Lowe-ring the asking price

Actor Rob Lowe’s verdant three-acre estate in Montecito, California, is going back up for sale with a new price following lack of interest.

The 55-year-old Brat Packer and “West Wing” star and his wife, jewellery designer Sheryl Lowe, who once asked $47 million for the palatial Georgian-style mansion, plan to list the home again on Monday for $42.5 million.

The couple purchased a slice of land nestled in a neighbourhood of grand homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains in 2005 for roughly $7.5 million, according to county property records, and set to work on building an imposing home that draws from traditional East Coast American architecture, images of the property show.

A dramatic, column-lined portico looms over the front walk to the 10,000-square-foot house, which blends traditional design flourishes—like handmade crown moulding and millwork—with modern amenities, including a home theatre, swimming pool and catering kitchen, according to information provided by The Agency, which is now marketing the home.

In total, the two-storey home, named the Oakview Estate, features six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms and over a dozen French doors that open onto a veranda that spans most of the back of the house.

At Mr. Lowe’s request, Santa Barbara-based architect Don Nulty drew inspiration for the house from Mount Vernon, the 18th-century Virginia estate of President George Washington, Architectural Digest reported in a 2010 profile of the home. That’s apparent in the sweeping staircase and numerous wood-burning fireplaces.

They also Feng Shui-ed the decor—a neutral palette of blacks, white and grey—with the help of expert David Cho.

The home’s back porch overlooks a rolling lawn that features lavender garden paths, a pool and a mature oak tree for which Oakview Estate is named.