When you think of Jayma Mays, you probably picture her as the lovably quirky Emma Pillsbury on the hit show Glee—the guidance counselor with the perfectly coordinated outfits and an obsession with cleanliness. But off-screen, this talented actress has a completely different kind of obsession: stunning home design. The Jayma Mays house in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, is a testament to what happens when you combine Hollywood taste with architectural genius.
Back in 2008, Jayma and her husband, actor Adam Campbell, purchased a modest 1925 property in the coveted Los Feliz neighborhood for approximately $940,000. At the time, the home was far from glamorous. It was a dated, closed-off structure with dim rooms and decades of mismatched additions. But the couple saw potential where others might have seen problems.
Fast forward to 2018, and Jayma Mays’ house hit the market at a jaw-dropping $2.795 million. The transformation? Nothing short of spectacular. Working with the innovative New York-based firm Jacobschang Architecture, the couple turned their fixer-upper into a sleek, modern retreat complete with open-plan living spaces, a rooftop deck, a saltwater pool, and an indoor-outdoor flow that screams California luxury.
Pre-Renovation History
The Original 1925 Build
Let’s rewind to the beginning. The Jayma Mays house was built in 1925, during a period when Los Feliz was being developed as one of LA’s premier residential neighborhoods. The original structure had Spanish Colonial roots—a style that was enormously popular in Southern California during the 1920s and 1930s.
Think stucco walls, clay tile roofs, arched doorways, and small, compartmentalized rooms. While charming in their own way, these homes were designed for a different era. They prioritized formality over flow, and privacy over natural light.
Decades of Mismatched Additions
Over the decades that followed, various owners made additions and modifications to the property. Unfortunately, these changes weren’t always cohesive. The result was a home that felt disjointed—a patchwork of different eras and styles that didn’t quite work together.
Rooms were dark and closed off from one another. The kitchen was narrow and dated. The outdoor spaces were underutilized, with just a basic patio that didn’t take advantage of the California climate. In short, the home had good bones but desperately needed a unified vision.
A Fixer-Upper with Potential
When Jayma and Adam purchased the property in 2008 for around $940,000, they knew exactly what they were getting into. This was a fixer-upper in every sense of the word. But they also recognized the potential hiding beneath the layers of outdated renovations.
The lot was generous. The location was unbeatable. And the original 1925 structure, despite its limitations, had a character that newer builds simply couldn’t replicate. The challenge was clear: how do you honor the history of a nearly century-old home while transforming it into a modern, livable space? The answer came in the form of a bold architectural partnership.
Renovation Journey
Partnering with Jacobschang Architecture
For the transformation of the Jayma Mays house, the couple turned to Jacobschang Architecture, a New York-based firm known for its innovative approach to residential design. This wasn’t a typical Hollywood renovation where everything gets torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Instead, the architects took a more thoughtful approach—one that respected the home’s history while pushing it firmly into the 21st century.
The renovation was a gut job in many ways. The interior was completely reimagined, with walls removed and new spaces created. But the architects also preserved elements of the original structure, creating a dialogue between old and new that gives the Jayma Mays house its unique character.
Opening Up the Floor Plan
The most dramatic change was the transformation from a closed-off, compartmentalized layout to an open-plan design that floods the home with natural light. Where there were once dark hallways and isolated rooms, there are now flowing spaces that connect seamlessly.
The living room opens into the dining area, which flows into the kitchen, which connects to the outdoor spaces through massive Fleetwood sliding glass doors. The effect is transformative. Suddenly, a home that once felt cramped and dated becomes airy, spacious, and thoroughly modern.
The Second-Story Master Suite
One of the most innovative additions to the Jayma Mays house was the second-story master suite. Rather than simply stacking a new floor on top of the existing structure, the architects created a bridge walkway that connects the master bedroom to a stunning rooftop deck.
This bridge element adds architectural drama while also serving a practical purpose—it separates the private master suite from the rest of the home, creating a true retreat within a retreat. From the rooftop deck, the couple could enjoy panoramic views of the Los Feliz hills and beyond.
Exterior and Landscaping
Curb Appeal That Whispers Rather Than Shouts
The exterior of the Jayma Mays house is a masterclass in understated elegance. Unlike some celebrity homes that scream for attention with grand gates and imposing facades, this property takes a more subtle approach.
A bamboo hedge lines the front of the property, providing natural privacy without the fortress-like feel of a high wall. It’s a design choice that says, “We value our privacy, but we’re still part of this neighborhood.” The bamboo also adds a lush, tropical texture that complements the California setting beautifully.
The Saltwater Pool
Let’s talk about the pool, because it’s genuinely stunning. The saltwater pool at the Jayma Mays house isn’t enormous—it doesn’t need to be. What it offers instead is a perfectly proportioned oasis that feels like an extension of the indoor living spaces.
Surrounded by a sleek lounge area with modern furniture, the pool zone is designed for both relaxation and entertaining. Imagine floating in warm saltwater on a Los Feliz evening, looking up at the stars through the canopy of mature trees. That’s the experience this space delivers.
The Mature Avocado Tree
One of the most charming details of Jayma Mays’ house exterior is the mature avocado tree that graces the property. In a city where many homeowners rip out existing landscaping to start fresh, the decision to preserve this tree speaks to the couple’s appreciation for character and history.
The avocado tree provides shade, produces fruit, and adds a sense of established permanence to the property. It’s a living connection to the home’s past—a reminder that this lot has been nurturing life for nearly a century.
Indoor-Outdoor Flow
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the exterior design is how seamlessly it connects to the interior. Those massive Fleetwood sliding glass doors we mentioned earlier? They essentially erase the boundary between inside and outside.
When the doors are open, the living room extends directly onto the deck. The kitchen connects to an outdoor dining area. The master suite opens onto the rooftop terrace. Every interior space has a corresponding outdoor counterpart, creating a home that truly embraces the California lifestyle.
New balconies and a courtyard were added during the renovation, providing additional outdoor rooms at various levels of the home. The result is a property that feels much larger than its square footage suggests, because the outdoor spaces function as genuine living areas rather than afterthoughts.
Interior Design Breakdown
The Design Philosophy
The interior of the Jayma Mays house represents a retro-modern aesthetic—a carefully curated blend of mid-century influences, contemporary minimalism, and playful personal touches. It’s the kind of design that feels both intentional and lived-in, sophisticated but never stuffy.
The palette leans toward neutral tones—whites, grays, and natural wood—punctuated by bold pops of color in furniture and accessories. Materials like polished concrete, exposed wood beams, and glass create a textural richness that keeps the minimalist spaces from feeling cold or sterile.
Living and Family Areas
The living room of Jayma Mays house is where the renovation’s impact is felt most immediately. Exposed ceiling beams—likely original to the 1925 structure—stretch across the space, adding warmth and architectural interest to the otherwise modern room.
The floors are polished concrete, a choice that’s both practical and beautiful. Concrete floors are incredibly durable, easy to maintain, and provide a sleek, gallery-like backdrop for furniture and art. In the California climate, they also stay cool underfoot during hot summer months.
The living area flows openly into the dining space and family room, creating one large, flexible zone for daily life and entertaining. Natural light pours in from multiple directions, thanks to the strategic placement of windows and the removal of interior walls during the renovation.
Furniture in these spaces tends toward mid-century modern pieces—clean lines, organic shapes, and quality materials. The overall effect is a room that feels curated but comfortable, like a design magazine spread that you could actually live in.
Kitchen Highlights
The kitchen is arguably the heart of Jayma Mays’ house, and it received some of the most dramatic upgrades during the renovation. What was once a narrow, dated cooking space has been transformed into a chef’s dream.
The centerpiece is a long center island that serves multiple functions—prep space, casual dining area, and social hub. It’s the kind of island where you can chop vegetables while chatting with guests who are perched on stools on the other side.
Appliances are top-of-the-line Jenn-Air, chosen for both performance and aesthetics. The countertops are Caesarstone—an engineered quartz that offers the beauty of natural stone with superior durability and low maintenance. The sink is by Kohler, another premium choice that balances form and function.
Here’s where it gets really interesting: the cabinets are actually from Ikea. Yes, you read that right. In a home listed at nearly $2.8 million, the kitchen cabinets come from the same store where college students buy bookshelves. But here’s the genius—they’ve been wrapped in marble, creating a high-design look at a fraction of the cost of fully custom cabinetry.
This Ikea hack is a perfect example of the smart, creative approach that defines the Jayma Mays house renovation. Luxury doesn’t always mean spending the most money. Sometimes it means spending money wisely and creatively.
Other notable kitchen details include a red vintage chair sourced from Palm Springs and a metal storage rack that adds industrial flair. These personal touches prevent the kitchen from feeling like a showroom and give it a genuine personality.
Master Suite and Bedrooms
The master suite of the Jayma Mays house is on the second story, accessible via the dramatic bridge walkway we discussed earlier. This elevated position gives the bedroom a sense of separation and privacy from the rest of the home—essential for anyone who works in the public eye.
From the master suite, you can step directly onto the rooftop deck, which offers views across the Los Feliz neighborhood. Imagine starting your morning with coffee on a private terrace, watching the sun rise over Griffith Park. That’s the daily reality this space provides.
The home features four bedrooms, providing plenty of space for guests, family, or other uses. One of the additional rooms functions as an office/media room—a practical choice for working actors who often need to review scripts, take meetings, or simply decompress with a film.
A particularly luxurious addition is the sauna, which transforms the master suite area into a genuine wellness retreat. After a long day on set, having a private sauna steps from your bedroom is the kind of amenity that makes a house feel like a sanctuary.
Unique Features
Several unique design elements set the Jayma Mays house apart from typical celebrity renovations:
Built-in bookshelves run through the home, creating a visual thread that connects the kitchen to the study. These aren’t just storage—they’re architectural elements that define spaces and display the couple’s personality through their book and object collections.
Colorful retro accents appear throughout the luxury home, preventing the modern minimalist base from feeling too austere. A bright orange lamp here, a vintage poster there—these touches add warmth and whimsy to the space.
The overall effect is a home that feels deeply personal. Every element, from the repurposed redwood to the Palm Springs chair to the Ikea-hack cabinets, tells a story about the people who live here. It’s not a generic luxury home—it’s unmistakably the Jayma Mays house.
Design Inspirations and Takeaways
The Style Formula: Modern Minimalism Meets 1920s Charm
What makes Jayma Mays’ house so visually compelling is the tension between old and new. The exposed beams and original structural elements speak to the home’s 1925 origins, while the polished concrete, glass walls, and clean-lined furniture are firmly contemporary.
This approach—honoring a home’s history while updating it for modern life—is one of the most enduring trends in residential design. It requires more skill than simply demolishing everything and starting fresh, but the results are infinitely more interesting.
The key lesson here is that character can’t be manufactured. Those original beams, the mature avocado tree, the bones of the 1925 structure—these elements give the Jayma Mays house a depth and authenticity that no new build could replicate.
Budget-Friendly Takeaways for Your Own Home
You don’t need a celebrity budget to apply some of the design principles from Jayma Mays house. Here are practical tips inspired by this renovation:
- The Ikea Hack Approach: Don’t dismiss affordable materials. The kitchen cabinets in this home prove that budget pieces, creatively customized, can look just as good as fully custom options. Consider wrapping basic cabinets in contact paper, adding premium hardware, or painting them in bold colors.
- Open Up Your Floor Plan: Even removing a single non-load-bearing wall can dramatically change how a home feels. Consult a structural engineer and consider whether your closed-off rooms could benefit from being opened up.
- Embrace Indoor-Outdoor Living: You don’t need a saltwater pool to blur the line between inside and outside. Large sliding doors, a well-designed patio, or even strategically placed plants can create that connection.
- Repurpose, Don’t Replace: Before throwing away old materials during a renovation, consider how they might be reused. Old wood can be used for shelving, fencing, or accent walls. Concrete blocks can find new life in garden walls or outdoor seating.
- Invest in Natural Light: Of all the changes made to the Jayma Mays house, the increase in natural light probably had the biggest impact on livability. Consider adding skylights, enlarging windows, or using mirrors to bounce light into dark corners.
Relating to Trends
As we look at the current design landscape in 2026, the principles behind the Jayma Mays house renovation feel more relevant than ever. Sustainable celebrity homes are no longer a niche—they’re the expectation. Repurposing materials, preserving mature landscaping, and choosing durable finishes over trendy ones are all hallmarks of today’s most admired residential projects.
The indoor-outdoor living concept has also evolved significantly since this renovation was completed. Today’s homes increasingly incorporate biophilic design—the intentional integration of natural elements into built environments. The Jayma Mays house was ahead of its time in this regard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Jayma Mays pay for her house? Jayma Mays and Adam Campbell purchased their Los Feliz home in 2008 for approximately $940,000.
How much was Jayma Mays’ house listed for? The property was listed for sale in 2018 at $2.795 million, representing a significant return on investment after the extensive renovation.
Who designed the Jayma Mays house renovation? The renovation was designed by Jacobschang Architecture, a New York-based firm known for innovative residential projects.
Where Does Jayma Mays Currently Live?
Jayma Mays’ current residence isn’t publicly confirmed in available sources as of 2026. She and her husband, Adam Campbell, sold their renovated 1925 home in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood in 2018 for $3.595 million after listing it at $2.795 million.
Jayma Mays House Photo
