When the lead guitarist for Imagine Dragons, Wayne Sermon, and his wife, Alexandra, were looking for their forever family home, they had just one search criterion on Zillow: acreage. After being “vagabonds” for 15 years due to Wayne’s touring schedule with his band, the couple craved space and roots. What they discovered was an unexpected oasis: a six-acre property in a horse-filled community south of Los Angeles, complete with a barn, guesthouse, and sweeping views.
“We went and just drove up to this hill up here, and thought, ‘What is this magical place?’” recalls Wayne, who grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. “I felt like in some way I was able to get the best parts of what I loved growing up in Utah, here in California.” For Wayne, the expansive property offered a familiar connection to his childhood, where his sister had horses.
While Wayne admits to initial hesitation about the extensive renovations needed, Alexandra, who grew up in Huntington Beach, immediately saw the potential of the home, which exists in a single story. “The layout just felt very conducive to keeping our family kind of close-knit and together,” she explains. “A lot of things that you look at on big properties are just these McMansions, and I’m just not drawn to that. It doesn’t feel warm, it doesn’t feel cozy.”
For the renovation, the couple enlisted AD PRO Directory firm FORMM. The architecture and interior design studio is headed by husband and wife team Michael Maciocia and Heather Docherty, creative director and design director, respectively. (Alexandra knew Docherty back when they were studying ballet.) One of their primary objectives was flooding the space with natural light. “Some of these vaulted ceilings were covered up,” Maciocia notes. “The addition of the skylights and their views over South Bay and LA and beyond was important.”
