charisma, and emotional depth onscreen, Wood tragically drowned off the coast of California’s Santa Catalina Island in 1981 at the age of 43. Her death remains shrouded in mystery to this day.Born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko to Russian immigrant parents, the San Francisco native began acting at just four years old and landed her breakout role at eight, charming audiences as Susie Walker in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street. Her ascent to fame was steady and swift; as a teenager she starred in Rebel Without a Cause and as a young adult in West Side Story. By 25 she had already earned three Academy Award nominations. At the height of her career, one director remarked, “Natalie Wood has a stranglehold on every young leading-lady part in town. If a role calls for a woman between 15 and 30, you automatically think of her.”At a time when few women held sway in Tinseltown, Wood insisted on choosing her own roles, demanding equal pay to her male costars, and negotiating ownership stakes in her films. She embraced stardom and was known for both her talent onscreen as well as her high-profile romances with James Dean, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Warren Beatty. She married three times (twice to actor Robert Wagner), and prized her loved ones and home life above all. “The most important thing to me is family—my husband and my kids,” Wood once said. “There aren’t a lot of other things to relate to.” Read on for a look inside the Golden Age star’s days off set.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesSister, sisterIn this summer 1955 image, a 16-year-old Wood stands in a playfully protective pose over her younger sister Lana in the doorway of the family’s California home, located at 15036 Valley Road in Sherman Oaks. Despite their eight-year age difference, Wood was always a watchful guardian to her younger sister. According to a New York Times article, the two shared a profound connection. “I shed many, many tears over passages about me—how close we were, as sisters and friends and companions, and how much she loved me,” Lana later revealed when reflecting on a draft of Natalie’s memoir.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesBudding decoratorIn this 1955 shot, Wood takes a phone call in her bedroom at the family’s Sherman Oaks residence. The home’s maximalist decor was the creative doing of the young starlet, an early expression of the sensibility that would later flourish into her own interior decorating practice in the 1970s. “My mother loved to make statements with bold patterns and colors,” Natasha Gregson Wagner, Wood’s eldest daughter, wrote in her 2020 book More Than Love: An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood. “I learned how to decorate my home from the sets on my movies,” was a statement oft repeated by the actor, according to Gregson Wagner.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesFavored femme aesthetic“She was going through her pink phase,” Wood’s childhood friend Jackie Eastes said of the bedroom in the star’s Sherman Oaks home. “Everything was pink.” The frilly canopy seen here and the roses on the wallpaper were both pink, matching her rosy-hued 1955 Thunderbird convertible. The teenager even swathed a silver-blue Mercedes 300 SL roadster, which she bought in 1957, in the frothy color.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesAnimal houseAnimals were a constant presence in Wood’s life. Over the years she cared for an eclectic assortment of pets, including turtles, guinea pigs, mice, birds, lizards, rabbits, and the dog pictured here in 1955. In her book, Gregson Wagner recalls that her mother had “a special way of communing with animals” and often preferred those others found less appealing, admitting that she had a soft spot for “the ugly ones.”Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesStuffed animal companionsAs if having a handful of pets around the property wasn’t enough, Wood also owned countless stuffed animals. A giant stuffed tiger’s head, gifted to her by her mother, was mounted on her bedroom wall. Actor Dennis Hopper considered her immense collection of the playthings “cute and eccentric” and said that they were “everywhere” in the star’s bedroom. This 1955 photo shows Wood posing with her pet parakeet (named Gregory Peckwood) and two stuffed monkeys.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesNatalie the fashionistaWood strikes a stylish pose at home in this 1955 image. Lana wrote in her book Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister that Wood’s style was soft and feminine, leaning toward the romantic—much like the floral wallpaper seen here in her home’s entryway. Wood adored clothes, and it was her sister’s influence that nurtured Lana’s own affinity for dressing up. Though Wood loved to shop, most of her clothes came from her movie sets (a deal her mother/momager successfully negotiated for the star).Photo: Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesHer trademark jewelryWood was just 10 years old when she suffered a near-death accident while filming The Green Promise. A footbridge scheduled to collapse gave way too soon, leaving the young actress dangling above a raging river. She managed to crawl to safety but suffered a dislocated wrist bone that protruded for the rest of her life. As a result, she always wore “a bracelet, a leather band, a long sleeve, or (when wearing a swimsuit) a flesh-colored Band-Aid,” biographer Gavin Lambert writes. This 1956 image shows a smiling Wood relaxing at home with one of the many bracelets she used adorn her left wrist.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesThe Laurel Canyon houseWood and her family moved into a newly built home on Laurel Canyon’s Woodrow Wilson Drive over Christmas of 1955. Sitting on 6,000 square feet of property, the SoCal dwelling had six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The star had a self-contained wing in the house with a bedroom, en suite bathroom, walk-in closet, and a large living area that she decorated herself. In this 1957 photo, the actor sits in the main living room, with her feet up against a wall made from volcanic stone.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesEver-evolving aestheticDesiring a sense of independence after the family moved to Laurel Canyon, Wood transformed a bedroom into her personal haven, though her approach to its aesthetic marked a departure from her previous quarters; the star’s former bright pink bed canopy and floral patterned walls were replaced by modern, all-black furniture, white walls, and white carpeting.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesHangout spotAt the Laurel Canyon home, Wood’s bedroom suite opened directly to the home’s kidney-shaped swimming pool, which was added after the family moved in. It was thought that the actor’s mother added the amenity so that the space might serve as a communal gathering spot where she could easily keep an eye on the young starlet and her Rebel Without a Cause costars-turned-companions—Hopper, Dean, and Nick Adams—during their visits. It featured a tiled mermaid at the bottom. When Wood and Wagner tied the knot in late 1957, her parents and sister moved out of the ranch-style abode, leaving the home to the newlyweds.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesForever a ballerinaAs a former ballet dancer herself, Wood’s mother put the actor in ballet classes from a very early age, according to biographer Lambert. Although the writer never specifies how many years Wood was enrolled, it is clear the classes had a lasting effect, as evidenced by this 1957 photo of a gracefully airborne Wood on the home’s patio.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesKeeping up appearances“From her teens until the last time I saw her, Natalie was perfectly groomed and always made up. Always,” Lana wrote in her book. Even on days when her calendar was empty, the Splendor in the Grass star insisted on doing her makeup. Her younger sibling didn’t see this as vanity but rather a careful construction of her public image; “Natalie was always very careful to present herself as a movie star,” Lana told The New York Times. The actor became so skilled with cosmetics that she once joked that “in a pinch, I could always get work in pictures as a makeup artist.”Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesAn enviable closetMakeup aside, the young starlet’s wardrobe also formed a large part of her image and her identity. The outlet also reported that the Wood sisters could be spotted “arm in arm all around town, in high spirits and beautiful clothes” from the 1950s up until Wood’s 1981 death. In her will, the actor left Lana all of her clothing—rooms and rooms full of her high-end pieces. This image featuring some of her garments was taken in the dressing room of her Laurel Canyon home.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesA lonely social butterlyIn her private life, away from the glamour of Tinseltown, the star sometimes felt blue. “Actors are basically lonely people,” Wood once told a writer. Though she was known as the life of the party, her obsession with stuffed animals, according to Wood herself, was actually driven by a looming loneliness. The California native is seen here in the bedroom of her Laurel Canyon home—lounging beneath the classic comedy and tragedy masks fixed to her wall that perhaps served as an accurate reflection of her inner goings-on.Photo: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesThe anti-domestic goddess“I’m not domestic,” Wood once said. “If I don’t learn to cook, maybe I won’t have to.” Indeed, the screen legend never really picked up that particular skill; according to her firstborn, the actor’s “idea of food preparation was snacking on shredded wheat or All Bran cereal, making BLT sandwiches, or heating up her favorite canned soup.” Wood did have one exception: She perfected huevos rancheros, but only made the dish when she was out on her yacht with family and friends.Photo: Bettmann/Getty ImagesPainting Natalie WoodHusband-and-wife artists Margaret and Walter Keane, whose wide-eyed renderings were wildly popular in the 1950s and ’60s, are pictured here sketching Wood as she prepares to enter the backyard pool of her Bel Air home in 1961. According to the image’s original caption, the Keanes believed portraiture should capture personality as much as physical appearance. The duo preferred to observe subjects in their everyday routines rather than pose them formally.BettmannTwo Natalies, one artistIn this 1961 photograph, Wood poses with the two Keane portraits that were displayed prominently in her home. Between the pigtailed Natalie with a puppy in her lap and the glamorous version in a black dress, visitors might’ve assumed the two paintings were made years apart, by different artists; at the time, the story sold to the public was that Margaret depicted the Gypsy star as the poised, sophisticated woman on the left, while Walter interpreted her as the wistful, wide-eyed ingénue on the right. A little over a decade later, however, Margaret revealed that she alone had painted the works that made the Keane name famous, alleging that Walter had falsely claimed credit throughout their marriage and that he possessed no painting skills whatsoever. She famously proved her authorship during the 1986 hearing of her lawsuit against him when a judge asked both artists to paint on the spot. Margaret completed a portrait in under an hour while Walter declined, citing a shoulder injury.Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesA place of her ownAfter divorcing Robert Wagner, Wood purchased a home of her own at 191 North Bentley Avenue in Brentwood. The residence, which was built about 25 years before this 1968 snapshot of the starlet in its doorway, was commissioned by E.Y. Harburg, the lyricist behind “Over the Rainbow.” It was designed by Paul R. Williams, who was the prolific architect for a number of Hollywood luminaries as well as the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects. Set on a half-acre lot, the hillside home paired a traditional French Provincial exterior, as described by biographer Gavin Lambert, with interiors that emphasized comfort.Photo: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesBel Air retreatIn 1966, Wood put a mental-health pause on her acting career. Despite a streak of hit movies, the toll of the actor’s 1962 divorce from Wagner and a subsequent string of failed romantic relationships left her feeling depleted. She was reportedly in therapy “every single day,” according to Suzanne Finstad, author of Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography. “I broke out in hives and suffered anguish that was very real pain every day we shot,” Wood said of her mental and physical state while filming the 1966 film Penelope. This image, which captures an outwardly happier Wood about to get into her car, is taken in the driveway of her North Bentley Avenue home during the sabbatical. The dwelling served as her respite from the rest of the world, an address she’d hold on to until her death.Photo: Ellen Graham/Getty ImagesPalm Springs compoundA reuinited Wood and Wagner are shown in this 1973 image outside their Palm Springs residence a year after they married each other for the second time. The 1.6-acre estate (which belonged to Wagner before the marriage) featured a six-bedroom, six-bathroom main residence; a three-bedroom, two bathroom guesthouse; a tennis court; a swimming pool; and the lush gardens pictured here in the background. The 1934-build’s stone façade, original terra-cotta tiles, and wood-beamed interiors were intact in 2018 when the property hit the market for the first time in 40 years.Photo: Screen Archives/Getty ImagesSentimental decorThe Wagner-Wood family spent the majority of the 1970s in Beverly Hills, where they resided in a Gerard Colcord-designed Cape Cod-style home with dark blue shutters. Wood is shown here with Wagner in the living room of their North Canon Drive dwelling just after the birth of her second daughter, Courtney, who was the couple’s first and only child together. (Natasha, who is the daughter of Wood and producer Richard Gregson, was raised alongside Courtney by Wagner after Wood’s death.) The image offers a glimpse into Wood’s decor style, which Natasha describes in her book: “Heavy dark wood pieces sat alongside wicker furniture and big, upholstered chairs and sofas. Photos of family and friends in silver frames dotted shelves and long tables; on the walls hung framed Chinese needlepoint and works of art. Everything had a connection to someone famous or admired, or to a relative or friend.”Photo: © Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesPicture-perfect householdGiant sycamore trees dotted the North Canon Drive property’s front yard. Out in the backyard was a garden paradise featuring an oval-shaped pool, bougainvillea, potted pansies, geraniums, lemon trees, and hibiscus flowers. “Everything was heaven,” said actor Mia Farrow of the home. “The house was so beautiful and also welcoming. The focus was the children, not the grown-ups.”Photo: Stephen Lovejoy/WWD/Penske Media via Getty ImagesNatalie’s little-known legacyWood was also an avid collector of Mesoamerican art. At its peak, her collection included more than 600 Chupícuaro objects from Guanajuato, Mexico, many of which she acquired from a couple who had spent over two decades assembling them. Although the Chupícuaro culture played an important role in the development of Preclassic central Mexico, much of its archaeological site was submerged in 1949 when the region was flooded to create a dam. Sometime between 1968 and 1969, Wood donated her collection to UCLA. “First I loaned it to them, then I gave it to them,” she recalled on The Mike Douglas Show in 1979. “I really didn’t have a place to display it properly.” Today UCLA’s Fowler Museum considers Wood’s gift its “most important collection of ancient Mesoamerican art.”Photo: Stephen Lovejoy/WWD/Penske Media via Getty ImagesParty houseIn addition to being a celebrated actor and a freelance interior decorator, Wood was also well-known around town for being the consummate hostess at her legendary house parties. “Natalie would give incredible parties,” one of her former assistants once recalled. The most anticipated of Wood’s gatherings were her New Year’s Eve parties; Hollywood’s brightest luminaries such as George Segal, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, and Cary Grant would rub shoulders at these fêtes. “Those parties were the best,” said actor and filmmaker Richard Benjamin. “The house was just so full of love and happiness. It made you feel good to be there.”Michelle Duncan is a Brooklyn-based independent writer and editorial consultant, specializing in stories and written communication centered around design. She covers interiors, architecture, art, and fashion. Apart from AD, her bylines have appeared in Robb Report and Metropolis, among others. Michelle holds an M.A. in Design Research, Writing & Criticism from the School of ... Read More