Drew Barrymore may be best known as an actor and talk show host, but she has quietly developed a confident eye for design. ‘Between Pinterest, thrifting and a can of paint, there’s nothing you can’t do,’ she told The Wall Street Journal. After two years of applying that philosophy to an extensive, hands-on renovation, she is now parting with her park-like home in Westchester County, which has been brought to market with Compass for just under $5 million. Barrymore purchased the 12-acre estate in Harrison, New York, in 2024 for $4.4 million, before embarking on a full-scale renovation. Drawing on the sensibility she developed through her Beautiful by Drew housewares line, she reimagined the 18th century property with modern updates while honouring its historic character.
Barrymore, who is primarily based in New York City, had been searching for a more accessible retreat, having grown tired of the long journeys to and from her former Hamptons home. Less than an hour from Manhattan, the 12-acre property in Harrison proved an ideal alternative. ‘I walked in and felt immediately that I was meant to be there, that I was meant to work on this house,’ she told The Wall Street Journal. ‘It felt almost like a strange, spiritual calling.’ Yet by the time the project, which ultimately grew more ambitious and costly than anticipated, was completed, her needs had shifted.
The house now returns to the market, its carefully considered interiors ready to be enjoyed by a new owner. Spanning 5,600 square feet, the five-bedroom main house opens with a chalet-style foyer anchored by a limestone fireplace, before unfolding into a light-filled room with soaring 30-foot ceilings and expansive windows.
Other highlights include a dark-wood kitchen that feels both spacious and inviting, a tomato-red family room with exposed beams, and a sunlit conservatory. The bedrooms are decorated in cheerful hues with patterned wallpaper adding a sense of warmth throughout. On the wooded grounds, there is also a pool house and a separate guest cottage. ‘It’s really like being in your own personal park,’ Drew told The Wall Street Journal. ‘There are tons of deer. There are pheasants, there are ducks, there are rabbits.’
