Actors Ali Larter and her husband Hayes MacArthur left Los Angeles in search of adventure and found a peaceful life in the mountains of Idaho.
In 2020, when the world was paralyzed by the pandemic, Los Angeles-based actors Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur made a bold move: The couple piled their two kiddos, Theodore and Vivienne, and their Bernese Mountain dog, Nala, into an extra-large SUV and hit the road. “The industry was at a total standstill and our kids were stuck on screens with remote schooling,” recalls Hayes. “So, after a year, we just packed up the car and bounced.” Adds Ali, “We figured it was an opportunity to go on an adventure as a family. And we just started driving north.”
About 900 miles later, they hit pause on their cross-country journey when they rolled into Sun Valley, Idaho. What they saw was stunning. “We fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and their quiet grandness,” says Ali. Soon, their two-month jaunt turned into a permanent move. “Neither of us had ever lived in a small town before. People look out for each other. There’s a real sense of community here and we’re so happy to be a part of it.”
Although both Ali and Hayes grew up with strong roots in their home states—Ali was born and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Hayes is a Chicago native—Los Angeles became their homebase because of their work. Ali, a former model, first made a delicious impression in the 1999 comedy Varsity Blues. (Has it really been 25 years since she donned that whipped cream bikini top?) She then starred in 2001’s hit comedy Legally Blonde and the super-hero adventure series, Heroes.
It was around this time that Ali met Hayes—a stand-up comic, writer, and acting newcomer with a quickly growing IMDB profile—on the set of a comedic movie in Austin, Texas in 2005. They were married four years later in Kennebunkport, Maine, on the family estate where Hayes had spent many treasured summers as a boy. “Besides where we are living now,” he says, “Maine is my favorite place on earth.”
The first home they bought together was a modern, three-story loft-like home in the Hollywood Hills with sweeping views of the city. It was while decorating that house that they started collaborating with Amanda Masters, a well-established interior designer with a slew of Hollywood clients. “Amanda is incredibly collaborative and easy to work with,” says Hayes. “She naturally knows how to merge our styles and help create spaces we both love to be in.” They were so pleased with her work they reached out to her again 15 years later to design the interiors of their Idaho home. They began building the 4,400-square-foot home in 2022 on two acres of elevated flat land. The original idea was to create a home that “fit into the natural geography of Sun Valley but didn’t have that traditional ‘cabiny’ feel,” says Ali. “We wanted walls of glass that showcase and invite the gorgeous scenery into the home.”
Once the structure was completed, Amanda began working with the couple on creating the interior of their dream home. “Ali said to me, ‘I want sexy. I want soft,’” recalls the designer. “And she really wanted it quite neutral. She’s not afraid of color, but she just felt like this house was so sunny and light.”
As such, almost the entire house is coated in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, “because they also wanted it to look fresh,” Amanda says. The wood paneling throughout much of the home is white oak, which helps create a warm atmosphere saturated with light.
For the wallpaper in the various rooms, they chose patterns that are organic and mirror some of the imagery surrounding the house. The bedroom, powder room, and foyer walls, by designer Kelly Wearstler, are in grass cloth, a natural wallcovering in sustainable fibers that was hugely popular in ’60s and ’70s.
To connect with that “other era” theme, Masters looked for authentic vintage furniture from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. “Ali wanted curves on everything especially for the great room,” Amanda says. The focal point there is the Milo Baughman curved sectional couch from the ’80s, alongside is a nearly matching Biomorphic 1980s sofa and two Vladimir Kagan Nautilus chairs. In keeping with Ali’s vision of a neutral palette, Amanda chose upholstery in various shades of beige but had the brilliant idea of using indestructible fabrics that suit a rowdy, playful family. “They really needed bombproof fabrics,” Amanda explains. One of her favorite tricks is using Kravet outdoor fabrics on indoor furniture. “We used a lot of faux velvets and textiles that emulate bouclé because I just know they clean up really well. And as beige as it is, it still has that crisp look of mid-century modernism.”
Overlooking the great room is perhaps Ali’s favorite place in their home: the kitchen, which is open and inclusive with a breathtaking view of the mountains. A skilled cook, in 2013 she wrote Kitchen Revelry: A Year of Festive Menus from My Home to Yours and has an extensive recipe blog at AliLarter.com. “She’s an incredible cook,” marvels her husband. Adds Ali, “We believe in the importance of family dinner and it’s great when the kitchen is flooded with light. It becomes the most beautiful part of the home.” To add to that beauty, Ali wanted the countertops, the backsplash and the giant kitchen island to be in Italian marble, an iconic but porous stone known for showing stains and flaws with use. It’s not the traditional choice for kitchens, says Ali, “but I love water rings on old marble tables and the timeless character of the stone.”
Now that their home is complete, it’s business as usual for the acting couple in terms of career and traveling for work. “Actors are natural nomads and travel is part of our DNA,” says Hayes. Ali just spent five months in Texas shooting her new series, Landman, coming to Paramount+ this November.
“To work with director Taylor Sheridan and the outstanding cast—Billy Bob Thorton, Jon Hamm, and Demi Moore— was a career highlight for me,” she says. “It was a ‘pinch me’ moment to get in the ring with this level of writing and talent.” And last year Hayes was in Georgia shooting the Jack Black holiday comedy, Dear Santa, directed by Bobby Farrelly. “I’ve always wanted to work with Jack who is a barrel of energy and totally hilarious,” says Hayes. “But this film is special for me because, at its core, it’s about a family overcoming obstacles and rediscovering their love for each other just in time for Christmas. It’s funny and uplifting.”
It’s been almost a year since the home was finished and the MacArthur family has settled seamlessly into a slower yet breathtakingly beautiful existence. “Looking at the mountains relaxes and inspires me,” says Ali. “Most of the time in my life, I feel like I’m going 1,000 miles an hour and these giant rocks chill me out.” Hayes agrees. “The mountains have a way of grounding you and slowing you down—especially,” he says with laugh, “when you’re stuck in traffic because there’s a herd of elk blocking the road.”
