In several episodes of the FXX comedy Dave, pop hitmaker Benny Blanco welcomes the titular rapper Dave Burd (a.k.a. Lil Dicky) into his cavernous Los Angeles mansion and the two spend some quality time talking shop and goofing off in its expanse. Itâs depicted as a glassy modern estateâfitting for a successful super producer like Blanco, who plays a version of himself in the showâbut the down-to-earth music mavenâs IRL Casa Blanco is a warmer, brighter abode than its TV stand-in.
Blanco chose the 1939-built LA dwelling primarily for its convenient location near his studio, where he routinely writes and produces popular tunes, like âSpecialâ from SZAâs Grammy-winning album SOS and âSingle Soon,â a dance-pop track by multihyphenate superstar (and Blancoâs girlfriend) Selena Gomez. Despite its proximity to his work, he wanted the house to represent a peaceful retreat from the daily grind. âI need separation,â Blanco tells AD via Zoom while posted up in his bedroom. âOtherwise, I’m waking up at 3 a.m. and going to the other room to make a song.â
He snapped up the pad in 2019 and made himself at home bit by bit, with the help of Rachel Leigh Ward and Dana M. Vitrano of BonVivant Interiors and designer Keefe Butler of Studio BAD, who describes his involvement in the houseâs reimagining as more of a supporting role to Blancoâs creative lead. The resulting space certainly looks like the fruit of Blancoâs all-play, no-work design brief, with an alfresco dining paradise out back; a dreamy, Mariah Careyâworthy dressing room (as Blanco quips, âDonât we all want to be Mariah?â); and a guesthouse-turned-movie theater, outfitted with crimson velvet-tufted walls and the candy bar of Blancoâs childhood fantasiesâa big hit with friendsâ little ones. âAll the kids call it âthe candy room,ââ he says. âThey run out with candy bursting from their pockets, and theyâre screaming [because] theyâve eaten so much sugar. Their parents probably hate me.â
Butler explains that Old Hollywood and Parisâ Odéon theater were among the references he used for the home cinema. Blanco nods to similar themes in different words, envisioning the theater as âa Parisian brothel,â aesthetically speaking. Itâs an undeniably sumptuous room, though Butler, who has worked with Blanco on several projects over the years, notes that âluxury not for the sake of luxury, but for the sake of hospitalityâ is the musicianâs modus operandi. âHeâs so much the host,â the designer says.