Top 10 Insane Celebrity Homes
We all dream of having lifestyles akin to those of the rich and famous, and a killer crib is the first thing you'll need to live like a superstar. From gyms and spas to water parks and a windmill, celeb pads are lavish, luxurious, and often a little wacky. Here are ten of the most insane celebrity homes.
10-The Playboy Mansion
Hugh Hefner's lavish playground left teenage boys all around the world drooling when it featured on MTV Cribs in 2002, and that wasn't just because of the throng of beautiful women hanging out there. The 20,000 square foot house in California occupies six acres of land and has a whopping 26 rooms. The living room has a large screen projector for cozy movie nights, and the kitchen is commercial-grade and has a full staff which cost $17,000 per week. There's a games room and a gym complete with sunbeds to keep all his bunnies golden. And, there's also a zoo. Hugh's bedroom had a remote-operated system that controlled everything, including the bed. Before Hugh's death in 2017, he had 80 staff working for him at the house. He also had seven live-in girlfriends, which is definitely a unique feature. The most infamous part of Hef's mansion is no doubt the grotto, where, according to Holly, one of the Playboy Bunny's own words; what happens in the grotto, stays in the grotto. The property sold for 100 million in 2016, which was apparently half of Hugh's original asking price. Hopefully, the new owner makes the most of the grotto just as legendary Hef did.
9-Kim and Kanye's Hidden Hills Home
KimYe like to flaunt their lavish lifestyles, and their $20 million mansion in Hidden Hills, California, is as lavish as you'd expect. Purchased in 2014, the couple wasn't totally happy with their new place so they spent an incredible three years renovating it. They even bought their neighbour's property so they had extra space for all the additions they wanted to make. It goes without saying that the five-acre property has all the necessities you'd expect, including a movie theater, gym and basketball court. Kanye also has a recording studio to work from, and Kim has a full-sized luxury spa complete with a facial and massage room, presumably for when the stresses of life get on top of her. Their kids aren't slumming it either, as North, Saint and Chicago have a two-story playroom because one story simply wouldn't be enough room for their spoilt, ahem, well taken care of children. The revamped mega house is now said to be worth an incredible $43,000,000, so you'd better keep buying Kanye albums so they can pay their mortgage.
8-John Travolta's Airport
You know how it can sometimes be annoying to have to drive to the airport to catch a flight? Well, John Travolta has found a workaround. Simply build two runways on your property. The legendary actor is a certified private pilot and owns five air crafts including a Boeing 707, so it actually makes sense that his Florida home would double as an airport. Well, it makes celebrity sense. Travolta wanted to be able to step out of his front door, get on his plane and fly anywhere he wanted for dinner because sometimes, Uber just doesn't cut the mustard. The 12 million house was built in 2003 and took a total of six years to finish, which meant that while their home took shape, John and his wife Kelly were practically living on the street, in the guest quarters. The interior of their house is much more luxurious than your average departure lounge, and the decor features plenty of nods to the Saturday Night Fever star's love of film and aviation. The property, which is based in a private aviation center, also has a flight control deck and a bed-and-breakfast for pilots and guests to rest in. I have no idea how he deals with passport control.
7-Celine Dion's Water Park
From airport to waterpark: the home that Celine and her late-husband Rene built is a water lover's dream. The house was built in 2010 on Jupiter Island, Florida and has the type of water features that you'd usually only see at a public water park. The pool is massive and there are bridges, slides, and water gun stations as far as the eye can see. The property also provides access to one of the longest private beaches in Florida and there's a huge man-made river flowing through the center of the property, just in case anyone's worrying that there isn't enough water at Celine's house. Aside from all the fun water stuff, the beautiful main house has eight bedrooms and there are separate guest houses with eight extra bedrooms. There are tennis, basketball and croquet courts, a simulated golf range, a games room, a pool house with separate kitchen, and a beach house with a massage room. I mean, it's more like a private resort than a home. Celine's Florida home was on the market for four years and finally sold for $28 million. It was originally listed at $72 million.
6- Robert Downey Jr.'s Windmill
This home is more bonkers than baller, which suits this eccentric actor down to the ground. Moving away from his futuristic Iron Man persona, Robert's 19th-century windmill is as quaint as it gets. The whimsical structure is in the Hamptons and was originally built to be a playhouse, rather than an actual house, and it's certainly kept its funhouse feel: just take a look at the 15-foot tall grasshopper statue on the front lawn. Inside the $10.5 million house, it's all about wild colors and fluffy furniture that makes you feel as though you've fallen down the rabbit hole. That's even some original Robert Downey Junior art in the bathroom and he has a great reason for its placement. Downey Junior claims he didn't set out to do something wacky when he and his family chose to live in an actual windmill, but somehow I just don't believe him.
5-Matt Damon's Brooklyn Pad
When Matt Damon bought an apartment at the end of 2017, it made the news with good reason: it was the most expensive property ever sold in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights penthouse had an asking price of $16.65 million, and the most expensive property before that was worth a puny $15.5 million back in 2015. The building, called The Standish, was constructed in 1903 and was once a hotel known for its understated luxury. Damon's penthouse is no different, and the 6,000 square foot space boasts six bedrooms and a huge terrace. This isn't the first time the building has housed famous characters, it's also where Clark Kent lived in the Superman comics. Now I'm imagining Matt Damon strolling around his apartment in leggings and a cape, with his red underpants over his pants. Just me? Oh, ok.
4-Naomi Campbell's Ecohouse
A supermodel needs a super house, and Naomi's Eye of Horus house certainly fits the bill. Situated on Cleopatra Island in Turkey, the Egyptian themed eco-house is designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible. From light and heat to water and food, everything has been thought of from a sustainable angle in this modern structure. In fact, the house was a gift from her Russian billionaire boyfriend, and the architect assigned to the project was given an unlimited budget to ensure complete energy efficiency. From above, the house is designed to look like the Eye of Horus, an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power, and good health. The glass dome has 25 bedrooms and five lounges and there's also a beautiful indoor landscaped terrace so Naomi can enjoy nature without exposing her perfect skin to harmful sunlight. Well, that's probably the reason. When she's not relaxing in this captivating house, she's in her other alluring house that's designed like a spaceship.
3-Nicolas Cage's Haunted House
This next house is pretty weird, so it's no surprise that it once belonged to a particularly wild celebrity. Nicholas Cage's former residence is also known as the most haunted house in America. Yikes. The original owners of the New Orleans mansion were Madame Delphine LaLaurie and her husband Louis. Madame Delphine was a monster and performed atrocious experiments on her slaves in the house. Her torture spree was only discovered by chance when the house caught fire and the gruesome scene was uncovered. Outraged by her atrocities, mobs of people destroyed most of her residence, though it has since been rebuilt. The murders are so famous, in fact, that they inspired Kathy Bates' character in the third season of American Horror Story. The French Quarter mansion covers 10,000 square feet and has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The troubled Academy Award-winning actor bought it in 2007 for $3.45 million but then lost his treasured home to foreclosure in 2009 and it went for $2.3 million. Cage won't ever be homeless though as he has multiple residences, including a three million dollar deserted island in the Bahamas, and a tomb, which is also in his beloved New Orleans. The nine-foot-tall gray pyramid is adorned with the Latin phrase, Omni Ab Uno, which means Everything from One. Maybe that's where he'll keep his declaration of independence.
2-Richard Branson's Necker Island Retreat
Technically, this one isn't a house, but an entire island. Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson owns the Virgin empire, and he was only 28 when he bought this private uninhabited island in the British Virgin Islands. Although the asking price was six million, like any good businessman, Branson low balled the seller and offered 100 grand. A year later the owner got desperate and accepted $180,000 for it. Part of me thinks the fact that the archipelago had virgin in its name must have sold the idea to him. He then spent $10 million revamping it into an ocean paradise, and it's thought that Branson has now spent a total of $80 million on renovations to the island. The main house, or the great house as it's known, has 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, a bar and an open-air bathtub which Richard seems rather fond of. The private island spans 74 acres and is available to hire; if you have a lot of spare cash lying around, of course. It can accommodate 34 guests and six children in total, and if it's good enough for Mariah Carey, it's good enough for me. You might want to get saving though, island rent is $65,000, per day.
1-Beyonce and Jay-Z's LA Compound
With a combined net worth of $1.6 billion, it's no surprise that Jay-Z and Beyoncé have envy-inducing homes all over the globe. But, their newest purchase really is the jewel in the crown of their empire. Welcome to their brand new $88 million Bel Air compound; the most expensive real estate deal in Los Angeles for 2017. The ultra-modern split-level building covers 30,000 square feet, has eight plush bedrooms and 11 state-of-the-art bathrooms. It features all the essentials including a movie room, four pools, a 15 car garage, and a spa and fitness center. There's also a helipad on the roof: presumably to beat LA's notoriously bad traffic. Security is important when you make as much dough as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and all the windows are bulletproof, just in case. It was reported that they put down a whopping $35 million deposit on the property, which means an eye-watering $53 million mortgage. No wonder the couple just brought out a new album to help finance their fantasy home. Never satisfied with their property portfolio, they also recently bought a house in the Hamptons, which was a bargain at $26 million in comparison to their LA crib. It's reported that the architect behind Jay and Bey's house is building a $500 million LA home with seven pools, a casino, and a jellyfish lounge. Any guesses who'll buy that mega-mansion?
And, which house in this house did you think was the most incredible? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below. And as always, thank you so much.
