Inside a Rockstar’s Hollywood Hills Retreat: How $14 Million Buys Peace, Prestige, and the Power of Place

 Nestled high in the Outpost Estates neighborhood of Los Angeles, where the city’s glitter dissolves into quiet canyons, there exists a certain kind of property that transcends typical luxury. It’s not just square footage or finish that sets it apart, but a rarefied mood—one curated by silence, elevation, and history. That’s what Dave Keuning, lead guitarist of The Killers, and his wife Emilie discovered when they settled into their Spanish Contemporary home several years ago. Now, as the couple prepares to pass the keys to someone new, the $14 million estate they’re leaving behind offers more than architecture—it presents a lifestyle defined by privacy, narrative, and the kind of soft glamour only the Hills can offer 🌴.

The climb into Outpost Estates is almost mythic. Every local who’s made that winding drive off Franklin knows the shift it triggers. One moment you’re amid the chaos of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and the next you’re climbing into quiet. The roads narrow, the homes grow grander, and the chatter of tourists fades into birdsong. In many ways, it’s less about driving to a destination than about arriving at a different frequency entirely. For the Keunings, who bought the home from Grindr’s founder, this change of pace was key. Emilie, an interior designer by trade, needed a canvas; Dave needed quiet. The Hills gave them both.

While many associate luxury real estate with gleaming surfaces and showy finishes, there’s something altogether more refined about homes like this one. Spread across 8,400 square feet, the estate doesn't scream for attention. Instead, it invites you to lean in, much like one of Dave’s signature guitar solos—precise, evocative, and deeply considered. Emilie’s hand in the redesign is everywhere, though never in a way that dominates. Think European oak floors that feel like they’ve been there forever, sculptural lighting that catches the sunset in all the right ways, and arched thresholds that frame the landscape like a living oil painting.

Buyers exploring real estate at this level—especially those seeking trophy properties in Los Angeles—aren’t just investing in bricks and mortar. They’re purchasing sanctuary. They want to know their neighbors aren't nosy, that their gate means something, and that the person pulling into the next driveway understands the unspoken rules of elevation: quiet, discretion, and distinction. That’s part of what makes Outpost Estates a gem in the crown of the Hollywood Hills. While nearby neighborhoods like Bird Streets and Beverly Hills Post Office are well-known for flash, Outpost offers restraint, depth, and above all, a storied past. 🏡

It’s not uncommon to bump into a quiet celebrity here—although, more accurately, it’s not uncommon not to notice them at all. The foliage is too thick, the properties too well-spaced, the architecture too cleverly veiled. It’s the kind of area where old Hollywood royalty once lived side by side with avant-garde filmmakers and reclusive writers. The Keunings’ home nods to that lineage without feeling like a museum. It’s lived-in, but not worn; historic, but not dated. And that balance is notoriously difficult to strike in Los Angeles real estate, where the temptation to raze and rebuild often overshadows thoughtful renovation.

There’s a special kind of allure in homes that have stories to tell—especially when they’ve been told quietly. While Dave’s name might be known to millions, there’s nothing ostentatious about the way he and Emilie lived here. The music room, tucked away from the main entertaining spaces, speaks to purpose rather than performance. A warm light floods the space, and the acoustics—helped by thick walls and layered textures—make it a sanctuary in every sense. Buyers seeking a luxury home office or creative studio would immediately understand its value, not just as a room, but as a concept. A place to retreat, think, and create. 🎶

What also distinguishes this estate is how it navigates the indoors-outdoors dance so well. In Los Angeles, real estate that doesn’t blur those lines is already at a disadvantage. Here, the main living room opens effortlessly to a veranda that feels suspended above the city. At dusk, the lights below sparkle like a constellation, but the air is still and hushed. Emilie often described these twilight hours as the estate’s finest offering—when the house seemed to float above it all, yet still remain grounded in something tangible.

Luxury buyers today—especially those coming from New York, London, or the Bay Area—aren’t just chasing prestige. They want livability. And that’s where high-end real estate has evolved most. It’s no longer enough to have Italian marble or a 12-car garage (though this home does offer a three-car setup and generous guest parking). Buyers now expect integrated technology, sustainable materials, and thoughtful flow. In the Keuning estate, all those modern expectations are met, but in a way that feels invisible. The automation system doesn’t glow aggressively in the night; it just works. The energy-efficient windows don’t scream “green,” but you feel their benefits when July heat meets your air-conditioned calm 😌.

One of the most compelling aspects of this particular property is how it responds to its surroundings. Too often, hillside homes are built to dominate their plot, not inhabit it. Here, the house wraps itself around the land, its terraces terraced like the geography itself. From the primary suite, the view doesn’t just look out over Los Angeles—it embraces it. On clear days, you can trace the coast. On cloudy ones, the mist rolls through like something cinematic. That interplay between house and horizon is where the home’s real value lies.

Anecdotally, the couple shared that some of their most memorable nights weren’t glamorous parties or industry soirées, but small dinners on the patio with just a few friends and the city sparkling below. There’s a certain kind of intimacy that wealth can afford, and in homes like this, it’s not about size—it’s about space. Space to think, to breathe, to be. That might be the greatest luxury of all.

In real estate conversations, there’s always a tendency to focus on numbers: price per square foot, lot size, resale value. And while those metrics matter—especially in the high-stakes game of Los Angeles luxury housing—they don’t always tell the whole story. A home like this sells not just because of its finishes or features, but because of its feeling. That hush you feel when you walk through the arched entry. That catch in your breath when you see the view. That sense that you’ve arrived, not just at a property, but at a version of yourself you’d always hoped to inhabit.

For those navigating the high-end real estate market, whether as seasoned investors or first-time luxury buyers, this kind of emotional resonance is becoming the new benchmark. It’s no longer just about being in the right ZIP code; it’s about the energy of a space, the history it holds, and the future it can offer. The Keunings’ estate, now looking for its next chapter, delivers on all those fronts with grace.

Even in a city as sprawling and saturated as Los Angeles, some homes still manage to feel like secrets. Not because they’re hidden, but because they whisper instead of shout. For $14 million, the buyer of this Outpost Estates property won’t just be acquiring a home—they’ll be inheriting a legacy, a mood, and a masterclass in how to live luxuriously without ever raising your voice. 🕯️