HOMESTYLES OF THE RICH & GATED

......Find out how the stars live and uncover the glamorous lifestyles behind “Homestyles of the Rich and Gated.”

BEVERLY JOHNSON

“Good morning”, she said with captivating energy, drawing me in to the privacy of her world.

Looking far younger than her fifty five years, with style and grace, Beverly Johnson definitely has the look.

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York by her father, a steel worker and mother, a stay at home mom who eventually became a nurse, Miss Johnson was raised in a beautiful home with strong values. A good student, a competitive swimmer with aspirations to become a lawyer, Miss Johnson was drawn to modeling because she said ‘I knew the value of the dollar and I wanted a lot of them and I wanted to make a lot of them’. Miss Johnson’s hard work won her fast recognition, when photographed by Scavullo, she was the first African American model in history to grace the cover of Vogue Magazine in the early 70’s.

Miss Johnson still remains one of America’s top Supermodels. She is a philanthropist with a passion for education and an author of three books. Johnson also proved her acting ability while working with such notables as Michael Caine, William Holden, Dan Aykroyd and Samuel Jackson, just to name a few. Beverly also owns the top five company for hair extensions and wigs called The Beverly Johnson Hair Collection. In her free time Johnson enjoys improving her 14 handicap golf game, that is, when she is not travelling to New York for her newest venture as a celebrity judge to choose the next supermodel over the age of 35 on the TV Land series, “She’s Got the Look."

- Office -

Walking through the house I noticed countless informal photos of recognizables from the world of business, politics and the film industry with an eclectic collection of oriental and modern art.

FB Are you a minimalist or a collector of chat skis?
BJ I don’t like clutter. I like cozy and comfort. I recognized the importance of color and light when I was bi-coastal with two homes. My apartment in New York overlooking the Park was filled with color as was my place in L.A. which overlooked a beautiful canyon. Color sets the mood and makes me feel alive. I can’t live with or adjust to all the beige used in the desert homes. I don’t like clutter but I’m not a minimalist either. Though I am not really a craft and ‘artsy’ person I do love those things which I have collected. In fact I think I have too many things as it is.

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- Pool Time -

FB Amongst some formidable oriental pieces, I notice you are surrounded with some wonderful art.
BJ All the art in this house is very special to me. I did not grow up with a lot of it but was introduced to the arts when I started modeling. It was an incredible era. I was very lucky to become friends with artists like, Andy Warhol, Keith Herring, Armon, so many of these were given to me. Who knew at the time how valuable they were to become.

Noticing the walls of her offices lined with book, I asked her about her favorite authors.

BJ I’ve done enough of the ‘self help’ books. I look for anything from the Classics to Autobiographies. I just finished Queen Elizabeth and now I’m reading Audition by Barbara Walters. Some more favorites I would choose are John Adams, all of Hemmingway and Keats to name a few.

FB If you were having a bad day, which would be your favorite room to hunker down in?
BJ First of all the best part of this house is that there is not a room that is not comfortable and used at all times. I would say on a rough day I’d use the living room. It’s large and airy, stretching some thousand square feet to the bar and dining area, with wall to wall, ceiling to floor glass doors that look to the most beautiful view of the golf course and mountains. There I will sit in front of that huge flat screen television watching my favorites, (aside from, of course, TV Land’s ‘She’s Got the Look’), CNN or the Golf Channel and tell myself, ‘Don’t you dare feel sorry for yourself’

On entertaining, Miss Johnson loves surrounding herself with any number of friends. Table conversation is always good when it’s about life and the people she’s with, listening to her friends talking about themselves. She prefers to avoid subjects like Politics and Religion. Humor is crucial and Miss Johnson possesses a great sense of humor about herself. Dress is normally formal as it elevates the quality of the evening and Johnson loves to dress up. Food is usually catered though on less formal occasions, Johnson likes to emulate Rachael Ray’s talent for throwing things together.

On the best evening alone, Miss Johnson feels it’s important to treat yourself well. A beautifully set table with a tin of good caviar, toast, lemon and whipped butter, some salmon and a light salad, good music and something beautiful to drink.

A sexy evening for two would be very formal at opposite ends of the large dining room table in elegant attire. Food would be bought that day at Jensen’s, brought home and put on the stove as though she had cooked it.

- Living, dining great room for dinner -

- Bedroom resting -

FB If you were to escape, where would you go?
BJ I read. With books you are never lonely. They’re my friends. I get my inspiration from them. I can go anywhere in the world with a book. I’m an early to bed and an early to rise person. I like to sleep a lot and I like to read a lot. I try to read at least two hours before I sleep and two when I wake up.
FB Do you take showers or baths?
BJ I take showers. I used to love the smaller old fashioned baths, but now they are too big with too many gadgets to fiddle with.

How does Beverly Johnson look as good as she does? She eats healthy, exercises both body and brain with a positive outlook on life and a sense of humor.
No wonder "She’s Got the Look."

- Dressing room prep for dinner -

Written by Francesca Bowyer
All Photographs © & ® 2008 by James Binder

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and put on the stove as though she had cooked it.