The couple behind L.A.’s cult-favorite (and famously expensive) Erewhon markets, Anthony and Josephine Antoci, have taken in $28.5 million on the sale of an ultra-modern mansion in Bel Air—more than $6 million above what they paid just over a year ago. It seems the couple spent little, if any, time there: they put the place up for rent almost as soon as they signed the deed, and it was last priced at $200,000 per month.
Records reveal the new owner as entrepreneur Dara Mir, better known to pop culture enthusiasts as the soon-to-be-ex-husband of attorney, businesswoman, and reality TV star Lily Ghalichi. Mir appears to have scored a deal, ultimately getting the hillside spread for $4.5 million less than the final asking price, not to mention $8.5 million below the original ask of almost $37 million.
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In addition to the sculptural staircase, an elevator stops at each of the home’s three floors.
Anthony Barcelo
The Sarbonne Road residence, with six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in about 15,000 square feet, is well known among high-end property watchers in Los Angeles. An entity tied to Nigerian businessman Kola Aluko acquired the one-acre hillside property in 2012 for $24.5 million. At some later point, Thomas Flohr, founder of the private jet company VistaJet, became the owner in some kind of off-market deal to settle a debt with Aluko, according to a report in the Real Deal.
When Aluko ran afoul of the U.S. government over claims that he defrauded the Nigerian government out of more than a billion dollars, the Department of Justice attempted to seize the property, which had already been transferred to Flohr. According to reports, Flohr managed to stave off a seizure by paying $16 million for the property. The private aviation tycoon promptly re-listed the place at $63 million, a wildly optimistic number that plummeted to $39.9 million before the Antocis came along and, in May 2024, scooped up the pad for a massively discounted $22.5 million.
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A gated driveway climbs to a circular motor court, where a curved stairway leads to the main entrance. A wooden door set in a corner of glass framed by towering walls of rough-cut limestone blocks opens to a triple-height entrance hall. Interior spaces are defined by soaring 16-foot ceilings, travertine floors, a sculptural staircase, and disappearing walls of glass. An elevator means moving between the home’s three floors takes no more effort than the push of a couple of buttons.
The six-bedroom home’s 10 bathrooms include two in the primary suite.
Anthony Barcelo
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A formal living room with a wet bar and linear fireplace and a city-view formal dining room are accompanied by a spacious great room that opens to the pool and incorporates a casual lounge, a dining space, and a sleek family kitchen. (There’s a secondary chef’s kitchen for making a mess.)
Other highlights include a wood-paneled study, a screening room with another wet bar, and a fitness/wellness center with a gym. A spa sits alongside a slender infinity-edge lap pool, while a huge terrace with panoramic views over L.A. is shaded by nine mature olive trees.
Kevin Booker, David Parnes, and James Harris of Carolwood Estates repped the sellers; Tyrone McKillen and Andrew Hurley of Plus Real Estate represented the buyers.
Click here for more photos of the L.A. residence.
Anthony Barcelo