Friday, February 7, 2014

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey List Bel Air Mansion

SELLERS: Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $12,995,000
SIZE: 11,750 square feet, 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Thanks to a small army of eagle-eyed informants it's come to Your Mama's attention late on this Friday afternoon that Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have hoisted their multi-winged, clapboard-sided mansion high above L.A.'s Bel Air area on the open market with an asking price of $12,995,000.

The multi-Platinum selling internationally recognized music industry supernova and the beaver busyproducer/presenter purchased the property in April 2009 for $6,975,000.Current listing details include a floor plan show show the quasi-Colonial style manse has a rambling (and almost incoherent) floor plan with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in 11,750 square feet.*



The children will take special note of the chevron pattern wood floors in the generously proportioned formal living and dining rooms have been polished to a mirror-like shine that surely make it dangerous for a skirt wearing woman (or man) to walk across the room without exposing their naughty bits to anyone with functioning eyeballs.

Less formal recreation and entertainment spaces include a center island kitchen with the most ordinary white painted raised panel cabinetry and an adjoining breakfast area with fireplace, built-in book shelves, French doors, and a round table surrounded by six wing back chairs covered in faux-French Country-ish red and white gingham fabric. (We think red and white toile would have been funkier and more fun but still working the same decorative vein, but what do we know, right?)

There's also state-of-the-art home theater just off the main foyer, a luxe-rustic family room/den with built-in bar, stone floors, and a massive fireplace—it's call and "Aspen Room" in listing description, and a separate game room. A lower level wing off the "Aspen Room" includes a fitness area, a double-height half-court basketball court, a music room and, oddly enough, a bedroom with attached semi-private bathroom.

The entire second floor was given over to private family quarters and include a shared bedroom and opulent marble bathroom for the couple's almost two year old fraternal twins, Monroe and Morrocan, plus an an adjoining master suite complete with sand-colored wall-to-wall carpeting, a fireplace, a private city view veranda, and a blurry and downright mortifying ceiling mural that looks more like water stains than clouds or anything else.** There are also, as per the floor plan, his and her walk-in closets—hers is larger, of course—and a spacious and luxuriously appointed if desperately beige and white bathroom with, we regret to inform, glitzy, club-style LED lighting along the ceiling.

There are three en-suite bedrooms on the main floor: one uncomfortably situated right off the formal living room; another just off the foyer that's done up with all the charm of a cheap motel (Uhm, can we get a bed skirt in here, pleeze?); and a third, super-sized second master suite with a fireplace and a roomy if strangely configured dressing area flanked by a pair of compartmentalized bathrooms.

Much of the vaguely hourglass-shaped three acre property isn't usable as it's rugged ravine but the landscaped areas that surround the heavily fortified house include high-hedged gardens, two separate gated driveways and motor courts, a tented courtyard area off the "Aspen Room" that connects through to a hookah lounge gazebo sort of thing that sets Your Mama's nerves on edge in the worst way possible, an extra-long dark-bottomed swimming pool and open-air cabana, a flat lawn large enough to pitch a good-sized party tent, and, set well below the house and yard, a putting green.

We're not sure if the couple plan to acquire new digs in Tinseltown but if this property gossip were the betting sort—and we're not—we'd eagerly wager both our long-bodied bitches, Linda and Beverly, they're in the mood for an even more opulent estate. As far as we know that high flying couple still own an ocean front compound on the guard-gated Windermere Island in the Bahamas as well as a New York City triplex done up around the turn of the century by The Prince of Chintz, Himself—that would be Mario Buatta—and photographed for Architectural Digest's November 2001 issue. Of course, it's quite possible, and perhaps even likely, Miz Carey has since had the place partially or entirely re-worked by Mister B. or some other name brand lady or nice-gay decorator but, honestly chickens, we just don't know.

*Based on the floor plan included with digital marketing materials, Your Mama counted six bedrooms spread throughout the rambling, three-floor mansion and a total of seven full and three half bathrooms plus at least half a dozen fireplaces.

**There's an essentially identical ceiling mural treatment in the twins' bedroom and it's equally muddled and, well, awful.

listing photos and floor plan: Rodeo Realty

24 comments:

Chatty Charlie said...

My money would be on another East Coast purchase...Mimi's been fairly vocal about wanting to raise their children in New York. Perhaps (finally) a permanent Hamptons residence? They sure have been spending enough money on summer rentals. It might be time to drop $20M or so on a nice gated estate.

Unknown said...

Mama, I'm surprised you didn't mention that this was also the longtime home of Farrah Fawcett (and Ryan O'neal) prior to Carey & Cannon having acquired it (maybe an owner or two removed?)

Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors said...

I smell a divorce.

Anonymous said...

Do you have any information on the Bronfman $65m co-op?

Anonymous said...

9:59, even if she did not have prenup, she is rolling in so much cash that they would not have to sell the house. then again, maybe its cause of fukushima, they might really be an exodus if media starts the scare

Anonymous said...

What's this thing with Fukushima?

Mr DHH said...

Rick is correct but if Farrah was around (rest her soul) she would correct you and say this was HER house.Why because when she and Lee Majors
were married (and doing well for both 1976-77) they purchased this home.What now is a basketball court
use to be an indoor hard ball court
(squash, racquet what ever).When they separated and divorced 1979
and final in 1982 this house was a hot button item.She was not letting it go and yes Ryan made himself at home there-Lee was a proud man and real pissed off that his best friend is messing around with his wife in his (as he thought at the time)house.So push comes to shove-property,alimony (remember she was no longer an angel due to her outrageous demands to Aaron Spelling) she got the house,he got his name back,both got their freedom.Interesting part at that time was its reference to a Bel Air mansion.It is no where near the east or west gate or even around the country club-it is way of the Drive and even in the 70s and 80s except for Brando,Beatty and Jack it was the boonies with a 90077 zip.Believe it or not the
New England style look it has now is quite nice and appealing than the light brown coat is use to be
to blend in because there was nothing around it for a good ways

Anonymous said...

This is actually a great property. And it can be even more epic with the help of a stylish and great remodelling. It really is a lovely home, those unparalleled views, lots of light, and a great layout.

That "Aspen Room" with the exposed rocks and all that brown needs to either go or get turned into an epic lounge/entertainment area. My goodness, it looks like a cigar room/cabin.

Good Lord she has some weird interior design tendencies. That kitchen and breakfast area! WTH? All that red!


Not really shocking that they listed the estate. They have been spending a lot of their time at their penthouse in Tribeca, New York for a long while now.

Don't think she is gonna get $12MIL for the estate. Quite lovely mansion, but not worth $12mil.

Anonymous said...

Quite overpriced, but all celebs start out listing their homes for about double their actual worth, don't they? The home directly next door which I think belonged to Vanna White (?) has been on the market for sale since 2008. It's currently listed for $12,950,000 and has a more desirable location and view. On the next street over, Merv Griffin's former home just sold in the $6 million dollar range after being on and off the market for close to 2 years.

Anonymous said...

This house seems wonky to me, and I usually like New England architecture. It's unique, for sure.

lil' gay boy said...

No; just no.

Although the entry court makes an attractive mise en scene, the overall structure is a rambling, incoherent mess. Interesting bits here and there, but the end result is somewhat akin to the architectural equivalent of a "build it yourself" pizza -- it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but anchovies, apricots & alfredo sauce just do not work. There is just no logical program to this house.

A shame, really, as many traditional New England homes are added onto over the generations as needs and mores change; but there is usually an underlying logic to such expansion. This house seems to follow the "put a room, put a room there" approach, with little or no rhyme or reason as to their use or how they (should) relate to one another.

As for the current decor, well...

The ceiling treatments are a tad too exuberant for my taste (or just bizarre) - No.
The "Aspen Room" looks like a garage conversion - No.
A maid's room next to the downstairs master? No.
The neighboring house hanging above it like that buzzard from Bugs Bunny ("Hey, what did you do to my poor little kid, eh?") - No.
Roman (balloon) shades in the kitchen?!? - Oh hell, no.

It may ave made for some "interesting" living over the years, but in this market it could very well be a teardown.

Rebbe, just how many feng shui violations could there possibly be?

;-)

lil' gay boy said...

...oh, and, before anyone's hackles rise:

It doesn't take a chicken to recognize an egg; is it nicer than my own humble abode? Decidedly. But for just a hair under $13M, the view better be comparable to, in the words of Basil Fawlty, "Krakatoa erupting; herds of wildebeast sweeping majestically across the plains..."

And the house would need to be impeccably spot on; it's not.

Sandpiper said...

Started a laundry list about the tragic aspects of this pointlessly planned place. Then I realized it's just not worth my time when I could be drifting off while watching Wolfgang Puck hawk his amazing pressure cooker on QVC.

I'll go blind faith with whatever has been or will be said here.

Anonymous said...

Why didn't they just go all out and make that terrible builder grade cabinet thing in the master bathroom a full on breakfast bar?
Also, an 8 foot closet? For Mimi? I don't believe it. Just do not believe it.

Anonymous said...

WRONG!

Farrah Fawcett owned the one story house next door (http://hookedonhouses.net/2010/08/25/for-sale-farrah-fawcetts-former-home-in-bel-air/) - and the hideosity on the other side of Nick and Mariah's that has been on the market forever is owned by Barbi Benton and her husband.

Anonymous said...

They obviously don't spend much time here. Mimi is NYC all the way.

Anonymous said...

@LGB: A maid's room next to the downstairs master? No.
well maybe they know something we dont, i guess :P

Anonymous said...

Maids room next to the master might be for the nanny. Do you think mz Carey is getting up in the middle of the night? Maybe for some ice cream but not for crying babies. I bet you the twins dont spend too muchtime upstairs

Anonymous said...

There are no photos of the first floor master so it very well could be a large nursery/playroom type thing.
Or maybe the camera broke while trying to capture the exquisite decor?

Anonymous said...

Confidential to LGB:

Oy! This home has so many feng shui chatan (grievous violations) that dismantling it would be a mitzvah.

Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Anonymous said...

@anon 7:31: No, you are wrong, Fawcett owned this house: http://losangeles.blockshopper.com/property/4378006002/3130_antelo

Anonymous said...

@7:31 PM, that's it - Barbi Benton owns the house next door, not Vanna. Thank you.

According to Mama's first article about this home, it used to belong to Farah:

http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2009/04/buyer-mariah-carey-and-nick-cannon.html

West Bourne said...

Barbi Benton, Farrah Fawcett, Wilt Chamberlain's party palace plus a circular house that has a free form pool with a very long water slide and a swim up bar! This entire street is epoch in it's 70's grooviness! The entire street should be given historical status and left as is for future generations to study and appreciate! Maybe the theater in this house could play Boogie Nights on an endless loop...

Anonymous said...

Commenters, please stop spreading BS about radiation coming to California from Japan. It's really the dumbest rumor you could spread.

I wonder if they removed their innitials from the bottom swimming pool before listing this house.