Comedian Anthony Jeselnik Designs Home for His Dog

Comedian Anthony Jeselnik’s Hollywood Hills home is a unique space that reflects his personality and sense of humor. According to Jeselnik, “The idea of having a normal person’s house is grotesque to me.” He’s sitting in his home office, which features large windows and an open layout.

Jeselnik previously lived in a condo on the busy corner of Hollywood and Vine, but after rescuing an Akita mix named Rummy, he decided to find a home that prioritized work and space for his dog.

Jeselnik hired LA’s Riccio Vidaurre Design to work on the project, choosing them just a month after they launched. Initially, he considered avant-garde designs, but ultimately decided to tone it down, asking for “a little less Tim Burton and a little more James Dean.”

Riccio and Vidaurre, the founders of the design firm, recalibrated their approach to create a space that reflected Jeselnik’s bold humor with understated, masculine palettes. The goal was to create an atmosphere that felt rock-and-roll but still livable, where parents could visit without too much explaining. They achieved this by incorporating Jeselnik’s art collection, which includes pieces that tend to spark conversation, such as a photograph by Rachel Hulin depicting her infant son in midflight and a magenta screen print by Andy Warhol of an electric chair.

These artworks inspired the color palettes for certain rooms, like a green-drenched den that borrowed colors and geometry from a Josef Albers piece. Jeselnik’s moody bedroom features chocolate brown Roman clay walls, a high-texture finish that nods to ocean waters in a photograph by Corey Arnold.

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Other spaces, such as the living room, channel the effortlessly cool, brooding character of a 1950s movie star. A bespoke fireplace design features a simple geometric arrangement of glazed tiles capped with bronze domes, over which a painting by Jeselnik’s friend, comedian and artist Rory Scovel, now hangs. The design firm studied and mapped out each room to ensure there was space for a dog bed, except for the office, which Jeselnik reserved for himself.

This attention to detail allowed Jeselnik to have a home that truly reflected his personality and priorities. He gave Riccio and Vidaurre free rein to design the home, choosing not to see it until it was completely finished.

He even waited a few weeks to move in, wanting the full experience of walking into a completed space. For visitors, especially those familiar with his brand of comedy, the home may not come as a surprise, as Jeselnik says, “I want people to walk in this house and be like, Of course this motherfucker lives in a place like this.”

Jeselnik and Rummy can enjoy their unique home, which features a mix of bold humor and understated elegance. The home’s design shows the success of Riccio and Vidaurre’s approach, which balanced Jeselnik’s personality with a livable and functional space, creating a space that is truly reflective of the people who live there.