The most extraordinary celebrity homes from windmills to waterparks
eXp Realty ; Siegfried & Roy/The Mirage via Getty Images
Celebrity homes with serious star quality
Sprawling mega-mansions are a given when you're one of the world's biggest stars, but few go the extra mile like these celebrity homes. From Celine Dion's water park and Robert Downey Jr.'s windmill to Cara Delevingne's Alice in Wonderland-inspired home, we take a look inside the most eccentric celebrity pads of all time. The 80s Vegas-style magicians Siegfried & Roy lived in a singular estate known as Jungle Palace, which was designed as an extension of their flamboyant stage personalities and filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful extras. Let's take a look around...
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Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Jungle Palace
During the 1970s German-American duo, Siegfried & Roy, wowed audiences with their extravagant magic shows that often featured real white lions and tigers. They were the highest-paid magicians Vegas had ever seen and today, a statue of them stands outside The Mirage hotel. So, it's no wonder the dynamic duo snapped up a house down the road from The Strip, to ensure their commute to Vegas wasn't too long...
Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Jungle Palace
Known as Jungle Palace, this property was home to Siegfried and Roy for decades. They bought it in 1982 for an unknown sum and following their deaths (Roy in 2020 and Siegfried in 2021), the estate was listed for sale for £2.5 million ($3m). With its circus-like interior, indoor jungle and countless unique extras, the house instantly went viral. According to Dirt, it has been bought by the owners of Carden Circus International, who plan to turn it into a tourist attraction. Let's head inside...
Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Jungle Palace
Built in 1954, the striking 8,750-square-foot mansion no doubt looked a lot different when Siegfried and Roy first moved in. But following an extensive makeover, the property soon became a chocolate box of design details. Everywhere you look you'll spot something else of interest, from the huge tent-like ceiling in the foyer to the various statues and ornaments that decorate every alcove and pillar.
Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Jungle Palace
The two-storey home features numerous lounges and sitting areas, as well as two sprawling OTT bedrooms, one with a headboard decorated with a lion. As for design, you'll find indoor palm trees, hexagonal Saltillo floor tiles, mural-covered ceilings and shag pile carpets in various eye-watering shades. There's also an indoor garden, a swimming pool, several water features and even some animal enclosures, where the duo no doubt kept big cats.
Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Jungle Palace
There's even an incredible all-black bathroom with stained-glass windows and a bright red tub. The magicians lived here until 2003 after Roy was attacked by a lion and suffered a stroke. Following the incident, they moved to a 100-acre compound on the outskirts of Vegas known as Little Bavaria. According to Dirt, the estate featured a mini zoo of exotic animals that roamed the grounds, had two connected mansions and an aquatic park. However, it was sold in 2021 and is reported to be turned into a 300-unit apartment building.
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Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Palm Springs paradise
Long before the Kardashians were on the scene, Zsa Zsa Gabor was the OG American socialite. The late Hollywood icon emigrated from Hungary to the United States in 1941 and went on to become a Hollywood actor, starring in various TV shows and movies. Putting her fortune to good use, Gabor bought a seriously cool home in Palm Springs, California.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Palm Springs paradise
The mid-century modern home actually belonged to Zsa Zsa's famous sister, Magda Gabor, first. The two lived in the property separately over a 30-year period, making it a true piece of Hollywood history. Dating back to 1964, the 3,441-square-foot bungalow no doubt played host to countless celebrity parties over the years and its interior and glistening garden would have been the perfect backdrop for VIPs.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Palm Springs paradise
Positioned in the high-end neighbourhood of Little Tuscany, the three-bedroom house features 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains. But the view is perhaps the least interesting thing about the place. Every single room is decked out with unusual design details, including mirrored walls, vintage furniture, shag pile rugs, stone floors and OTT light fixtures.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Palm Springs paradise
There's a living and dining room equipped with a grand piano and a seriously distinctive kitchen, fitted with black units and a shimmering gold ceiling. A nearby family and breakfast room offers more views and leads out to a patio, where there's a firepit, swimming pool and desert-inspired garden.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s Palm Springs paradise
There are three bedrooms, but the primary suite definitely wins the prize for being the loudest. It includes a dressing area, makeup room, lounge and office, as well as a private bathroom with dual vanities and a large gold soaking tub that sits in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. If you've fallen in love with this wild and weird home, then it's currently for sale for £2.8 million ($3.5m).
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Cara Delevingne's whimsical Los Angeles home
Described as her "adult playhouse", Cara Delevingne gave the world a glimpse inside her wacky Los Angeles home during an access-all-areas tour with Architectural Digest. According to reports, the famous supermodel snapped up the Studio City home in 2019 for £5.7 million ($7m) and she opened up the Mad Hatter-inspired property to the cameras in the summer of 2021, following an extensive renovation. Far from being ordinary, the house is overflowing with quirky design elements.
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Cara Delevingne's whimsical Los Angeles home
The house has an English country-style façade and was built in 1941. However, with help from architect Nicolò Bini, Delevingne has completely overhauled the property and it's now bursting with colours, patterns and statement pieces. For starters, the once traditional façade has been given a lick of vibrant blue paint, while two grand lion statues sit on either side of the double front door, giving us a taste of what lies inside...
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Cara Delevingne's whimsical Los Angeles home
Eclectic and playful, the model's home blends traditional elements, such as coffered timber ceilings, hardwood floors and tiled fireplaces, with modern touches like Gucci wallpaper and James Turrell art pieces. The living room features mix and match furnishings and a transparent Wurlitzer piano, while one of the bathrooms is a shrine to David Bowie. It's decked out in gold mosaic tiles and includes a guitar signed by the late rock legend himself. But this is all fairly normal, considering what else the house harbours...
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Cara Delevingne's whimsical Los Angeles home
Jam-packed full of fun, the home has numerous quirky bars, a screening room, a games room with a poker table, a costume room filled with fancy dress outfits, a few in-ground trampolines and even a ball pool! Delevingne told Architectural Digest that her work requires her to wear "many different hats and costumes”, so her whimsical home reflects lots of themes and moods. “If I’m having a bad day, I just hop in the ball pit," she said. "You can’t really cry in a ball pit.” Yet the home's most surprising feature is yet to come...
Architectural Digest (Open Door) / YouTube
Cara Delevingne's whimsical Los Angeles home
That's right, Delevingne requested a secret passageway and Nicolò Bini certainly delivered. While one side of the tunnel sits behind a mirror in the living room and is designed to look like part of the female anatomy (we'll leave that to your imagination), the other end is the door of a fake washing machine. Here, Delevingne can be seen showing the camera crew the nifty little space. There's also an "attic party bunker", which includes a mirrored ceiling, tasselled swing and dancing pole.
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Johnny Depp's French village
Rather than following the well-trodden road of an LA mansion or New York penthouse, notorius Hollywood actor Johnny Depp decided to buy an entire village in the beautiful surroundings of the south of France. The 19th-century hamlet was snapped up by the star in 2001 and boasts a main house and a guest home, as well as 300-year-old oaks, olive trees and vineyards in the sprawling grounds.
Johnny Depp's French village
Known as Gassin, the celebrity village dates back to before the French Revolution, and had been abandoned sometime during the 20th century. Depp restored the estate's 12 rustic stone and wood-beamed buildings, including its quaint chapel, and ended up splashing a reported £8.1 million ($10m) on the revamp. In addition to the 4,300-square-foot main house, Gassin now has six guest homes, bringing the total number of bedrooms to 15, along with heaps of wonderfully quirky amenities.
Johnny Depp's French village
The two main living spaces total a comfortable 12,900 square feet, while elsewhere there is also a wagon with a bath and kitchen, two swimming pools, a skate park, a full gym and a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed wine cellar.
Johnny Depp's French village
The grounds also feature a converted church, which has been transformed by the actor into a stunning guest home, with rustic stonework and soaring ceilings. An escape from reality, the village even boasts a pretty town square with a private restaurant called Chez Marceline and a number of idyllic outside areas for the star to sit back and relax in the sunny St. Tropez weather.
Johnny Depp's French village
The estate even has its very own art studio, which is covered in paintings and materials. It sounds like the perfect celebrity-worthy holiday home for anyone looking to lay low in their own town. Despite being one of the most unusual homes we've seen, Depp has put the village on the market three times. It was first listed in 2015 and 2016 and in May 2022 was back on the market for a reported £52.9 million ($65m).
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Tommy Hilfiger's Greenwich fairytale estate
American fashion designer and retail tycoon, Tommy Hilfiger has owned a whole host of unusual properties over the years, including a minimalist waterfront estate in Miami. However, his European-inspired home in Greenwich, New York, is definitely his most impressive asset. The estate, which looks like something out of a fairytale, is definitely fit for fashion royalty.
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Tommy Hilfiger's Greenwich fairytale estate
Hilfiger purchased the property, which was built in 1939, for a little over £25.2 million ($31m) in 2010, according to Realtor. The 22-acre estate provided plenty of bang for his buck and comes complete with a fountained rose garden, a boxwood knot garden and a water garden with a koi pond, as well as a bean-shaped swimming pool and a tennis court. And that's just the backyard!
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Tommy Hilfiger's Greenwich fairytale estate
The property was originally called Château Paterno and was designed by architect Greville Rickard for real estate magnate, Charles V. Paterno. In the 1960s, entrepreneur, financier and art collector, Joseph H. Hirshhorn, bought the estate and no doubt used the home's stunning walls to showcase his favourite art pieces. When Hilfiger moved in, he added his own stamp, delivering a “painstaking reinvention of the historic property,” the listing states.
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Tommy Hilfiger's Greenwich fairytale estate
Offering six bedroom suites, seven bathrooms and three powder rooms, the home spans 13,300 square feet and boasts wooden beams, limestone floors, wall panelling, wainscotting and more. Full of eccentric touches, the luxurious property has every amenity under the sun, including a games room, massage room and Turkish-inspired screening room. There's also a wood-panelled dining room, a library with intricate ceiling mouldings and a wine cellar.
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Tommy Hilfiger's Greenwich fairytale estate
Every bit the fairytale retreat, the opulent master suite features two bathrooms, dual dressing rooms and a private study, while the separate two-bedroom guesthouse is fully equipped with a living room and kitchen. Perhaps looking to downsize, the designer listed the residence in September 2020 for £38.7 million ($47.5m) and reportedly sold it in November of the same year.
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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion
A far cry from their ultra-modern mega-mansion in LA, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are rumoured to have made a rather unusual purchase in 2015. Curbed reported that the pair may have snapped up a converted church in the Garden District of New Orleans for a reported £2.1 million ($2.6m). Whispers of the supposed purchase began when a company linked to Beyoncé's management was revealed to have signed on the dotted line...
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion
While the Carters' ownership of the property is still somewhat in question, the space's grandeur certainly isn't. The 13,000-square-foot home, which was once a Presbyterian church, has immense kerb appeal and certainly showcases all the hallmarks of a VIP residence.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion
Inside, the property is spacious and bright, thanks to towering 26-foot ceilings and vast windows. The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom property was originally built in 1925 and boasts an incredible living green roof. While these photographs show how the place looked when the VIP couple apparently bought it, we're sure they've made plenty of changes since receiving the keys.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion
Spread over three floors, the converted church blends modern touches with plenty of period features, including hardwood floors, marble accents, original columns and attractive plasterwork. A dramatic staircase sits at the centre of the living room, which is zoned into a lounge, kitchen and dining area. Known as La Casa de Castille, the home also provides a loft-style sitting room and a library nook with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion
The perfect spot for the Queen of Pop to unwind after a long day, the master suite is classically styled and comes with a large walk-in closet, as well as a generous bathroom with a wooden vanity, a large antique bathtub and a separate shower. With Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange, having relocated to New Orleans in 2013, the former church, which is just off the main Mardi Gras parade route, would make the ideal base for family reunions.
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Celine Dion's private water park in Florida
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. Taking two years for Celine and her late husband René Angélil to build, the super-luxury home sits on 5.7 acres of land and has access to over 400 feet of beach frontage.
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Celine Dion's private water park in Florida
The 'My Heart Will Go On' singer purchased the almost-six-acre estate, which lies in Florida's exclusive Jupiter Island, back in early 2008 for around £5.7 million ($7m) and commissioned the Bahamian-inspired mansion. Designed by the singer for her friends and family, Dion's luxe holiday home offers all the amenities of a plush private resort. It's split into two homes that share three pools, along with an incredible bespoke water park featuring slides, a lazy river and a footbridge.
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Celine Dion's private water park in Florida
The Canadian star designed the 20,000-square-foot property as somewhere she could retreat to and escape the paparazzi. Yet it's anything but low-key. There are a total of 13 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, as well as countless gorgeous formal living spaces for hosting and relaxing. There's also a tennis court, a golf range simulator and a beachside cabana with a massage room.
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Celine Dion's private water park in Florida
The five-bedroom main house is certainly worthy of a multimillion-dollar songstress the master bedroom has an extravagant walk-in wardrobe with automated clothing racks, plus a private wraparound terrace with its own hot tub. And if that wasn't enough, there's also an eight-bedroom guesthouse for visiting friends and family.
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Celine Dion's private water park in Florida
This photo showcases the water park in all its glory. The ultimate playground for children and big kids alike, the property highlights that when money isn't an object, you can have a house with almost any accessory. The breathtaking Bahamian-inspired estate was sold by the mega-star in 2017 for £22.8 million ($28m), after she originally listed it for the eye-watering sum of £58.7 million ($72m) in 2014, according to Curbed.
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Pierce Brosnan's $100 million Malibu estate
In October 2020 we got a sneak peek inside Pierce Brosnan's epic estate when he put it on the market for a staggering £81.5 million ($100m). The unusual Thai-inspired home, which is actually in Malibu, California, was built by the James Bond actor and his wife after Brosnan purchased two lots of land in the early 2000s, for less than £8.1 million ($10m).
Pierce Brosnan's $100 million Malibu estate
Hidden behind carved teak entry gates, Orchid House sits under a green clay-tiled roof. With almost 13,000 square feet of living space across the estate, the main house has been built in a U-shape and features a light-filled open floor plan. Fitted out with wide-plank teak floorboards, scissor truss ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, the combination living and dining room spills out onto the tropical landscaped grounds.
Pierce Brosnan's $100 million Malibu estate
Offering five bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, the home was ideal for entertaining for the couple and their large family. In the main house, the master bedroom sits on the upper floor and boasts two fireplaces, two bathrooms and two dressing rooms. Full of world-class amenities, the property also has a screening room, a gym, a recording studio and a spa, complete with saunas, a steam room, a plunge pool and a Japanese soaking tub.
Pierce Brosnan's $100 million Malibu estate
The property is said to have taken almost a decade to complete and it really isn't a surprise. The design was reportedly inspired by Brosnan's time spent in Thailand, during the filming of the 1997 Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.
Pierce Brosnan's $100 million Malibu estate
In addition to the main house, the grounds also hold a two-storey pool house, complete with a bar and a sitting area. The perfect spot for some serene relaxation, the saltwater pool is flanked by landscaped grounds, while a path leads directly to the property's private beach. Despite its scale and beauty, Brosnan's home proved unsellable and after 12 months with no bites, he removed the pad from the market.
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Mr Chow's opulent Holmby Hills mansion
The ultimate in luxury and out-there interiors, the LA home of actor and restauranteur, Michael Chow, was modelled on the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and is full of opulent period finishes flown in from around the world. This includes imported carved wooden doors from a Spanish monastery, 16th- and 17th-century Florentine ceilings, and 400-year-old Moorish columns.
Mr Chow's opulent Holmby Hills mansion
The property was built by Mr Chow and his now ex-wife in 2005 and lies in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The couple spent seven years building the home from scratch, according to the Wall Street Journal. As well as being their full-time home, the property was built as a dedicated space for Chow to display his world-class art collection, and its soaring ceilings and seemingly endless walls certainly are perfect for doing just that.
Mr Chow's opulent Holmby Hills mansion
The mesmerising 30,000-square-foot mansion features colossal rooms, including this remarkable lounge. With its double-height ceiling, exposed beams and endless windows that allow sunlight to filter inside, it's the perfect place for hanging a painting or two.
Mr Chow's opulent Holmby Hills mansion
Inspired by Art Deco aesthetics, this incredible library boasts walls lined with exotic slabs of polished hardwood and features a huge tapestry that takes centre stage. Even the furnishings are like pieces of art. Elsewhere, there are seven bedrooms and a vast formal dining room that can accommodate the largest of A-list dinner parties.
Mr Chow's opulent Holmby Hills mansion
The lavish home also benefits from an amazing underground home theatre, that can accommodate up to 40 guests on its tiered leather seating. The cinema even features a dining table, so that you can chow down while you watch the latest blockbuster. Outside, the grounds feature palm trees and manicured lawns, while the tranquil rooftop terrace is perfect for soaking up the sunset. Chow listed the place in late 2019 for £57 million ($70m) and it instantly became Realtor's most expansive new listing.
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Gwen Stefani's mod mansion in Beverly Hills
A strikingly unique mega-mansion if ever there was one, Gwen Stefani's 11,845-square-foot home in Beverly Hills is pretty much bang on what you'd expect from the trend-setting fashion icon, who has her very own massively successful clothing line.
Gwen Stefani's mod mansion in Beverly Hills
The pop star snapped up the seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom pad together with her rocker ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale, in 2006. The pair paid £10.8 million ($13.3m) and set about giving it a thorough makeover.
Gwen Stefani's mod mansion in Beverly Hills
Full of eclectic design features throughout, the 11,845-square-foot home is playful and entirely one-of-a-kind. Almost every room boasts a cool and contemporary monochrome aesthetic, thanks to rich slabs of marble, black and white geometric patterned floors, loud wallpapers and rugs. Pops of colour come from unique pieces of furniture and the occasional piece of wall art.
Gwen Stefani's mod mansion in Beverly Hills
The quirky décor strongly reflects Stefani's inimitable personal style – think bright Day-Glo accents and chic retro touches. The unusual interiors nod to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and have a fun pop art feel. Even the kitchen is black and white, with striped wallpaper and a black marble island. Look too long, and it might just make your eyes hurt!
Gwen Stefani's mod mansion in Beverly Hills
The master bedroom is just as on-point as the rest of the property, with a spectacular chandelier and fireplace. Other highlights include a spacious home theatre and gym, not to mention the infinity pool, spa area, playground and tennis court. After Stefani and Rossdale separated in 2016, they went on to list the house for £28.5 million ($35m), before finally selling it for a reported £17.6 million ($21.6m).
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Robert Downey Jr.’s windmill cottage in East Hampton
Why live in a regular mansion when you can live in a windmill? Or at least that’s probably what Robert Downey Jr. was thinking when he purchased a wonderful windmill – originally built as a playhouse – in the wealthy town of East Hampton, New York. Though we don't know how much he paid for the place, we do know it was on the market for £9.7 million ($11.9m), before he snapped it up back in 2017.
Robert Downey Jr.’s windmill cottage in East Hampton
The incredible property was constructed back in 1885 and has lots of beautiful original features throughout. Located in one of the most sought-after but exclusive pockets of New York State, the property would have been the perfect family home for the superhero actor, his Hollywood producer wife, Susan Downey, as well as their three children, Exton, Avril and Indio.
Robert Downey Jr.’s windmill cottage in East Hampton
Measuring over 8,500 square feet, the historic home offers lots of space for the family to enjoy and the décor is traditional but chic, with plaid carpets and lots of antique wooden furniture befitting the history of the house. This beautiful living room captures the heritage charm of the property, from the original beam ceilings to the open fireplaces.
Robert Downey Jr.’s windmill cottage in East Hampton
There's a lovely family kitchen, a 50-foot swimming pool, an outdoor living room and bar, as well as an alfresco dining table and a huge cinema-style TV screen. Some extra amenities include a three-car garage, a putting green and a tennis court. The four-acre garden also offers a two-bedroom guest house that's perfect for visiting VIPs.
Robert Downey Jr.’s windmill cottage in East Hampton
However, the converted house does look a little different now, after the couple invested a fair amount of time and money into renovating the place. In October 2017, Architectural Digest took a tour. Now wonderfully eclectic, the house features plenty of unusual elements. For starters, there's a huge insect statue in the front yard, while the master bedroom boasts a muraled wall depicting soaring, tsunami-style waves.
Pharrell's extravagant Beverly Hills glass mansion
Sitting at the top of a private bluff in the Beverly Hills Post Office area of Los Angeles lies a magnificent all-glass property that was once home to singer, songwriter and fashion designer, Pharrell Williams. Unlike anything you might have seen before, the mega-mansion exudes luxury.
Pharrell's extravagant Beverly Hills glass mansion
Pharrell bought the place in 2018, from movie mogul, Tyler Perry. He paid a cool £12.7 million ($15.6m) for the sprawling Beverly Hills estate, which enjoys a prominent hilltop position on Mulholland Drive. The house sits on over four manicured acres of land and Pharrell used his time as the owner to completely transform the home's interior spaces.
Pharrell's extravagant Beverly Hills glass mansion
Sitting at the end of a 200-foot driveway, the impressive home has more than 17,000 square feet of accommodation, and with 10 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, it isn't short on space. The expansive living room features polished marble floors, towering walls of glass and a multi-level ceiling, while outside on the balcony sits a small bar area – the perfect spot to take in those jaw-dropping views.
Pharrell's extravagant Beverly Hills glass mansion
The unconventionally-shaped dining room, which could easily be mistaken for a corporate meeting space, features a huge chandelier crafted from chunks of raw crystal. However, if relaxed dining is more your thing, there's a less formal eating space in the kitchen. Plus, many of the rooms feature wood-accented built-ins, dramatic light fixtures and polished marble floors, as well as direct access to the home's abundant outdoor decks.
Pharrell's extravagant Beverly Hills glass mansion
Outside, the incredible backyard is just as luxurious as the main house. The sunken kitchen and bar area is flanked by a terrace, which sits atop the five-car garage. Deeper into the grounds, waterfalls pour into several swimming pools and small lagoons, where you'll also find a slide and a spa grotto. Not quite your average plush mansion, eh? Pharrell waved goodbye to the pad at the start of 2020, eventually selling it for £11.4 million ($14m).
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