Following the Met Gala—where the world's best-dressed celebrities gathered to pay tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld—we honour the visionary designer by exploring some of his most fabulous former homes. Chanel's renowned Creative Director gave the industry some of its most famous and controversial moments, so it's no wonder that the designer's real estate history is anything but ordinary. Grab your Fendi handbag and let's take a look inside the former pads of one of fashion's most unique stars...
Karl Lagerfeld lived on-and-off in this sprawling country villa for seven years between 1991 and 1998. Positioned inside a prestigious estate in Hamburg's Blankenese neighbourhood, the house has all the marks of haute couture, filled with bespoke design and lavish furnishings. Lagerfeld purchased the property in the early 1990s and named it Villa Jako in honour of his partner of 18 years, Jacques de Bascher, who passed away in 1989.
The couple shared a passion for design and were lovers of luxury materials, which led Lagerfeld to adorn the villa in fabrics, gold leaf and marble. Inside, the home exudes style, offering a rich tapestry of colours and patterns, with intricate ceilings and plasterwork, extensive drapery and elegant herringbone flooring.
Overlooking the River Elbe, the Romanesque villa was built in the 1920s and is every bit as grand as it appears, with enchanting manicured gardens and architectural touches that evoke visions of ancient Rome. Lagerfeld loved the beautiful location but for him, it was bittersweet. He told GQ: “It’s impossible to live on the Elbe. You spend all your time looking out at the river. You ended up becoming lazy."
Inside, every room bears the touch of a design genius. This stately lounge spans the entire length of the building and boasts a six-metre-high ceiling, decorated in gold with Rococo flourishes, experimental modern furniture and bold artwork, mixed as only Lagerfeld could have done.
Upstairs sits a grand library on a gallery level that overlooks the double-height entrance hall. The study holds hundreds of books, olive green velvet drapes and eclectic artwork reflecting the myriad of influences that the fashion icon drew on in his life and work.
The hallway is majestic and stately, while the home’s main bathroom is decked out in slate-coloured marble and high-end finishes. Set on a hill, the villa covers almost 12,000 square metres and offers endless views over the surrounding landscape of suburban Hamburg. The home sold in 2018 for a staggering $11.65 million (£8.9m).
Located at 50 Gramercy Park North, east side of Manhattan, Lagerfeld's former New York City apartment offers something a little different to the styles adopted in his Monaco and Hamburg homes...
Lagerfeld purchased the luxe three-bedroom pied-à-terre in 2006 for $6.6 million (£5m)—the equivalent of $9.9 million (£8m) today—but it was rumoured that the fashion designer never actually moved into the property.
We can't imagine why he'd want to stay away since the apartment covers more than 2,100 square feet of immaculate interior design and boasts attractive views over New York's iconic Gramercy Park.
When Lagerfeld attempted to sell the home, it took him two years to off-load it. In 2018 the apartment finally sold for $4.5 million (£3.4m), meaning the designer made a substantial loss of $2 million (£1.5m) on his original investment!
The lavish home boasts gorgeous high-end detailing, dark oak flooring, bespoke pieces of art and extensive glazing, flooding every room with light. The lucky owner of the pad also benefits from a key to the highly private gates of fenced-in Gramercy Park.
The apartment's kitchen is definitely the most understated room in the house, with traditional Varenna cherry wood cabinetry, stainless steel worktops and basic Miele appliances.
And as for the view, well, it's every bit as impressive as you'd expect. The apartment overlooks the private gardens of Gramercy Park – a green inner city space that's only accessible to the few privileged patrons that reside in the area and pay for a key. It is one of only two private parks in the whole of New York City.
In 2017, Karl Lagerfeld turned his hand to interior design when he was given the opportunity to revamp two suites inside the spectacular Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.
Gorgeously designed in a palette of soft greys and pale pink, the suites are aptly known as Les Grands Appartements. Situated on the fourth floor, the rooms offer truly remarkable views over central Paris, including the Eiffel Tower and the Place de la Concorde.
Of all the luxe designer detailing, the master bathroom boasts the most! Featuring a tub carved from a single block of Carrera marble, weighing in at a remarkable two tonnes, this washroom couldn't be any more high-end.
As a connoisseur of 18th-century design, Lagerfeld cleverly blended traditional French style with modern design touches. The result is elegant, lavish and entirely bespoke, with individual designer furniture and grand flourishes. It's no wonder then that such impeccable suites come with a nightly price tag of around $36,000 (£27k)!
Measuring 176 and 125 square metres, the two suites are spacious and can even be combined to form one large, three-bedroom apartment. With 55-inch televisions, underfloor heating, butler services, Porthault French linens and Nespresso coffee machines, these refined hotel rooms are every bit as fabulous as Lagerfeld himself!
Known as La Vigie, this gorgeous waterfront mansion sits on the glistening shoreline of the wealthy city-state of Monaco, situated on the south-west coast of France. The property was built by a British publishing mogul in 1902, at the height of the Gilded Age, and reveals just how exquisite Lagerfeld's tastes really were!
The pink and white property has always been blanketed in mystery since it has no official address and resides in a rather hard-to-reach and exclusive part of the French Riviera. The building was previously used by the Germans during the Second World War and was gifted to Lagerfeld in 1986 by the then monarch of Monaco, Prince Rainier. It is said that Rainier gave Lagerfeld the house on the promise that the designer would transform it with extensive renovation works.
Lagerfeld was true to his word, spending an estimated $14 million (£10.7m) turning the historic building into a luxurious home fit for royalty. Inside, each room is draped in rich fabrics, one-off designer furniture, hardwood flooring and bespoke artwork, exuding character and exclusivity.
Lagerfeld turned the mansion’s three sitting rooms into a ballroom and a billiards room before he sold it in the late 1990s. Ever since the property has been operating as a luxurious hotel and played host to a glamorous art and design auction Nomad Fair, which saw celebrities bidding on collections from some of the world’s leading artists.
In 2021, Mansion Global reported that the villa was not available to rent as a holiday home for between €15,000 ($16k / £13k) to €45,000 ($49k/£40k) a night, depending on the time of year. “Villa La Vigie is unparalleled,” said Aurelie Lepercq, the CEO of Edge Retreats. "[It] is one of the most prestigious on the French Riviera thanks to its history, architecture, exquisite decor and prime location.”
The building's main selling point, however, is perhaps its gorgeous outdoor patio offering truly unrivalled views over the bay of Monte Carlo – the perfect spot for sunset watching!
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