Mario Testino’s L.A. Home.

I honestly feel like such a retard when I start my post with “holy crap, how amazing it this?” type comment. But sometimes that is honestly the first thing that comes to mind and I am stripped of any traces of eloquence and intelligence (albeit, these days both are in lower than usual supplies due to the alleged ‘baby brain’ syndrome—that shit is real people, I promise!) Anyway, I guess when I see real beauty, I don’t feel the need to get all knowledgeable and stuff—I just allow the moment to take me, hence I end up sounding a bit like an excited (blonde) teenage girl after a massive bender… Like, Oh Em Gee, this is like totes amaze! Anyway, enough waffling and let’s get down to the business of eye candy, shall we?

I spotted this delicious looking fashion editorial over on Vogue‘s online pages, featuring Natalia Vodianova (wearing clothes by the likes of Proenza Schouler, Marni, Etro, Prada, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Dior) photographed by Mario Testino in his incredible LA home. Beautiful clothes aside, it was Testino’s home which blew me away really hard. To be honest, I don’t know why I was so surprised by it—I mean—of course one of the world’s most well known and celebrated fashion photographers would have a totally amazeballs home, right? The man’s job is photographing and capturing exquisite beauty, and you’d hope that decades of this work would have rubbed off on his design taste buds.

Having grown up in Lima, Peru, Testino remained drawn to the Peruvian style throughout his life, and his home embodies much of this aesthetic.

“There’s a particular style that is very Peru that you don’t see anywhere else; it’s got so many different imprints. When you mix Incan minimalism with the heavy, ornate Spanish Baroque, it is very interesting.”

Situated high in the Hollywood hills, Testino’s Spanish style house was built in 1933 providing commanding views of the city. The photographer didn’t work with an architect or a designer after he purchased the property, as he enjoed the creative process too much to outsource it. Instead, he relied on his eye for fine proportion and his own intuition.

“I like the idea of things that show your travels around the world—show your life. And I enjoy the idea of all the different cultures meeting here. Japan meets Peru, Peru meets America, America meets England, England meets Denmark, Denmark meets France, you know. Total integration of cultures. I guess it’s the future, no?”

Well, I suppose if someone put a gun to my head I could totally settle for living here myself… And you? Would you fight me for it?

[Via Vogue. Photography: Mario Testino. Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman. Sittings Editor: Hamish Bowles.]