Susan Lucci's life is one of spectacle. The 78-year-old actress opened the doors of her Long Island house to Architectural Digest, showing off her incredible and supremely organized wardrobe. A once forgotten attic has been transformed into a gorgeous dressing roo, that all Hollywood A-listers would be jealous of. "It's the whole third floor, so I am able to store all my gowns in a very orderly fashion," Susan explained. "It makes me smile when I walk up there." The actress continued: "I really wanted to freshen everything up, with cleaner lines and no clutter. At the same time, I didn't want it to look like an apartment in the city. This is a house built in 1927."
The All My Children alum has lived in her home for more than 40 years and recently made major renovations that both updated the 1920s abode while honoring its history. She shared the house with her late husband, Helmut Huber, who passed away on March 28, 2022. The actress made sure to keep remnants of her life with Helmut. "After I lost my husband, I asked myself, 'Am I supposed to sell and buy a condo? Should I move to the city?' In the end, I realized how much I value this house," Susan told AD. "I see my husband everywhere—but in a good way. I decided to redo it and make it a happy place."
Susan and Helmut bought the home in Garden City in 1978, nine years after they married. The two met in the same town when Helmut was working as the executive chef at the Garden City Hotel. They settled down in the New York suburb and welcomed their two children, Liza, 50, and Andreas, 48.
When Susan decided to update her Long Island home, she reached out to her longtime decorator, Betty Barbatsuly, and her daughter Lisa Richardson. Betty told AD: "Susan wanted us to come look at her family room and kitchen, to give it a fresh look. But then we went from room to room and the inspiration just kept going."
After that initial conversation, Betty and Lisa renovated the 7,000 square-foot home. They even updated the exterior to white siding and cobalt-blue shutters. Most excitingly for Susan, the designers' biggest change was to the actress's iconic closet. Betty and Lisa transformed a once forgotten attic into a gorgeous dressing room that all Hollywood A-listers would be jealous of.
Susan starred on All My Children as Erica Kane from 1970 to 2011. The actress was nominated 21 times for the Daytime Emmy Awards before winning in 1999. The notable streak without a win made her a pop culture icon and led her hosting Saturday Night Live. While still starring in AMC, she competed in season seven of Dancing with the Stars.
"I was working in NY while I was doing DWTS in LA," Susan told Closer Weekly. "So twice a week we were flying back and forth, and I was working on All My Children. So next time, if I ever did it again, it would be my only project!"