Randy and Alecia Spendlove Have a Passion & A Talent for Transforming Properties, Including Their Latest in Toluca Lake

Above A floating travertine staircase leads to a lofted space with two rooms where the couple’s son Brandon, 19, and daughter Alex, 17, rule the roost. The painting is by Nacho Moya, who is from Randy’s hometown of Gilroy, California.

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They spent a decade living in The Summit, an upscale gated community on Mulholland Drive. While the privacy and views were lovely, the couple says the sense of community was nil. They eventually moved to Encino, buying an 11,000-square-foot estate once owned by Tom Petty—which Randy admits was part of the attraction. Randy is a Grammy Award-winning producer and president of worldwide music at Paramount Pictures.

He and Alecia, a commercial actor, started renovations on the Encino home, but felt “it was just too big for us and our two kids,” recalls Alecia. Plus they felt a need to be closer to the energy and studios of the East Valley and Hollywood. In 2020, they discovered a five-bedroom, seven-bath home in Toluca Lake. It was a prized lot, with direct views of the 11th hole at Lakeside Golf Club. The home was originally built in 1951 by the Von der Ahe family, founders of the Vons supermarket chain. But the 6,200-square-foot structure was hardly perfect.

“It was choppy and nondescript,” says Randy. “But it didn’t matter what condition the house was in. We saw what it could be.”

Above The kitchen features custom walnut cabinetry and lots of seating with dual islands. The painting above the console is by Asher Penn. 

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This wasn’t their first rodeo. Randy and Alecia also own a home in Santa Barbara and have renovated several properties. With help from a construction crew they’ve worked with for years, the initial task was reconfiguring the first floor, removing walls and transforming dark, confined rooms into larger, more appealing spaces.

Forgoing any kind of structural change, Randy says he focused on adding natural and modern elements.

“We took steel, stone, and wood and brought those elements together, like an orchestra. Like what I do for a living. I have a producer’s mentality,” he laughs.

Above Randy in the family room with one of his guitars. Part of Randy’s guitar collection hangs on the walls. In his earlier years, he was a session and touring musician. On the wall behind him: black-and-white photographs by Brian Bowen Smith (left) and Wolf Ademeit.

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Today the house has a breezy, open vibe. A grand piano graces the sitting area at the entry. Folding Fleetwood doors in the adjacent living room reveal epic views of the golf course. The kitchen is open. Flecked cream travertine floors flow throughout, and one-of-a-kind furniture pieces made with petrified wood warm up the space. These include a console and a glass-topped coffee table, both of which feature petrified tree roots as their base. It all feels organic and warm.

“We love creating a home where our friends feel welcome and our kids feel comfortable,” says Alecia. “And, of course, there’s always the music element.”

Even on our midweek, midmorning visit, instrumental tunes played through a built-in sound system, and the flames of a water vapor fireplace glowed blue and purple. A gentle breeze came through the patio doors, and the family’s dogs wandered or lazed about.

“These things keep movement in the house,” Randy says. “I hate stillness; I like to come home and feel like the house is ‘on.’”

The couple’s art collection adds energy too. A wall features large-scale photos by renowned photographer and family friend Brian Bowen Smith. Stroll down the hallway and you’ll pass an iconic set of Beatles lithographs by Richard Avedon. More music gods adorn the walls in a great room at one end of the house that overlooks a pool and deck—a very young Johnny Cash, and Guns N’ Roses at Canter’s Deli “just before they got signed; they have no idea what’s about to happen,” Randy quips.

The Spendloves call their home a work in progress. Similarly, they are orchestrating projects in every direction. They are investors in Verse, an upscale North Hollywood supper club and live-music venue, and a few years ago they purchased a ranch in Los Olivos with their friend Jennifer Wood. That enterprise has since become Olive + Lavender Farms, a property filled with olive trees that produces and sells artisanal olive oils.

Alecia says that whether she’s hosting olive oil tastings or teaching yoga, the farm is her “happy place.” And she’s working on expanding activities there. “I’d love to offer goat yoga!” Like the couple’s other properties, the vision has materialized, and it continues to grow.