American fashion designer Tom Ford is no stranger to a dramatic entrance and a statement piece. As well as a couture aficionado, the former Gucci creative director is also a talented film director, which explains the movie town built into his stunning 20,662-acre New Mexico estate. Let’s take a look around…
Known as the Cerro Pelon Ranch, the Santa Fe property was built by award-winning architect Tadao Ando. The main house sits low to the ground, floating over an expansive reflective pool, with a wide walkway cutting atmospherically across the water.
Ford, reportedly worth $500 million (£380m), had access to the ranch’s extensive equestrian facilities, with a covered riding arena and an eight-stall horse barn. For A-list visitors, there are also two guesthouses, plus four private staff quarters, and even a tennis court to while away their downtime.
The cherry on the cake of this fascinating estate is the full-sized movie town set, originally built in the 1980s for the Kevin Costner western, Silverado. Since then the town has expanded and it's frequently leased for movie and television productions. After four years on the market and its price tag reportedly cut from $75 million (£57m) to $48 million (£36m), Ford’s exquisite ranch finally found a buyer in January 2021.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ bassist Flea is known to be a pretty far-out showman, and his taste in property is just as show-stopping. Looking like something from outer space, his retro-futurist home in the heart of La Crescenta, California is definitely one-of-a-kind. Let’s take a look around…
Originally listed at $7.9 million (£5.8m) in 2015, lucky Flea snapped up the estate for the cut-down price of $4.3 million (£3.2) in 2018. One of the compound's two houses, this extravagant seven-sided pad, built by AD100 architect Michael Maltzan in 2009, resembles a spaceship that's just landed on the hillside.
Inside, the interiors are just as unusual as the striking exterior. The primary suite features this futuristic, curvilinear penny-tiled bathroom, which has views across the courtyard and the breathtaking hillside beyond.
The 5.7-acre compound's second house dates all the way back to the 1950s. The original structure was built for acclaimed architect Richard Neutra's secretary, Dorothy Serulnic. Its interior is still bursting with 1960s-era mod cons, such as a sofa with a built-in record player and a rather handy sliding breakfast nook.
The grounds offer a 50-foot Johnston Vidal lap pool, as well as an outdoor movie pavilion and a catering kitchen—the perfect place for the Red Hot showman to entertain guests. Nevertheless, the rock star clearly wanted a change of scenery, as he listed the magnificent estate in February 2022 for $9.8 million (£7.4m).
Famed tattoo artist Kat Von D has been capturing our imaginations with her creative flair and unique style since starring in reality TV show, Miami Ink from 2005. Now worth a magnificent $30 million (£22.8m), it’s her historic Victorian mansion that’s really caught our eye…
After purchasing this three-storey Queen Anne property in 2016 for $6.5 million (£4.9m), the star quickly got to work putting her eclectic stamp on each room. From golden ceilings to a blood-red swimming pool, the Gothic mansion’s transformation took six years to complete.
Once used as the set for the 2003 comedy Cheaper by the Dozen, the 11-bedroom home has certainly seen its fair share of cosmetic changes. Here we can see the medieval-inspired kitchen, complete with dark mahogany cabinetry, hand-carved walls and ornate fittings. What you might not spot, however, is the hidden bar and a secret door to the garden beyond...
Outside awaits the artist’s pièce de résistance—her very own blood-red swimming pool to perfectly match the mansion’s vampirish rouge hue. While we can’t imagine she’d want to live anywhere else, Kat decided to up sticks to the town of Vevay in Indiana and put the striking home on the market for $15 million (£11.4m) in January 2022.
In March 2021, American comedian and talk show host Jimmy Fallon listed his unbelievable family home in New York City's illustrious Gramercy Park for a cool $15 million (£11.2m). Packed with period features and some seriously cool extras that only a VIP could afford, Fallon's home is one of the most unique we've ever seen...
Built in 1883, the Queen Anne-style property was at one time four separate apartments, but Fallon and his wife, Nancy Juvonen, undertook an extensive renovation, turning it into one huge 4,950-square-foot family home. While the exterior offers plenty of brownstone kerb appeal, the interior is decorated with vintage wallpapers, eclectic furnishings and colourful accessories that make it truly one-of-a-kind.
Inside, you'll find a cosy living room with wood-clad walls, a huge open-plan kitchen, a characterful office, six bedrooms and two bathrooms. On the home's eighth floor there's even an incredible saloon bar, complete with illuminated liquor shelves, high stools and low-level lighting. Dark wood cladding and punchy wallpaper create a relaxed and timeless space that could have been plucked from the Old West. But that isn't all...
Fallon's stunning home also boasts a secret door, disguised as under-stairs shelving. Inside, the TV star has created a fantastical playroom for his children. It's fitted out with monkey bars, a toy kitchen, secret hatch doors, a chalkboard wall for scribbling on and a fake jailhouse intercom system that connects with upstairs. We're obsessed!
Singer and Fenty founder Rihanna is no stranger to awe-inspiring real estate, but one property really stands out. In June 2014, the 'Umbrella' singer began renting out new digs in Los Angeles for $60,000 (£45k) a month. The imposing 12,000-square-foot house, which is nicknamed 'The Fortress', has a unique steel and concrete façade and plenty of security features, making it an ultra-safe hideout for the star.
Truly built like a fortress, the home's exterior is a real architectural statement and the interior is just as fascinating. With 60-foot-high ceilings and towering glass windows, the entryway leads through to an array of cave-like living rooms that have been finished in stone, concrete and steel, resulting in a unique visual aesthetic.
The luxurious master suite not only features opulent dual bathrooms, but also an incredible panic room that's hidden behind a bulletproof door, which slides down from the ceiling. Individual rooms within the seven-bedroom home also require a security fob to gain entry, ensuring residents are safe at all times.
Built in 1994, the residence also boasts a whole host of amenities, such as a two-bedroom guesthouse, a movie theatre and a gym. It's not clear how long Rihanna rented the property for, but in 2014 she also snapped up a condo in The Century, a super-secure skyscraper in the heart of Los Angeles.
Why live in a regular mansion if you can live in a windmill? Or at least, that’s probably what Robert Downey Jr. was thinking when he purchased a former playhouse in the shape of a functioning windmill. Located in the wealthy town of East Hampton, New York, the pad offered the star style and safety.
The historic building dates back to 1885 and has lots of beautiful original features and quirky vintage style: it's the perfect family home for the Iron Man actor and his wife, Hollywood producer Susan Downey, as well as their three children, Exton, Avril, and Indio.
The house spreads out over 8,500 square feet and offers lots of space for the family to enjoy. The décor is traditional with plaid carpets and lots of antique wooden furniture befitting the history of the house. Outside, there’s a large swimming pool, outdoor living room and bar, as well as an alfresco dining table and huge cinema-style TV screen.
This beautiful living room shows the charm of the property, thanks to its original beamed ceiling, hardwood floors and open fireplace. It was on the market for $11.9 million (£8.9m) before the couple snapped it up back in 2017, investing time and money into making it their own.
American-Canadian singer, songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright revealed his love of fairytales when he bought an otherworldly property in California. With turrets, balconies and romantic architecture, it's your typical storybook castle brought to life.
The stunning storybook property looks like it's been plucked straight from the Brothers Grimm. Shrouded in greenery and trees, Wainwright's home is in its own mystical world perched up in the Hollywood Hills.
Although the exterior is whimsical, the interior is cosy and traditional, with exposed beams, open fireplaces and wooden flooring in many of the main living areas. Characterful and unique, there's nothing boring about this celebrity home.
The property also features old-fashioned leaded windows and doors that open out to the surrounding forested landscape. Purchased for just less than $1.5 million (£1.1m) back in 2016, we’re quite certain this magical fairytale home is a source of inspiration for the composer.
Located inside a gated golf community in Isleworth, Florida, the sport star's home takes full advantage of its stunning natural surroundings and comes kitted out with a 95-foot-long pool, hot tub and cabana overlooking Lake Butler. Plus, motoring enthusiasts are bound to appreciate the huge showroom-style garage, which houses O’Neal’s impressive car collection.
Spanning an astonishing 31,000 square feet, the mind-blowing mega-mansion has 12 bedrooms, a grand foyer with a Cinderella staircase and polished marble floors, a two-storey great room that covers 1,170 square feet, a formal dining room for 14 people and a home cinema. There's an entire wing for guests, equipped with five ensuite bedrooms, a large sitting room and a bar, while the 900-square-foot master suite boasts a circular bed, private balcony, mirrored wall, gilded ceiling and expansive lake views.
The star's home is even equipped with its very own 6,000-square-foot indoor basketball court, emblazoned with the words “Shaq Center”. O’Neal also has an entire room dedicated to his basketball trophies and jerseys. O’Neal bought the house in 1993 for just shy of $4 million (£3m) and first put it on the market in 2018 for an inflated $28 million (£21m). Proving hard to shift, he gradually dropped the price to $16.5 million (£12.5m) before selling up for $11 million (£8.2m) in October 2021.
A lover of quirky design, Lady Gaga is no stranger to unique homes and over the years she has bought and sold some interesting pieces of real estate. Yet nothing is quite as eye-catching as the characterful compound she snapped up in 2016.
Gaga splashed just under $5.3 million (£4m) on the historic home in Laurel Canyon, California, just a few months before releasing her fifth studio album, Joanna. Once owned by 'Valley Girl' singer Frank Zappa, Gaga was the first person outside of the star's family to call the property home. Zappa purchased the six-bedroom home in 1968 for just $75,000 (£57k) and went on to transform it into the treasure trove it is today.
The 6,700-square-foot, Old World-inspired residence offers a kitchen with a vaulted ceiling and exposed wooden beams, a recording studio famously named the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, a secret vault and even an art gallery with a double-height ceiling. Every space is decorated with weird and wonderful touches, including dragon murals, porthole windows and doors salvaged from vintage submarines.
Outside, the 0.56-acre garden is home to an array of patios, as well as a greenhouse, a swimming pool, a rooftop tennis court and walls of one-of-a-kind mosaic art. In November 2021, the House of Gucci star quietly sold the house to model Lizzy Jagger, the daughter of rock star Mick Jagger and actress Jerry Hall.
Not many mansions come equipped with a 500,000-gallon outdoor water park – but Celine Dion’s Florida property is not your average celebrity home. For starters, it took Dion and husband René Angélil two years to build, plus it sits on 5.7 acres of land and features over 400 feet of coastline.
The property was intended to be a vacation home for Dion and her family to avoid the paparazzi, yet it’s anything but low-key. The water park includes multiple pools, a footbridge and slides, while the property benefits from a tennis court, beach house and numerous guest houses.
On top of his $42 million (£31m) family home in Calabasas, Los Angeles, Will Smith takes his luxury lifestyle on the road with him in a $2.5 million (£1.9m) motorhome, nicknamed ‘The Heat’. He’s used it on location while filming movies – notably Men in Black 3 and The Pursuit of Happiness.
Inside, the amazing motorhome has a grand total of 14 TVs so that Smith and guests can enjoy endless movie marathons. Arguably the most impressive feature is the granite kitchen, worth a whopping $200,000 (£149k), but there’s also a leather ceiling, a wardrobe room and a remote-controlled mirror with – you guessed it – a TV installed behind it.
The luxury trailer featured on TV show Celebrity Motor Homes, where the presenters toured the RV and shared a glimpse of its incredible amenities. ‘The Heat’ can be rented out by members of the public – but it’ll cost you in the region of $9,000 (£6.7k) a week.
Legendary stand-up comedian and actor Bob Hope must have been in a seriously spacey mood when he commissioned his iconic house in Palm Springs, California. The property was designed by American modernist architect, John Lautner, for Hope and his wife, who gained quite a reputation for the remarkable parties they hosted at their UFO home. Let's take a look…
The gravity-defying property has 10 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, two pools, a tennis court, its own waterfall and a pavilion with an outdoor fireplace. Large terraces overlook stunning views of the rugged Coachella desert landscape.
The property was put on the market back in 2013 with an ambitious asking price of $50 million (£37.7m) but it made headlines in 2016 when it was eventually sold for a more humble asking price of $13 million (£9.7m) with Bennion Deville Homes. It remains one of the most amazing homes in California and a testament to Bob Hope's adventurous tastes.
American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her record producer husband Swizz Beatz put down a cool $20.8 million (£15.5m) in 2019, for a truly awe-inspiring home overlooking the cinematic landscapes of La Jolla, a coastal neighbourhood in San Diego, California.
Aptly named Razor House, the one-of-a-kind residence can be found delicately balanced on a rocky plinth and appears to almost jut out from the landscape on which it sits. The incredible clifftop home was designed by architect Wallace E. Cunningham and the ambitious residence was built in 2007. It's said to have been inspired by the home of billionaire Tony Stark in Marvel Comics' Iron Man film franchise, and we can certainly see the influence.
The gorgeous glass house has a minimalist and sleek appearance, but it still packs in plenty of amenities. Sprawling almost 11,000 square feet, the main house boasts four bedrooms, six bathrooms, various lounges and a chic kitchen. Of course, the rooms are lined with floor-to-ceiling glass walls that allow for breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.
Elsewhere you'll find a library with a glass and steel pool table, a movie theatre, a rooftop entertaining deck, an infinity pool, a detached two-bedroom guesthouse and a Batcave-like tunnel, which leads to a four-car garage. Truly unforgettable, this surreal property really is one of the coolest we've had the pleasure of snooping inside.
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