Despite coronavirus woes, Grammy Award-nominated Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders has nonetheless reaped a small fortune in profit by unloading his Los Angeles cottage. The 3,000 sq. ft. quintessential California bungalow sold in a bidding war for $3.1 million, $130,000 over the asking price and a whopping $800,000 more than he originally paid five years ago, back in May 2015.
The bidding war may — or may not — have had something to do with the home’s impressive Hollywood pedigree. Back in the mid-to-late aughts, the house was owned by three-time Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo, who sold the property in 2009 to quirky actor-musician Zooey Deschanel and her then-husband, Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. After the couple split, Deschanel handed over the keys to Helders.
Property records reveal the new owner is film producer Greg Shapiro, who co-produced “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Serenity,” plus sports dozens more production credits to his name. Back in 2008, Shapiro took home an Academy Award for his work on “The Hurt Locker.”
The scenic, park-like estate spans a full half-acre and is privately sequestered behind gates and watched over by a high-tech security system with a bevy of cameras. There’s also a smart home automation system, so Shapiro will be able to control the lights and audiovisual equipment while on the go, from the touch of his smartphone.
Inside, there are adjoining living and dining rooms, plus a breakfast room and kitchen jazzed up with bold, blue-and-cream tile floors, custom cabinetry and an imported stove — likely a La Cornue — that probably cost more than the average new car.
Elsewhere on the property is a vegetable garden for truly sustainable living, a quaint guest cottage with a bath, and a tree-shrouded backyard with hidden pathways, cozy terraces and lush plantings.
Helders has moved on to the hills of hipster-friendly Silver Lake, over on L.A.’s Eastside, where last year he paid $1.55 million for a midcentury home that’s currently a bit down on her luck but carries loads of potential.
Cari Field at ACME Real Estate held the listing; Learka Bosnak at Douglas Elliman repped Shapiro.