All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
From 1990 to 1996, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air gripped Americans. And the Fresh Prince of Bel Air house remains a heartwarmingly nostalgic image in our cultural consciousness even to this day. The laugh-out-loud series aired on NBC and followed Will Smith (played by Will Smith), a teenager who grows up in West Philadelphia, gets in one little fight, and is sent by his mother to live in Bel-Air with his wealthy relatives: Uncle Phil, Aunt Vivian, Hilary, and, of course, Carlton. And while the ensemble cast was award-winning, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air house was the real star of the show. Those who have seen the show easily recall the famous intro and theme song, when Smith lands in Los Angeles, hops in a yellow cab, and is dropped off in front of his new home—a picture-perfect mansion tucked behind an iron gate. Read on for a glimpse into the real life home where the Banks family lived in the famous ’90s television sensation.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air house
While the interior scenes of the iconic sitcom were filmed on a soundstage, the exterior shots were that of a real mansion in Los Angeles County, California. But the home wasn’t in Bel-Air like we were led to believe—the 6,438-square-feet mansion is actually located in another one of Los Angeles’s most affluent neighborhoods, Brentwood. The two-story home is both neoclassical and Colonial, boasting a perfectly symmetrical facade with four columns and triangular pediments over the windows. While the Banks’s house on the show is said to have 10 bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, the real home has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The value is currently $9 million, according to Veranda.
The Fresh Prince takes on Airbnb
Three decades after the show’s final episode, Will Smith brought the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion back to life by teaming up with Airbnb. In 2020, fans were offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a night living like the Banks family. Smith and Airbnb offered five one-night stays in the Brentwood mansion for just $30 per night, in honor of the show’s 30th anniversary, according to Realtor. The listing was written by Smith himself: “Ready for the freshest staycation ever? If this place looks familiar that’s because it’s just as fly as it was when I first rolled up the driveway. I’m back. And this time, I’m handing you the keys so you’ll have my wing of the mansion all to yourself—but my sneaker collection is off limits, aight?”
Rashi Gupta, an experiential designer from San Francisco, was one of the lucky few who got to stay in the Airbnb. After years of watching the iconic show on Nick at Nite and hearing about the experience online, it was a no-brainer to book a night at the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion. “I am one of those people who loves to be plugged into events and experiences in my city,” Gupta tells AD. “I logged into my Airbnb account and saw they were going to open the booking at a certain date and time. I put a reminder on my phone.” Unlike a lot of majorly hyped up pop culture events of the past few years, booking the Airbnb was a breeze. “The website didn’t crash, there was no online queue or anything. It was pretty seamless,” Gupta tells AD.
- Architecture + DesignTour a Designer’s 100-Year-Old LA Retreat
- Architecture + DesignNew York Skyline: Everything You Need to Know About the Big Apple’s Big Buildings
“The interior was beautiful,” Gupta tells AD. The stay allowed access to one wing of the mansion, which included a recreation of Smith’s bedroom, a full bathroom, a lush pool, a poolside lounge area, and the dining room. Guests weren’t allowed access to a kitchen, so all meals were provided and served on silver platters. “That night, they put on a screening of the show on a large inflatable screen outside with an outdoor bed and a cart full of popcorn and snacks,” Gupta tells AD. “We spent one night there and that morning they had a little breakfast set up for us with some ’90s nostalgia treats.” They even had Philly cheese steaks for dinner. Extra perks included a pair of Air Jordan sneakers for each guest, a chance to rummage through a closet filled with stylish outfits, and turntables to channel your inner DJ Jazzy Jeff. Gupta and her boyfriend were given a snapback hat and a blue and red tracksuit.
The Peacock Series Bel-Air
Will Smith took to YouTube in 2020 to announce some big news—a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was finally in the works. The series pulls inspiration from a fan trailer made by Morgan Cooper, a cinematographer. In 2019, Cooper released a four-minute teaser titled BEL-AIR, a reimagining of the show set in modern times. The trailer accrued over seven million views, one of which was by Smith, who was blown away by the video. A month later, Smith and Cooper met up, and the rest is history. While the original show was a feel-good sitcom, the reboot is a drama that dives deeper into the lives of the new Will, played by Jabari Banks. The first season premiered on Peacock in February of 2022 with a third season premiering in August of 2024.
FAQ
Can you visit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air house?
The home is privately owned and is not open to the public, though James Cordon and Prince Harry paid the current owners a visit in 2021.
- Architecture + DesignTour a Designer’s 100-Year-Old LA Retreat
- Architecture + DesignNew York Skyline: Everything You Need to Know About the Big Apple’s Big Buildings
How far is the mansion from Beverly Hills?
The distance from Brentwood to Beverly Hills is roughly six miles.
