On television, Shane West is firmly entrenched in the 17th century: He stars in the Gothic-tinged, supernaturally charged Salem, WGN’s runaway TV series inspired by the Salem witch trials. But when it comes to his off time, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana–bred actor loves his modern L.A. life. Read on to hear what West, who spoke to Architectural Digest from the Savannah Film Festival—where the cast of Salem was doing a panel—has to say about his new Japanese Craftsman home and the collectible Star Wars Action figure he’d consider risking life and limb for.
What’s your living situation like when you’re filming Salem? I definitely live in Los Angeles, and I just end up renting property when I go out of town. In this case, it's the third season of Salem, and we shoot in Shreveport, Louisiana. So far, every year I’ve gone back, I’ve rented the same house. It’s nice to go back to something that's familiar.
What’s your home-away-from-home like? It’s just a couple bedrooms, but it's pretty cute. It feels like a little bit propped up, so it’s a little cookie-cutter in that sense, but it’s got a Southern feel to it. So I bring more books than usual, more DVDs, and a few video game systems—even though I'm terrible at video games. I always have a couple of guitars and more stuff than I actually need for four months to help liven up the home and make it feel more like me. I like doing cross-country drives, so I usually make a trip of it. It makes packing incredibly easy because I just throw everything in the back of my car.
Are there any props from Salem that you wish you could take home? Everything! I'm very proud of the show to begin with, but the set design, the costumes, are honestly top-notch. The fact that it hasn't been acknowledged by the Golden Globes, or any type of situation like that, for at least set design is criminal. We've literally built the town of Salem from back then. It’s big. We've got these wonderful homes and bridges, and cobblestone streets—it's just gorgeous. It’s hands-down the best set that I've ever had. It makes it very easy to go to work. If you're having a bad day, or if you're exhausted, or you're sick, or whatever it is, you put on your costume, you walk out onto this huge set, and it puts a smile on your face. You get right into character. I always call it “no acting included.” Bam, you're teleported back to that time.
We know you just moved into a new house, back in Los Angeles. What’s it like? I'm very excited. I lived up in Beachwood Canyon for ten years in a Spanish villa type of home, and I've now switched to something I feel a lot more comfortable in—an old Japanese Craftsman home.
What inspired the move? It was really a lot of things. It was time to start living in a real home. I enjoyed my Beachwood Canyon home, but it was a very oddly designed place. It was too big for me, too big for a bachelor. It had six flights of stairs, which was just ridiculous, and four bedrooms, which you could even stretch to five. I never really liked living there alone, so I was always taking care of friends. I wanted to downgrade to something smaller, something not so wild and crazy. I loved living in the Hills, but I wanted to trade it for walkability. Now I can actually walk to grocery stores, bars, and restaurants.
Were you looking for an old Craftsman, or did you just fall in love with it when you saw it? I was leaving everything open in my head, but I did fall in love with it. I wasn’t looking for a specific style of house. I just said, ‘Show me anything in my price range.’ I shopped smartly and slowly and took my time. I was in a park one day near the house and I saw the “For Sale” sign. It needed a little bit of work, so I let it go. Then it came back on the market cheaper, and I committed.
How’s the decor coming along? I'm very open. Being a single guy, and not being a big architecture guy growing up, it's something I’ve gotten more interested in over the past five years. I'm open to a ton of suggestions, and, at this point, I have a lot of decisions to make on furniture. We're in the process of painting some of the rooms right now, and I'm using a woman named Mariah O'Brien. (She's on Instagram at Mariah O'Brien Interiors.) She's phenomenal. She's helped stage my old home to sell that, and that's how we got to know each other. She's in love with the house and very happy to be working on it.
What's your favorite thing that you've purchased for the home so far? So far, I'm really starting from scratch, with big pieces. My favorite, as funny as this might sound, is the refrigerator. They did not leave the old refrigerator in this house, so I had to get one. It feels like a very retro kitchen. It's got a cool ’50s type of feel. I went for a retro-style refrigerator from a company called Big Chill. It's like a light mint-green. And the cabinets, which were all built-in, are gorgeous and are a light mint-green, too. I think they’re really going to make the kitchen pop.
As an actor, and just as a creative person, are you very sensitive to your environment? Absolutely. For me, cozy is a major thing. If you feel that way, you feel comfortable really doing anything. I like warm, inviting colors. I like dark woods, dark floors, lots of plants. If you're working on a project five to six days a week, whether it's a series or a film, when you come home you basically study and go back to work the next day. So I come home, pick up a script, kick my shoes off, and start learning my stuff for the next day. Maybe I’ll make myself a drink and enjoy the coziness of the home.
- Celebrity StyleInside Bad Bunny’s Houses: Where the Latin Superstar Lives
Being a bachelor, do you entertain a lot? I did a lot in my old house, and I like that, but I also like being alone. I guess that's a true Gemini. I plan on it with this new home. I plan on building a pool over time; I want to do a black-bottom pool. There are great plans for the backyard. I want to be able to have some dinner parties. At this point I'm talking 10 to 15 people. I don't want to have crazy blowouts anymore.
What's usually on your bedside table? That's a funny question right now because currently I don't have one. I'm getting rid of it. But I keep it simple. I usually have a small lamp, but I'm going to start over with that, too. I'll have some books; I'm usually reading two at once. Right now I'm happy to be reading The Postman Always Rings Twice. I'm also reading a cool book called Dog Soldiers, which I’m really enjoying. And I have a small elephant figurine for good luck on the side of the bed that my best friend gave me, and probably a candle of some sort. I'm a candle guy. I like candles all around the house.
What's the first thing you do when you get home? I like ambience, so I usually put on iTunes on my computer almost immediately, and put my songs on shuffle to have something in the background. I turn the TV on—it doesn't matter what's on—just to have some noise. Then I sit down and relax, check emails for a little bit, and zone out. I might make a shake or a juice. I give myself my alone time for about 30 minutes. Then I have to do whatever the heck else I might have to do.
What have you been listening to as of late? There's this band called Daughter. They're actually playing pretty soon in Los Angeles, but their album is The Wild Youth. It's beautiful and haunting. Then there's this hard-rock band that's a lot of fun called Ghost B.C. Those two bands are polar opposites, but that's typical for me with music.
If you had to save one thing in your house, what would it be? Well, the responsible answer would be my wallet, but probably my leather jacket, from All Saints, which I love. On the way out the door, that would at least make some sense. I guess my ridiculous answer, or an irresponsible answer, would be, one of the things I've always loved from The Empire Strikes Back—my Bobba Fett action figure that's still in the package. That would be worth a lot at this point. I remember buying it for 100 bucks, or something, 25 years ago. That's totally something I'd probably run back for.
