Tour the Homes of Fashion Designer Sue Wong

Fashion designer Sue Wong, who has dressed stars like Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel, owns three very distinct homes: a historic estate known as The Cedars, a modern abode in Malibu, and a tropical retreat in Hawaii. Take a peek inside all three below.

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August 18, 2015

By: Susan Hornik

The Cedars: Solarium

Sue Wong worked with a team of European artisans to restore the Cedars, a grand estate built in 1921 for MGM director Maurice Tourneur. The spectacular semi-circular Solarium – rumored to have hosted Howard Hughes playing on its grand piano – is surrounded by a border of gilded Ionian columns interspersed with bas relief lions, some of the more than 140 lions found throughout the house. The dark wood and green velvet lounging chairs came from the fabled ocean liner SS Normandie.

The Cedars: Formal Dining Room

A wrought iron and frosted art deco doorway opens up to the formal dining room (decorated in the Spanish 1920s style) with an intricate gilded bas relief ceiling depicting French courtship scenes. Sue custom designed and commissioned the elaborate embroidered and beaded silk shantung drapery that frames the windows.

The Cedars: Moroccan Room

This exotic space is Sue Wong's favorite spot in the home. "The history that permeates these walls sings to me in a powerful and meditational way," she says. A jewel-encrusted carved antique archway completes the rich bohemian and arabesque mood of the room, which reputedly played host to Jimi Hendrix.

Coffee Table + Mirror

In the Moroccan room (also known as the Jimi Hendrix suite), a spectacular mirror and coffee table from Morocco are intricately detailed with inlaid bone and stones stained with henna, and are enhanced with filigree metal work.

The Cedars: Master Bedroom

Sue Wong’s private master bedroom features embroidered and hand-beaded ivory drapery by the designer, complemented by a dramatic ivory bed outfitted from English Home.

The Cedars: Dining Nook

This private dining enclave can be found just off the kitchen.

The Cedars: Library Fireplace

A gilded lion adorns the mantel of the grand sculpted fireplace, said to have been installed as an homage to the iconic lion of MGM studios. Maurice Tourneur, a silent screen MGM director and producer, built The Cedars in the 1920s.

The Cedars: Library

Sue Wong designed the desk and console in the corner of the library. The French doors are framed by magnificent Bordeaux and gold embroidered and beaded drapes, which Sue also designed.

The Cedars: Grand Ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is anchored by a dramatic fireplace topped with gilded lions, said to have been installed as an homage to the iconic lion of MGM studios. The room also includes an enormous gilt bronze screen, flanked by 1920s Spanish torchères. The painting in the 1920s mural style by Jayme Odgers was commissioned by Sue Wong to represent the Three Goddesses (Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis).

Modern Malibu Home: Gated Driveway

"My home in Malibu is an open, cerebral, minimalistic gallery-style space that houses my modern art collection," Sue says. She designed the dramatic, sculptural, metal, cubist-inspired gate at the home's entrance.

Modern Malibu Home: View

Perched high on a bluff, the loft-like estate commands 180-degree views of white sand and surf.

Modern Malibu Home: Gallery Corner

This corner showcases the work of Peter Lodato, one of the many artists/friends of the designer. In the foreground hangs Tibetan Doors, a work that signifies the major passages in a person’s life, from birth to death.

Modern Malibu Home: Whimsical Decor

This whimsical corner table is topped with a hand-painted modernist planter and flanked by cubist-inspired paintings by Jayme Odgers.

Hawaii Retreat: Tropical Touches

"My home in Kipahulu serves as my spiritual retreat," Sue says. The property is surrounded by seven acres of gorgeous, manicured, landscaped tropical gardens, featuring a statuary, fruit orchards, kaleidoscopic flowers and banana forests.

Outfitted in Balinese furniture, the living room also boasts a spectacular tropical flower arrangement sourced from the estate’s own gardens.