Designer Kelly Wearstler Begins Rebuild on Carbon Beach After Palisades Fire
When the Palisades Fire tore through Malibu, the flames made no distinction between fame and anonymity – every home in its path was fair game.
For designer Kelly Wearstler, whose has owned her Carbon Beach retreat for over 20 years, this was a weekend home to get away from the noise of Beverly Hills.
Wearstler described the loss as devastating understandably: “Celebrating and creating memories is such a big part of what home is about, to me,” she wrote in her Substack essay The Malibu Diaries: How to Build Again. “And it’s hard after a big loss to try and regain it.”
Now, Wearstler is deep into a second act on Billionaire’s Beach – but getting there hasn’t been simple. Malibu’s rebuild process is notorious for delays, with many fire victims still stuck in red tape years after the 2018 Woolsey fire. Wearstler admits she had to fight harder than expected: “I had to push really hard to get this permit. It didn’t come easily.”
Despite the struggle, she was one of only two homeowners granted approval (yesterday a third permit was issued), a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed in a community where influence can often accelerate timelines.
Wearstler’s fast-tracked permit highlights the glaring inequities in Malibu’s rebuild process – inequities thrown into sharp relief when Mayor Marianne Riggins backed the ouster of Rebuild Ambassador Abe Roy. Interim City Manager Candace Bond accused Roy of ‘micromanaging’ staff, when in reality he was exposing the very practices that have derailed fire victims from securing the permits they desperately need.
Even more troubling is the fact that an expedited permit was granted for a second home – one marketed online as a $9,500-a-night vacation rental – while full-time residents who lost their primary homes are still mired in red tape.
However, Wearstler hasn’t shied away from acknowledging the persistence and privilege it took to get to this stage. The permit may have arrived sooner for her than most, but her words reflect someone who understands that the heart of a home isn’t just poured concrete or clean permits:
“To me, home is felt before it is seen – its spirit must heal for the architecture to follow.”
Wearstler is known for her fearless blend of bold lines, unexpected textures, and sensual minimalism – a style that’s made her one of the most recognizable names in design. From the Proper Hotels to collaborations with Louis Vuitton and Swarovski, her projects are global, but Malibu remains personal.
The new Carbon Beach home, she has hinted, won’t be a replica of what was lost. Instead, it’s a reimagining. “This rebuilding project continues to be deeply personal – balancing memories of our old home with fresh possibilities and honoring what we loved,” she shared in The Return to Malibu: Part 2 (Conceptual Design). Her vision leans into elemental materials – stone, glass, concrete – a structure that feels both protective and open to the ocean.
As construction moves forward, Wearstler’s Carbon Beach comeback stands as both inspiration and flashpoint – a glamorous reminder of what influence can accomplish, and a deeply personal testament to resilience.
When the doors finally open, it won’t just be a Malibu house tour. It’ll be the unveiling of a phoenix – a rebirth rebuilt with grit, and framed in the unapologetic elegance that only Kelly Wearstler can deliver.
What's Your Reaction?
