Some of the artwork in Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s California home has a fascinating backstory. The “Cravings” cookbook author and her Grammy Award-winning husband shared an anecdote about an art installation in their house for a tour video by Architectural Digest, published on Tuesday.
“This used to be a full wall with a fireplace, but we didn’t like it,” said Legend, pointing to two columns at their Beverly Hills property. He explained that the fireplace felt fake and cheesy, so they decided to replace it with two pillars. Teigen chimed in and mentioned that she had taken therapeutic ketamine, which inspired her idea for the artwork. She suggested having two beautiful butterfly wings holding up their house.
The couple’s designer interpreted and executed the idea, resulting in butterfly-inspired artwork that resembles a combination of butterflies and flowers. The delicate, hand-painted pieces move when touched. Teigen also shared that she has a butterfly tattoo based on a drawing by her daughter Luna.
In the video, Legend and Teigen also showcased an olive tree inside their home and jokingly claimed to have “embalmed” it. They explained that they were inspired by a tree in designer Kelly Wearstler’s Malibu house and wanted to have a similar feature in their own home. The olive tree is no longer alive, but its roots were planted deep in the ground, and it now has silk leaves that are attached to the tree and do not fall off.
To see the artwork and the olive tree, you can watch the tour video provided above.