Kal Penn Lists Contemporary Home in the Hollywood Hills (EXCLUSIVE)

By Mark David

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Politically engaged actor Kal Penn, best known as Kumar in the hilariously low-brow “Harold & Kumar” comedy film franchise, has put a mid-century contemporary on a slim cul-de-sac in a particularly celeb-packed pocket of the Hollywood Hills up for sale at a tetch under $1.5 million. Penn, who worked in the White House Office of Pubic Engagement during the Obama administration, has owned the approximately 1,600-square-foot, steel-gray stucco hillside home since late 2007, when he scooped it up for close to $1.2 million. There are two and potentially three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

With shallow-vaulted exposed-beam ceilings and honey-blonde hardwood floors throughout, the single-story residence sits well above the street atop a single-car garage behind a secured entrance gate at the top of a lengthy stairway. It’s another flight of steps from the gate up to a wide foyer with built-in bookshelves that leads to open-concept living and dining spaces. These, in turn, tumble out through glass doors to a spacious concrete terrace that hovers in the surrounding treetops and wraps around the side of the house to a trellis-covered dining deck.

An off-center fireplace with a floating raised hearth anchors the living room; the window-wrapped dining area is completely open to a skylight-topped kitchen that’s arranged around a center island snack bar with open shelving and up-to-date, average-quality stainless steel appliances.

One of the two guest bedrooms is en suite with an ordinary bathroom slathered in white ceramic tiles. A second guest bedroom is incorporated as a den/office into the bilevel master suite that additionally offers a fairly tight and somewhat outdated but well-maintained and bidet-equipped bathroom as well as a petite dressing area with glass sliders to a private patio and hot tub.

listing photos:  Re/Max