Monday, July 30, 2007

Fleur De Lys Photographs of the Day (Part 8)

Today we conclude our tour of Fleur De Lys, the jaw dropping and shiver inducing Holmby Hills mansion that billionaire dee-vorcée Suzanne Saperstein dumped on to the market recently for a staggering $125,000,000. Built as a modern day Versaille, the grotesquely huge house measures more than 40,000 square feet of glitz and glamour.

We've circled around the exterior of Fleur De Lys including the swimming pool complex, and we've discussed some of the interior spaces including the Entrance Hall, the Silver Sitting Room, the Library and Rosegold Music Salon, the Formal Dining Room, Main Kitchen, the vaguely Medieval themed Wine Tasting Room, the funereal Screening Room, and the public room to end all public rooms, the Ballroom. Then we saw the family's Sitting Room as well as Miz Suzanne Sapersteins Boudoir and bathing facilities.

Because we can not tolerate discussing any more photos of rooms dripping in 24 carat gold gilding and filled with high Louie French antiques, today we offer three relatively serene photos of the exterior of the house and grounds. If you forget this is place is meant to be a private house, it's not so difficult to find a certain grandeur and beauty in the building's lovely symmetry or to appreciate the meticulously manicured lollipop trees ringing the vast lawn. But it is a house, a big, big house. And therein lies the problem.

Throughout our tour Your Mama has been astounded, astonished, aghast, and amazed, revolted, rattled, staggered and surprised, bewildered, dazzled and dazed, mortified, mystified and stupefied. We have been through the architectural wringer and around the block of conspicuous consumption. We have been to what we consider the the putrefying pits of interior design and we are left breathless and bleary eyed.

Obviously our opinion is merely that, our opinion. And maybe, just maybe, we're the fool. But y'all can call Your Mama a fool all day long if it's foolish to desire a house feel like a place to relax and take refuge from the high drama of our life. Seriously people, even those of you that genuinely appreciate the size, scale, and museum quality artifacts of this house must also know in your gut that this is not a warm, engaging, or inviting house. In our humble book Fleur De Lys is a flashy, trashy and and all too obvious shrine to personal wealth not to mention a desperate and ugly attempt to purchase class that leaves Your Mama feeling empty, hollowed out, and sad. Sad, sad, sad.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all the info on this property, Mama, but I have to say I am glad it is over. Carry on with the great work!

Anonymous said...

ditto!

Anonymous said...

Don't be sad, Mama. At least you don't live there and have to worry about what it costs to run the air conditioner. Boggles the mind. Thanks for a fascinating glimpse of extreme excess.

Anonymous said...

It was an extrordinary and even fun (thanks to you) presentation Mama, many thanks. And I must say a super fine eulogy you delivered for it today too.. sniff ;)

Anonymous said...

Were there any showings?
Do you think any individual would purchase this house for private use?

Anonymous said...

The further away you get...the better it looks. (kind of like Suz herself)

Anonymous said...

I vote we all go to Ricky Shroeder's itsy bitsy beach shack, have a few cocktails, and enjoy the fact that our homes are not as shallow, poorly decorated or achingly sad.

Thanks Mama. You are the bestest.

Marcus said...

Mama, you know I so look forward to reading your blog daily as I sit here at work. But I am so over "Fleur De Lys" (in my best french voice) it's not even funny. Back to the normal $20 million dollar mansions owned by fantastic celebrities. I laugh as I type that.

Anonymous said...

If you can find any photos of the walton familys homes you should post them. They are shockingly modest for a family that is worth about 90 billion. They make these people look poor in comparison.

Anonymous said...

somebody say Amen Mama we is movin on up ocean side ca style.shg

Anonymous said...

Yay for google maps, I found this pile between N. Carolwood and Angelo Drive. The house in the background in the top picture is almost as large. There are lots of big estates in that neighborhood. They'd be hard pressed to match the excesses of this monster though.

Out of curiosity, when was it built? And thanks for the photos!

Anonymous said...

the interesting about it is that the brokers actually make a full commission unlike commercial real estate where the sellers always cut the commission.

Anonymous said...

Fleur de Lys Video

I found a video of this little bit of France in Bel Air:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/video_guide/

search for "Bel Air" and voila!its featured at the top of the list

Cheers Mama - it is an outrageous house. We dont get any places built like that in the UK. If have any more pics laying on your desk giving you headaches... please post 'em! as im curious to see if the are any "livable" rooms.

Anonymous said...

floor plans, floor plans as the ultimate cick please

Anonymous said...

" We dont get any places built like that in the UK"

A] Updown Court - Surrey - $150M

B] 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens - $140M (2004)

C] Penthouses - 1 Hyde Park - $200M Each

Not to mention many others $100M+ properties in & aorund London.

Anonymous said...

At least it's not Rod Stewart's Beverly Park home, LOL! As size is not the real issue in this neighborhood, we're left with decor and frankly this is the lessor of two evils compared with Mr. Stewart's black & gold scheme, which will remain the "gold standard" to which I compare massive garishness henceforth until something manages to dethrone it.

Thanks for the series, really enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 2:20 AM

Id forgotten about Updown Court! Thats much much worse than F de L.
Even more of a reminder that you can throw millions at a property and it can still turn into a disaster. I guess the closest we have to Beverly Hills/ Bel Air are the Wentworth/ St Georges Hill estates in surry.

Anonymous said...

Mama, I sure can't picture where Suz would move to after this place. There aren't even many hotels this grand. Glad it's over and thanks for all the nausea inducing photos.

PS: Please, no views of Walton homes. It would remind me too much of how, no matter how modest, they were built on the backs of their underpaid employees.

Anonymous said...

I just watched the Tour de France over the last month. Some beautiful chateaus and estates. I'd rather live in an old ruined chateau in France than live in this horrific mansion.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:04am

Yeah, Updown Court is ridiculous ... I still can't believe it has a heated driveway ... London is more like N.Y, Paris etc.. when it comes to properties, grand townhouses ... not sprawling newer estates like L.A ... for large newer estates you need to go out to the home counties like you said ... if you think about it though, some of the historic properties around London are far grander than this place - can you imagine Windsor castle back in the day it was built? If only mama was about then to comment on the place ...

Anonymous said...

Updown Court and Rod Stewart's home are worse than this one!

Anonymous said...

This property is disgusting. I am sick at the thought of the eco footprint this ego trip has left on our beautiful planet.

Anonymous said...

I do not understand why so many people are sour against her and her house ? she has given millions and millions of $$$$ to charity.
she uses her home to raise money for so many good causes to help our community to continue programs for disadvantaged people. live and let live. think about what she is paying in taxes? I just do not understand what all the upsetment is about.
so she has a big house, so what.
I appreciate her supporting the community. you might like her if you took the time to get to know her. I wish her the much happiness
and great wealth in her life.

Unknown said...

would you still have to push your trash bin to the street?

Anonymous said...

I think its fantastic I applaud them for building this house its not perfect but its a testament to taste and finer things. Bravo