OOC: It’s no secret Biel loves Monaco and for years, he has resided primarily in the principality, splitting his time between Lisbon and Monaco. So now, he sold his old pad and bought a summer home and he and Mimi can conquer Europe.
Just over two and a half years after his passing, the Monte Carlo, Monaco, summer home of legendary former Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld is now out of the market. The property, Mansion Global reports, was available to rent and used to cost at least €15,000 ($17,388 USD) a night, with the cost reaching €45,000 ($52,165 USD) in the busiest season. And after a six months negotiation has now a new owner: Prince Gabriel de Bragança de Portugal.
In French, “La Vigie” means “the lookout” or “the watchman”, an appropriate name for a villa overlooking the sea. With high alabaster ceilings and an overflow of Corinthian columns, the Villa La Vigie stands just a few hundred meters away from the French-Monégasque border.
“It’s the safest place in the world,” Lagerfeld reportedly told W Magazine in 1988. “It’s impossible to get near the place. No public road passes by and you have to go through two gates to get inside. It doesn’t even have an address, so no one can write to me here.” Lagerfeld would keep the house until the late 90s.
Lagerfeld bought the home in 1988, just five years after he began his decades-long tenure at Chanel, and subsequently renovated it. Built in 1902, the Belle Epoque style of the property makes for particularly impressive environs, with gorgeous wall panelling, columns, and crown moulding throughout the estate. With six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two dressing rooms, and a billiards room, there’s certainly plenty of space to go around. Outside, a 2,500 square foot terrace offers a place to soak up the sun and the views of the Mediterranean Sea. A stay at the property includes a private lounge tent at the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel’s private beach, along with access to their pool and restaurants, and an electric car so that the hotel’s many amenities can be easily reached.
tamiko is the proud owner of a reversible destiny loft — an architecture’s vision of extending livelihood. her home sleeps four, the bedroom accommodating two and the study room easily transformed into a sleeping area. the kitchen and living area are centralized, the entire floor plan circular. the bathroom is combined with personal laundry machines, and the fourth “pod” is a tatami room that tamiko primarily uses for mindfulness practices and hosting.
tamiko had a hand in choosing the interior colors (based on the palette already compiled), putting a word in after attending one of the complex’s workshops. she may have used the princess card, but she’d do it all over again for another one of these spaces. yes, the floor has bumps and slopes to promote conscious thought and making every movement meaningful. storage may seem non-existent at first glance, but hanging shelves and load-bearing hooks are available, encouraging creativity in the way one views a home.
the vibrancy and non-traditional aspects match tamiko’s personality — she wouldn’t dream of living in a four-walled fifty shades of beige home. she’s constantly rearranging what oddball furniture she has (hammocks and oversized puffy chairs to name a couple), her home never looks the same for repeat visitors.
gifted to éloïse for her 18th birthday, the king and queen put much thought and expense into her coming of age gift. as much of a city girl éloïse was, she was also a lover of nature, animals and fresh air with green grasses as far as the eye could see. this was why it was a no brainer to gift the youngest princess her very own château far from the city, engulfed by the countryside. located in the south of belgium, in the duchy of ardennes, torgny is a small village known for it’s sunny microclimate and their surrounding vineyards. surrounded by it’s own man-made lake, the property is an 8 bed, 7 bath estate with a detached house off to the side that accommodates the caretaker of the property when éloïse is not there. the huge space had been meant to be used for entertainment purposes, but instead, éloïse uses it to get away from the busyness of the city and laeken or when she’s in a particular artistic rut. the house has it’s own chicken coop, pool, green house/sitting room, garden, and stables. more than half of the rooms are closed off and covered with sheets to prevent dust, the ones that éloïse does use include her bed and bath, the kitchen, commons and the rooms she had turned into her art studio as well as the wing she has left for the doctor and security detail she travels with. you could catch éloïse spending the end of winter to spring, and sometimes in autumn for the apple fair and music festivals, in her torgny home. the appeal of the home, at least to éloïse, are how her parents had decorated the place in her favorite color: green. ( 2017 )
in the words of lola’s hero: “ LOOK AT ALL THOSE CHICKENS! ”
FOYER ∙ LAKE & GAZEBO ∙ GREENHOUSE
welcomed by travertine floors with a bold compass rose design, the sprawling staircase leads to the second floor.
the lake is pretty murky so it is not recommended to swim in, but it is a sight to see in the mornings. when nights aren’t so chilly, éloïse can find herself snuggled under blankets in the gazebo.
the greenhouse is a ways attached to the kitchen area, here one can see éloïse enjoying her late breakfast/lunch.
POOL ∙ ART ROOM #1 ∙ CHICKEN COOP
the pool was built after she finally found use of the estate, finding that the lake wasn’t really a good place for a dip, the pool settles that dispute. one can often find éloïse lounging by the pool if she’s not having a swim.
one of the empty rooms éloïse had converted to house her art. she rotates between rooms; most, if not all, her completed art pieces can be found in this home.
her beloved chicken coop. a built-in that did not come with the house. the moment it was completed and éloïse was able to get her chickens, they have literally become the loves of her life. she has six chickens named: lou, beau, arabella, araya, armani, and teo. ( yes, she named her chickens after her friends and family -- and no, she will not change them )
BATHROOM ∙ BEDROOM ∙ COMMONS
when she first received the house, this particular bathroom had a plain green wall. over time éloïse has contributed to painting over it with intricate flowers. it’s still a work in progress but it’s getting there. each time she visits, she makes sure to add more.
her parents’ bedroom: the only room that holds the only piano in the house and is locked by key. lola never had the heart to cover it in sheets and has the caretaker dust the place once a week. when she’s feeling melancholic, you can find her here.
the common area that leads to the backyard, also where the formal dining room is but éloïse rarely, if at all, takes her meals in there.
GARDEN ∙ ART ROOM #2 ∙ SIDE DOOR
because a house without a garden just wouldn’t feel right to éloïse.
another one of her art rooms.
side door of the stable house that stretches out to see the rest of the greenery of the estate.
KITCHEN ∙ BEDROOM ∙ STABLES
she doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen, meals are often prepared by her nutritionist anyways, but when she does come in, she does make a mean waffle.
her bedroom is her little oasis. draped in her color green, it’s packed with furniture that instills happiness in her, making for a cozy little home amongst the rest of the tapestry-draped corridors.
the stables house her three horses: diana, lars and simoné.
SECOND FLOOR STAIRCASE ∙ COWS ∙ CHICKENS
this particular staircase leads to her bedroom on the third floor.
along with her chickens, to complete her makeshift farm, éloïse has two cows. their names are patricia and fleur.
another shot of her six chickens because look how cute they are!
she invites a select few to her home in torgny, if you’re able to nab an invite -- you’re probably her inner circle or her siblings. in torgny, while she’s known as the princess, and when she first arrived she was quite the hot commodity, it has since died down and the towns’ people are relatively less starstruck and more hospitable when she goes to town for dinners or for walks. most of the time, when she doesn’t have people over, éloïse spends most of her days painting/drawing, taking care of her farm animals, riding her horses, sunbathing or having midnight concerts singing along to abba.
the home has a caretaker, groundskeeper, and a set of maids who take care of the home and éloïse when she comes around.
other things éloïse wants to add to the house include a strawberry patch, get more chickens, buy a goat and add a tennis court.
since joining the program and as such spending more time in italy, salvatore found himself seeking peace and quiet more often than not. whether he retreated to his room in the palace, or in the hotel, being around his family made him appreciate solitude. so he contacted a well-known real estate agent in rome quietly and asked for help in finding a property. off the beaten track, with character, and with room to store his extensive book collection. three weeks ago he got the call from his agent to come and look at tenuta dei volsci.
the villa, built on pre-roman ruins, was everything he had asked for. remote, historic, beautiful. expensive as it was, it’s what his family’s money was made for. if alessandro could have a private jet he could have his dream home. he signed the contract just four hours after he’d viewed it, pausing only to have one of his uncle’s take the hour-long drive and assure him he wasn’t making a terrible decision.
the interior needs to be redecorated, the library isn’t quite as extensive as he would like, and he wanted to return to the program in time for luciana’s birthday, so he’s yet to organise anything. though he knows he’s probably just going to ask barbie for her help, as he always does. all he knows is that no matter what the inside looks like, in his opinion it’s the outside that made him truly fall in love with his home.
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒: the villa sits on 1,260 acres of land, filled with forests, archaeological sites and pristinely manicured gardens. a five-acre large english garden designed by english landscape architect dan pearson and a swimming pool sits in the centre of the estate’s medieval ruins. the main house itself was built in the 17th century by the borghese family, and renovated in the 90’s for an italian duke, it boasts seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a library & a gallery. the guest house has an additional four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
This private mansion is not a property of the Belgian crown but actually belonged to Anne du Poitiers. It was a gift from Louise’s grand-father, Adolphe the Duc de Foix, to his daughter for her wedding with prince Albert.
It was rarely used by Anne who mostly stayed in her husband’s estates. It became Louise’s residence during the three years she studied at the Ecole des beaux-arts. Sad fact, Anne gifted the private mansion to her first born daughter in her will (because she knew Paris was the city of Art and that Louise loved her time there).
The hôtel particulier is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, right next to the Bourbon Palace Square. It is a small three floors property (only a little over 150m²) built in the early XIXth century in the Directoire style. The furniture are old fashioned and Louise is not a fan of them. When you are a princess you tend to see your fair share of panelling, mouldings, cabochons, and Empire and Louis XVI’s chairs. However she loves the small garden, its fountain and the bathroom.
The princess did not want to engage heavy expenses to redecorate her mother’s property to her taste. She only had a bedroom remodelled so she could survive her three years stay in an ancient looking estate. Now that Louise is the official owner, she could make more changes but with her mother’s passing, it has sentimental value. She is not ready to turn that page yet.
versailles is henri’s primary residence, but he has his own apartment in paris for when he needs / wants to be in the city for something. henri has had this apartment for ages, he’s the sort of tenant that the entire building would know by name even if he wasn’t the prince of france. it was one of the first purchases he made as an adult, and it really is his favorite place to be. it feels more like a home than the cold palatial walls of versailles, and it also gives him far more privacy to relax.
henri’s never cleaned a single thing in his life, but one thing he does like to do for himself is cooking. his reasons for this are twofold: first, he likes cooking and finds it very relaxing; second, he likes to limit how many people are in the space, which means no personal chefs. the apartment is very personal for him; the only people who’ve seen the inside are the cleaning crew and, far more rarely, henri’s siblings. he’s had his fair share of hookups and flings in paris, but he always makes sure they go back to their place, never to his, because he hates having other people in his space.
the apartment features two bedrooms with full en-suites ( the master is pictured above; the guest bedroom is rarely, if ever, used ). there’s an extra half bath just off the kitchen / dining area. the balcony offers an unrivaled view of paris ( note: if you ask henri, any view of paris is unrivaled, because it’s paris, but you can see the eiffel tower from the balcony which is a bonus ). the kitchen is one of henri’s favorite parts of the apartment — stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, the works. but henri’s most favorite feature can be found in the sitting room: a custom steinway & sons model o piano. henri owns about five pianos, all varying sizes and brands, but this one is his prized possession. it’s one of the reason he likes staying in the apartment so much.
where villa la fiorentina was left for mimi, palais venitien was meant to be henri and milena’s gift for the next generation of grimaldi’s, and their refuge from their busy life in the meantime. it was purchased three months into their marriage and renovated for nine months, just in time for them to host a party there in honour of their first wedding anniversary. the cost of the villa was eye-watering to begin with, the cost of the renovations even more so, enough to draw the ire of the ever preoccupied sovereign prince.
milena is no interior designer but she did work closely with the one they did hire, françois catroux, to create a place that was seamless and tasteful, somewhere they would be proud to bring friends and family to. the wine cellar was especially important to the design, upon their first visit post renovation milena found the cellar half filled with numerous bottles she’d expressed a desire in having, yet another gift from her husband.
after henri passed away the property was one of the only things milena kept a hold of, one of the only things she demanded ownership of. she hasn’t been back since she left monaco, and is hesitant to ever go back, lest the memories overwhelm her. she plans to gift the property to one of mimi’s children should she ever have more than one.
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒: nine bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two kitchens, two pools ( one indoor & one outdoor ), tennis court, wine cellar, home theatre, gym, sauna, nightclub & more.
HSHQ TASK forty —– HOME, feat. @artwindsor
yes, arthur talked catherine into buying a private island
once upon a time -- when arthur and catherine were still planning on ruling the world -- they bought an island in the bahamas, one in the chain of the 360 islands that formed the exuma cays. darby island was once owned by an englishman who built a 7000-square-foot castle in the early 1930s, now abandoned and in ruins, catherine couldn’t help but to be drawn to island because of it. however, instead of renovating the castle and bringing english architecture to the caribbean, they decided to build their own legacy in the form of a luxurious villa by the beach.
features / headcanons:
the villa is on the southern side of the main island by the new pier -- where arthur likes to dock his yacht, while the castle ruins is located on the north. they built an airstrip for their private jets on the adjoining smaller island, and arthur had plans in making a 15-hole golf course there.
10 bedrooms / 10 bathrooms, catherine thinks its excessive since she’s not about to invite just everyone to a place she didn’t want to be disturbed at, but arthur wasn’t about to budge on that.
there’s a chessboard in the middle of a shallow pool, catherine said once that she’s not one to go casually swimming for fun, so arthur put a fucking chessboard in a pool just to prove a point.
there are several tennis courts, a putting green, a full gym ( for arthur ), a full spa, and numerous pools. their architect suggested a winding water slide for the main pool, and arthur said that might be good to instal ‘for the kids one day’. catherine promptly gagged.
development started in early 2015, and was halted in early 2018 after their ‘break up’. currently they share joint custody of the island, with equal visitation rights, although arthur was the one who frequented the property more than catherine ever could.
by mid-2018, a few guest bungalows were constructed around the island and it was open to be rented by the better part of forbes top 50 earners. the real ownership of the island has always been hidden, and dealings were put forth and managed by arthur’s people.
for the most part, the island is self-sustaining with a hundred or so acres of local produce and farmland, along with it’s own solar powered energy source for water purifying, etc. the staff lives onsite or on neighbouring islands full-time.
also, the island is a total secret from everyone -- except for each of their personal accountants, that is.
