Opulent patterns and colours are in the air in Casa Casuarina (such a pretty name), the Miami beachfront palace-like house of the late Gianni Versace. This house reminds me a bit of a fantasy fairy land, as there is just so much to see everywhere. It's all in the details - just like the Versace clothing.
I think that it would be lovely to stay in a place like this for a couple of days and let your mind absorb and enjoy the most unusual details everywhere: my favourites being the pool and other outdoor areas ...
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Fashion designer Valentino Garavani of Valentino has a home as extravagant as some of his signature designs. Chateau de Wideville has been inspired by his passion for all things Chinese, and what a wonderful explosion of details it is.
Of course my style being a bit more minimalist this is not completely to my liking, but I would definitely not mind having some of these pieces at home, and then of course there are those fabulous gardens to admire...



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A hundred-million dollar NY apartment hit the news recently, but not it gets even crazier in London with the $485M (300 m pounds) price tag for a prime location mansion of the late prince of Saudi Arabia - which supposedly already have a shortlist of people ready to buy it too! I also like the location by Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, but I think I rather still have some countryside greenery around me than a public park.
Would you buy this house if you had the money? Admittedly it looks nice from the outside, but certainly like nothing extra-special that should warrant such a price tag...Then again, the house has 60 000 sq ft (nearly 5600 m2) and 45 bedrooms, so maybe someone is planning to turn it into a hotel, in which case the price tag might be more justified...?

My image of Jennifer Love Hewitt is sweet and a bit romantic, and this house of hers in LA matches to some degree that image. Maybe it's been de-cluttered for the sales photos, but despite being very light and airy, it seems to lack a tiny bit of character. Then again, when the owner has several homes maybe that is understandable, and anyway this home appears to have been occupied lately by her recently deceased mother rather than the actress herself.
So what do you think about this house - does it feel cozy or cold to your, and would it benefit of having a touch of colour here and there?


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Cute, delectable - and much more! That's the Mediterranean-style ranch (with a lot of old Swedish pieces in the decor) of Reese Witherspoon in Ojai, California as shown in the latest issue of Elle Decor.
Who wouldn't love this lush setting and the relaxed atmosphere - casual dream home with no OTT opulence in sight!





Oh, I would so like to rent a house like this in Hamptons, especially if the weather is as sunny as the pictures show. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have rented this fabulous house in the trendy east coast spot for the summer, and I must say that this house has some style - at least outdoors has such a relaxing look with the very Caribbean-style canopies bu the water - and eve palm trees!

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Romance is in the air - at least in the first picture with the horses "guarding" the sweet white frontage of the new LA home of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. The interior is also a lovely mix of white canvas with a mix of mid-century flooring from herringbone wood and checkered tiles to wide wood planks and even some carpet, it looks like.
The previous owner had some mix and match picks and eclectic pieces which gave the home a nice edge, especially when combined with more romantic lighting and some French-looking pieces. If we are lucky maybe we get to see the finished Paltrow household decor on the pages of AD or another lifestyle magazine in the future...



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The Big Brother reality show seems to keep going strong in the England, I think myself I watched an episode or two many moons ago and thought it was plain boring and silly. But the houses are often just fab interior masterpieces, and this one is not an exception.
Whether one likes it or not is another issue - personally I wouldn't go for the glitter and OTT Vegas style (guess I'm too old for that now as in my teens the glitter was all cool...), but I can still spot a few things that I like about this house; namely the entrance with Eames chairs and that outdoor area just made for lounging and entertainment...

Modern outdoor entertaining - thumbs up for this setup!

Still liking; Eames seating and cool pendants

Golden Vegas boudoir in the bathroom - so not my thing...

Not the best decor for people suffering frequent hangovers - neon lights and manic ceiling stripes?
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This beauty in southern Switzerland used to be the home of Beatles George Harrison before he died after a battle with cancer. The house and the gardens look absolutely stunning, and that it would have been great to see inside the house too!





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The rumor from Daily Mail has that Justin Bieber, who just reached the legal age, has bought a little Hollywood Hills mansion for himself as a birthday present. The house is pretty magnificent, and the current owner's decor has some lovely moments, but it still makes me wonder would it have been the grand chandelier or the impressive pool and gym areas that would have helped him to make that decision. The pool, views and kitchen certainly would have done the job for me if I had had enough spare dollars in my wallet...
I certainly doubt that those leopard print French styled dining chairs helped to secure the deal... Nevertheless, a beautiful house with great views (did I forget to mention the $10.8M price tag?), and with a help of a great designer it could be the dream teen pad for the young celebrity couple.

I'm feeling lots of love towards this kitchen and those pendant lights

One of the grandest chandeliers I've ever seen in a modern home, but the leopard print is not my thing, especially when combined with a sort of rustic ornate French chairs. The table is a fab find though

Lots of relaxed living space and seamless blending of indoor and outdoor areas

Erm, not warming up to this idea. Feels a bit like an empty goldfish bowl?

Who wouldn't warm up to this kind of outdoor space with views and an infinity pool?
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The sweet English singer Adele has bought herself a little country hideaway. Her Sussex mansion comes with plenty of rooms and 25 acres, as well as a price tag of around $10M (6 million of those British pounds). Well done Adele - this is such a lovely traditional house!

Beautiful house and gardens

Large and airy rooms

Space to dining

Very old world with dark-panelled walls

Open kitchen with a modern twist

Love that patterned ceiling

The estate has an indoor and outdoor pool

A very grand bathroom with a fireplace

I love that lush English countryside landscape
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Kelly Bensimon, one of the ex-housewives of New York has been selling her cute Hamptons house for a while. Lovely it is, but even with a $4M price reduction, the $8M price tag seems a bit high despite the posh location.
Design-wise I really like the kitchen with dark floor boards and those brushed chrome units (which must be really hard to maintain free of fingerprints!), the vaulted exposed wood ceiling and the very bling, over-sized chandelier. Fireplaces in the bedrooms are also hard-to-resist features. The exterior of the house is just adorable, but the agent seemed to have gotten a bit too excited and enhanced the colours, or maybe the grass really is greener and the sky more blue at other people's houses....





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Wow, lot of colour I thought when I saw this pictures. Christina Aguilera has released more photos of her Beverly Hills mansion on the market and somehow even the word eclectic seems to mild to describe her style. Certainly one would never spot a boring corner in this house.
Her dressing room is like from a movie set or the backroom of upscale Vegas showgirls. Then the bedroom - I don't think i even have words to describe her bed. Monumental maybe? I love the rug in the shiny zebra combo living room, but the red entrance makes me think that the groundhog switched days and got stuck on Valentine's day. Any takers for the red and black landing and the pink-lavender combo rug?

I'm thinking of a movie set or the backroom for Gevas showgirls here

Interesting bed?

I spy a fashionable rug here

This rooms makes me think of Valentine's day...
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Steven Tyler and his fiancée have purchased this swanky house in Maui, Hawaii with some serious views. The two-bedroom, 3000 sq ft (280m2) villa embraces the outdoor living suitable for the warm Hawaiian climate and it looks like there is a lot of good karma.
A lovely house, although the $4.8M price tag seems a bit steep, then again one might call it a bargain it the original listing price really was $8M. Someone find me a house with such discounts too!






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This cozy covered porch of actor Gary Roberts has a very warm feel. The dark stained wood ceiling and graphite grey Studio b furniture together with grey stone floor are the key ingredients for the room.
A fireplace keeps the area mark even on cooler nights and in the evenings the candle-lit lanterns are just perfect for creating a little romantic mood. Cream and lime green pillows scattered around give a fresh addition for the space.

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Model Agyness Deyn is known for her taste and edgy looks, so one would expect her loft in NY be among those lines too. But oh so wrong - her apartment just might make even Galliano and Versace to pale - so bizarre it is. Think of gingham kitchen and Finding Nemo in the bedroom, bizarre marble colours and just too much of everything in terms of colour, style and stuff!
This just proves that you can't have it all without getting a style headache, and that there is a fine line between eclectic and plain crazy when it comes to decor...





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The über-eccentric French-born designer Christian Audigier is moving on the real estate market again. Earlier this summer his fabu-lous Beverly Hills pad with the Rolls-Royce freebie came into market, and this time it's his little mountain hideaway in Topanga near LA. The 3+ acre 1930 celebrity hotspot is priced nearly 5 million lower than the Hollywood home, and therefore at $3.3 M it's almost seems like a bargain in comparison! In addition to the three-bedroom ranch-styled house the property has also four guesthouses and a chapel that has been transformed into an entertainment area. (I'm thinking the latter could be this low-quality photo of a bizarre-looking beamed room with tons of chandeliers hanging low... (What is it with realtors not being able to snap quality pictures - with digital cameras they should be able to afford several snaps of each room and it least one should by logic be of good quality...).
This house, like the previous one has a bit of everything - there is the saddle, fur covers and horn lamps in the bedroom, formal dining space, even the delectable eco-ball made from driftwood in the living room (the one I've been coveting for a while!). It seems that the underlying design idea would be the colour of the walls as that is the constant clue found in the rooms of the main house - that soft mix of baby blue and turquoise, which would be perfect for a beach hut, but quite far from the traditional Mexican/ranch tones of burned reds and browns... I am also wondering where he managed to get all those skulls on the wall; inspired by old western movies my every visit to desert-like environment I am looking for one, but have never seen any...
Anyway, I love the property as a whole and especially the gardens of the house - mountain greenery, vineyard, pool area, that very Tommy Hilfiger/Ralph Lauren styled blue and white seating area - and all those quest houses (wonder what I would do with them all, some sort of bed and breakfast or use them for weekend retreat hire maybe? But one thing would be sure - I would change the main interior colour of the house. I'm thinking of some earthlier tones as this house is on the mountains and of typical ranch style...





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The so-called glass house owned by actor Jason Statham in Hollywood Hills is absolutely stunning. The design of this one-level house is quite minimalistic and open, and as the house has glass walls it gives the ability to see "through" rooms and blends the interior and exterior seamlessly. As the house has a lot of greenery around it, it has a very calming feel, and the simple decor is also very relaxing.
The colour scheme is mainly black and white, or rather cream, and walnut cabinetry in the kitchen and the study area brings some warmth to this setup. As the house gets a lot of light this sort of darker colour palette can be used without making the house look too dark giving a lovely end result!









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Villa Roxie in Miami already has a name that rocks, so suitable for a rock star like Lenny Kravitz who used to rent the house. This Moroccan-inspired house was decorated for the rock star by NY-based BNO Design and the key was following along Kravitz fascination for early 70s style - so the decor is quickly, fun and so rock-star with bright reds, pure whites and glitter. The house was done nearly 10 years ago but it still looks current, which proves that a good design is timeless. Thus said - enter the eclectic world of Villa Roxie and enjoy!














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Supermodel Naomi Campbell's Russian billionaire boyfriend is proposing to build her an eco-house in the shape of the Eye of Horus. Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, good health and royal power so the idea sounds goods, although a bit odd. The proposed site is Sedir Island in Turkey (also known as the Cleopatra island) so I guess that makes the theme consistent.
The vision of architect Luis de Garrido includes 25 bedrooms so this is no tiny eco-cottage, but he notes that the structure is not expensive - as Naomi is known for taste for luxury I wonder if she's happy with that statement... The black line of the eye is actually going to be photovoltaic panels, which should provide all energy needed for the building. All in all it sounds very interesting and I hope the birthday girl will accept this present - it would be great to see what the finished house ends up looking like!



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The Gossip Girl glamour girl Leighton Meester has bought a cute little house in Encino, California. With 4 bedrooms and price tag of around a million and a half she certainly is keeping her feet on the ground and saving for the future.
This house is cozy, has a nice little garden and a pool, but certainly it is nothing what we are used to seeing her in the NY scene on the famous TV series (then again she already has a pad in NY also). But a slap of paint (just look at the pink and brown walls in living room - and they are not the pretty kind of shades either!) and maybe some cosmetic refurb plus new furniture can turn this rather ordinary California home into a stylish house suited for a young woman. Congratulations on your house purchase Leighton - I hope we will get a peek into your finsihed home in the future on the pages of some glossy magazine!



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We love Elle Decor and Elle Decor loves designer Anna Sui. Her homes have been featured in the magazines at least twice in the past years, and they are just as eclectic and full of character as her runway designs are. Bold, patterned, colourful! I also notice that there is a love shared between us and her - the bold, large flower designs from Finnish Marimekko called Unikko. She has then in red and black, we have in red and blue (or had as the red Unikko Fatboy is currently on a "leave of absence" due to a tear and escaping fillings!).
So here we go - Anna Sui home from 2009. Here black and white (and somewhat gold too) play the key role and the bold wallpapers certainly take the main stage. I must admit that I have never seen peacocks used as accessories before, but it looks great. Obviously a household filled with kids would have rather bald bird and very feathery kids instead... The kitchen cabinetry certainly spells regal and that mosaic floor is just astonishing. I realise that this is no minimalist home, but still the walk-in closet seems a tad overflowing...
The older home feature is the epitome of colour. Gold, silver and amazing mosaics, although the emergence of black and white is already out there. Since I haven't seen both original features I am assuming that these are two different homes, but it is also possible that this is one huge home with a split personality - one half more black and white and the other just filled with the colours of the rainbow. Either way, I love to look at these rooms and pick out details and inspiration for own home - not an easy job when there is so much to see!





Anna Sui home from 2003





images from Elle Decor via Moodboard/ Eric Bowman
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