Cher and the Apartment in the Clouds: A Peaceful Retreat in the Heart of Los Angeles

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August 12, 2026

As a singer, actress, and pop-culture icon for more than six decades, Cher has always been known for her ability to continually reinvent herself. She is one of the very few artists to have succeeded across music, film, and fashion alike, while possessing a bold and almost unmistakable personal style. Perhaps that is why every home Cher has lived in carries a distinctly different character, clearly reflecting each stage of her life and creative journey.

For more than four decades, Architectural Digest has repeatedly stepped into Cher's private world, documenting the living spaces tied to each major milestone of her career. The duplex perched high above Los Angeles, featured in the July 2010 issue, marked an entirely different chapter. Gone was the showmanship typically associated with the image of an entertainment star; here was a space conceived as a quiet refuge, reflecting the balance Cher sought after years of living under the spotlight and the constant attention of the media.

A Space That Begins from the Inner World

Cher once said: "My houses are passions." For her, every home reflects what she cares about and believes in at each moment of her life.

When this project began, Buddhism had become an important part of the artist's spiritual life, and that in turn shaped the apartment's design language. Instead of the vivid colors associated with Cher's stage image, the space is enveloped in a palette of cream, ivory, and soft beige. The interiors carry an Eastern sensibility, with Tibetan Buddha statues, carved screens, Moroccan lanterns, Chinese furniture, and antique panels from India all coming together to create an atmosphere that is quiet and rich in depth.

Designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard did not set out to recreate a specific Asian style. He chose to combine pieces collected from many different cultures to create a space imbued with a contemplative and restful spirit, exactly what Cher wanted at this stage of her life.

Design That Begins with How People Actually Live

What makes the apartment special lies not only in its collected pieces or its views over Los Angeles, but in the way every design decision stems from the owner's living habits.

Cher once shared that she always wanted an apartment that felt like one enormous bedroom, since it is where she spends most of her time each day. That idea led to the entire upper floor being devoted to rest and repose, with the bedroom, a sitting area, dressing room, and bathroom linked into a single unified whole.

Even the L-shaped sofa in the living room was designed to match her familiar seated posture, with deeper-than-usual cushions so she could tuck in her legs and relax. Small details like these reveal a home created not from ready-made standards, but from the very rhythm of the person living in it.

A Collection Gathered Over Time

Inside the apartment, every object carries the mark of a different land. A gold- and silver-threaded embroidered rug from 19th-century India, a 16th-century Chinese opium bed, palace doors from Jaipur converted into a dressing room, and brass lanterns from Marrakech all coexist within a space that never feels ostentatious.

A Haven Amid the Lights of Hollywood

In the later stage of her career, as her private life became increasingly surrounded by the media and paparazzi, Cher began to see her home in a different way. She called the places she lived sanctuaries, retreats to return to after all the noise of the outside world.

Perhaps that is what makes this apartment so memorable. Not because of its antiques or its decorative style, but because every detail is oriented toward a sense of peace. This is not only where Cher lives, but also a space that lets her set aside the role of an entertainment icon and return to her own rhythm of life.

Source: Architectural Digest