Benjamin and Azyra Bequer originally designed their cliffside Malibu, California, estate as a restorative retreat, but quickly outgrew the site after founding Kavanâ, a getaway and learning center in southern Mexico.
Now, they’re putting the 3.2-acre compound and its treehouse-like home on McAnany Way up for sale asking $25 million. The home’s Scandinavian aesthetic utilizes natural tones and organic materials to blend into the natural environment, with its old-growth oaks, eucalyptus and century-old olive trees.
The grounds also include several additional structures for entertaining, including a guest house connected to the main house by a second-story bridge, a converted barn, an airstream trailer and horse stalls.
“We originally bought and remodeled this compound for our in-person community events, retreats and experiences,” Benjamin Bequer said in an email. “We never thought we’d outgrow this space and move to Mexico.”
The original mid-century home—built in 1958—had a list of celebrity owners, including Olivia Newton-John, Sally Field and James Gunn.
Newton-John owned the property in the 1980s and ’90s, according to public property records, and sold it in 1994. Field bought the home a decade later and sold it in 2011 for $5.5 million, records show.
After the Bequers purchased the home in 2019 for $6.8 million, they took it down to the studs, and hired Ryan White of Ryan White Designs to completely remake it.
“From bespoke finishes to one-of-a-kind features, this mountain retreat is a true design masterpiece, combining the art of luxurious living with the feeling of being held in nature’s bosom,” said Adam Brawer of Compass, who is co-listing the property along with Aaron Kirman and Matt Adamo of Christie’s International Real Estate. The property listed Friday.
In addition to the prolific use of natural woods, fluted glass and other natural materials, the home includes several features that bring residents closer to the nature that surrounds it, including a wraparound deck that merges with the great oaks growing through it, and a hidden fire pit enveloped by the mountains.
The great room, with its vaulted ceiling lined with white oak crossbeams, serves as the centerpiece of the home, and includes a sunken conversation pit described as a “plush cuddle puddle” surrounded by a glass curtain wall. The great room also leads directly to a patio with a zero-edge pool that overlooks the Big Rock cliffside.
Benjamin and Azyra Bequer, who are also co-authors of the 2022 book “Beqoming,” opened the 30-acre Kavanâ in April.
“Our work is about peeling back the layers of fear and self-doubt that often masquerade as truth,” Bequer said via email. “By understanding past traumas and reshaping our perceptions, we can rewrite our entire operating system from the inside out and unlock a whole different level of fulfillment and insight.”