Actress Lindsey Gort and award-winning restaurateur Beau Laughlin have listed their newly built Big Bear Lake estate for 15 million dollars. This price could set a new record for residential properties in the alpine community. Gort, known for her role as Samantha Jones in "The Carrie Diaries" and Amy Quinn in "All Rise," and Laughlin conceptualised the property through their design and development firm Framework Design + Build. They collaborated with The Ranch Mine for the architecture and ORCA Design for the landscaping.
Built on a 1.6-hectare lakeside plot, this new build project represents the couple's most ambitious development to date. It encompasses over 10,000 square feet of interior space and 100 feet of shoreline along Big Bear Lake. Highlights of the property include three master suites, approximately 3,000 square feet of outdoor space, a central atrium with a courtyard, and five fireplaces. Special features include a wood-fired pizza oven and a cedar sauna. A covered outdoor dining area, a heated driveway, and a whole-home audio system underscore the luxury. A 1,600 square foot garage with a workshop completes the offering.
Architecture and Interior Design
Gort and Laughlin's Big Bear Lake residence is divided into two wings, centrally connected by a glass-encased atrium. This offers a first glimpse of the home's exterior materials, including sustainably sourced wood and natural stone. Floor-to-ceiling glass panes are set between exposed beams on both sides of the atrium, providing continuous lake views. Inside, European white oak clads the atrium walls and continues onto the beamed ceiling. Amidst the glass walls, four chairs surround a circular, indoor fire pit beneath a suspended black extraction hood.
The professional kitchen, located in one of the wings, features two large islands with Ceppo Rosa stone slabs. One offers seating on the outer edge, while the second is positioned in front of frosted glass cabinets and a wood-fired pizza oven with a brass front. Additional amenities include two Sub-Zero fridge and freezer columns, two Wolf steam ovens, a Wolf gas hob, and a wine cellar. From the kitchen, a double-return staircase leads down to the dining area, with the two stair runs opening up around an integrated bar.
The dining table is at the foot of the stairs, while the bar behind it is arranged with a long stone counter, bar stools, and a sink under a horizontal mirror on the back wall. On the other side of the dining table, the living room directly adjoins the corner glass walls, with the sofa positioned to capture lake and mountain views from both sides. Opposite the seating area, one of the home's natural stone fireplaces rises along the interior wall, adding weight and texture to the room, contrasting with the light blue water beyond the glass panes. Both the dining and living areas are decorated in a warm palette of walnut, camel, and terracotta, with wood accents on chairs, tables, and the ceiling.
Private Suites and Outdoor Areas
Distributed throughout the house are three private suites, each with water views and access to its own terrace. Upstairs, the first suite is designed so that the bed faces a glass wall leading to a terrace with lake views. In the bathroom, a long white oak vanity sits beneath an oversized horizontal mirror, with two stone washbasins and wall-mounted brass taps. Opposite the vanity, a stone bathtub extends next to a glass shower, with the same grey stone surrounding the shower walls, bench, and tub.
In the second suite, the bed abuts a full stone wall surrounding a wood-burning fireplace, and opposite, sliding doors open towards the lake. This suite's bathroom features a darker colour palette than the first, with a green double stone vanity between white oak cabinets and a large mirror spanning the entire width of the counter. To the right, the walk-in shower is lined with dark blue tiles and glazed, with a tall window above providing light.
Outside, the main living areas flow directly into the central courtyard, starting on the upper level with a covered dining area beneath the overhang. From there, the outdoor space descends via tiered pathways to the lake, framed by low planting beds, tall trees, and natural stone. Further down, a cedar plunge pool sits next to the path before the courtyard opens up to a bespoke fire pit positioned closer to the water. Wooden chairs encircle the stone fire pit with lawn and lake directly behind, while over 40 large boulders are placed in the landscaping alongside mature aspen, cedar, and pine trees. Although the current residence is a new build, the property had a long history before Gort and Laughlin acquired it.
