It is human nature to chase after something that someone else has. This is the case of a celebrity home, in the sense that it is a large and luxurious home that is easily admired by your friends and family. Although celebrities are wealthier than many of the common folks, it is not impossible to try to turn your home into a celebrity look alike home. However, it is only possible to a certain extent, depending on a lot of factors. The good news here is that it is possible, even if you are not a celebrity.

How Much You Want To Invest In Your Own Home

2014 was a great year for the real estate market, especially for celebrities. Dr. Dre, a multi-millionaire rapper and business man, recently bought a $40 million house from Tom Brady in Los Angeles. The news also said that he put up another one of his homes back in June 2014 for $35 million, also in Los Angeles. The homes of the mega rich are lavishly gorgeous. Not only are they large, but often times these homes are in beautiful locations of the city that offers a fantastic view. While these celebrities are living nice and large, there is a good reason for why celebrity homes are stupid.

All Of This For What?

They say that money makes the world go round and to a certain extent, this may be true. One of the most valuable assets anyone will ever own is their own home. We have seen the luxuries that are available to celebrities, such as fame, power, and wealth. Like any other ordinary person, buying a home is a big deal for celebrities. Purchasing a grand home shows off their status, wealth, and power so it is no surprise that they will do so with the money and power they have. However, there are a lot of myths that are not known to most people about celebrity homes. What we see in the media does not always reflect the true reality of things. We are going to debunk some myths about celebrity homes that you have never thought about before.

Large Celebrity Homes Cost A Lot Of Money

One of the most valued assets that anyone can own that would appreciate in value over time is a home. Buying your home requires a lot of research, money, time, and effort, as the ultimate goal of purchasing any home is to find a home that fits the needs of the family and to hopefully have it appreciate in market value with the possibility to sell it later on. If you have ever seen a celebrity home, you will know that not only do they don the latest housing style trends, but that the number of options they have to customize their homes are ridiculous.

From oversized garages to large pools and beautiful patios, these folks have it all. However, just because their homes are amazing does not mean that you cannot own some of the features that they have in their homes. In fact, it is quite possible to live some part of their lifestyle with your own home, of course, up to a certain extent.

It is no surprise that the lavish life of luxury is exclusive to those that are ultra-rich. From tech titans to sports stars, these are the folks that bask themselves in the life of the ultra-luxurious. These are the 1% of the population that comprise of a majority of the income in both the United States and the world. Folks like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are those we think about when we consider the 1%.

You are probably wondering what a life of luxury looks or feels like. For the most of us, we will never live a lifestyle remotely close to how these people live. Even at a 6 figure salary, it does not compare to the benefits and privilege that these people enjoy. However, one privilege that we can afford is the luxury of a home.

George Clooney lives in Studio City, California, and his house in the woods is one of the most modest ones among the celebrities, especially of such level. His mansion costs ‘only’ around $3 million. Compared to Jay-Z appetites, this is almost ascetic of Mr Clooney.

If you look at the house from above, you will know immediately that a man lives there. A rare woman, especially if she is famous, will want to live in the forest surrounded by trees. And this particular place is one of those. Clooney confessed that he lived in a rather small house by the time of making season three of the ER series. When the actor became popular because of the show, he was able to get himself a bigger place, such as this mansion with a basketball court and a pool.

One of the most beautiful and most interesting places to live belonged last year to Ellen DeGeneres and her partner Portia de Rossi. The house was sold in fall last year for about $11 million, which is not that a big price for a celebrity home with such charm as this one’s. Its specialty is that it’s more of a ranch which looks like a luxurious hotel for firefighters.

Introducing Thousand Oaks

The young but prominent pop star Katy Perry is living a true celebrity life. After breaking up with her husband Russell Brand, she has changed her location. Now, instead of New York, her main address is Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The mansion, also known by its name Park Hill, occupies almost 9 thousand square feet and costs 6.5 million USD, or at least it did at the moment of purchase.

The General Image

A mansion of 23 hundred square feet in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, is a place for superstars like Jay-Z and Beyoncé. They seem pretty determined in their choice of a new home, as they were ready to pay the starting price of 70 million USD. The house is located almost in the heart of California’s biggest city, with Malibu Beach right outside. Let’s take a closer look at it from the outside and from the inside.

The Outside

After the success of the Sex and the City TV show and two films, which depicted lives and routine of four women in the Big Apple. The main star, Sarah Jessica Parker has been the object of particular interest. Only several months ago, the Greenwich Village home of Mrs Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick was on sale. The media could not withhold from taking a peek into the couple’s New York mansion. The two film stars lived in their Manhattan flat for several years, since 2011. They decided to sell their house in the legendary Fifth Avenue neighborhood for $25 million with the price going down to $19 million. Well, they have bought a new home for about $24 million. While losing some money on their change of homes, they have gained an amazing new mansion in the very heart of the city.

The Living Space

Living it up like the Kardashians is not within everyone’s budget, however, applying a few touches to your interior space may just get you closer to living like the rich and famous than you think. The exterior features two swimming pools, fountains, a rose garden, vineyard as well as two spas. If that is a little outside your budget and the interior is more your concern, let’s have a look inside.

Wide open spaces and light paint applications

With the housing market forecasted to continue improving in 2015. You may be looking for renovation projects to improve the value of your home. Planning and budgeting for home renovations can be intimidating. This series of articles will guide you through the process to achieve the look you want, on a budget. Today, we will tackle the kitchen.

According to consumer surveys, kitchen consistently improves the property value of the house. Renovating the kitchen will allow you to enjoy your time at home cooking healthy meals. At the same time, you can potentially recover some of the renovation cost when you sell the house. While you like the style of celebrity kitchens you see on TV, outfitting your home like a celebrity is not exactly budget-friendly. There are things that you can plan ahead before the project starts to achieve the celebrity look you want.

When you think of a sports star home, immediately the assumption is that the house would be overflowing with sports memorabilia or equipment. What a pleasant surprise however, when you are able to get a few nice design tips from these homes that don’t necessarily incorporate sports influence.

Magic Johnson

For some reason, if a celebrity does something, the entire world cottons on and either wants it or buys it. Some celebrities take it a step too far though, and we wonder whether too much money has something to do with it. Perhaps it’s not the celebrity themselves to blame, perhaps it is Hollywood itself. We have a look at all aspects of this phenomenon. Whether it’s opulent, garish, unfinished or just downright ugly, we have a look at them, big and small. Considering whether you would do the same if you had millions at your disposal is something worth thinking about. Hopefully no designers were involved where the decisions were made here; it may just blemish their portfolios.

A bar in every room

Many a times a young girl trying to find her feet in the world, and firmly planting them on family and household terra firma, has found her main source of inspiration apart from her family: Martha Stewart. Whether it’s cooking, needlework, sewing projects, entertaining, baking, Martha has a firm grip on what is needed to make a house a home. Looking beyond her run in with the law, we salute a pioneer in the DIY world of mommies and wives the world over. Martha proved that we have the capabilities of balancing our daily lives with flair, and enjoy it while we’re at it. We honour the great Martha today by looking at a few of our favourite design tips inspired by her many shows and books.

Don’t be afraid to mix patterns and textures

We’ve all been inspired by a film in certain aspects, however, when it’s a design aspect we tend to leave it on the back burner for the fear of seeming foolish. Here are seven films that stirred up the designer in us all, and quite possibly ended up costing more than the movie ticket.

1.    Patrick Swayze’s cabin in Dirty Dancing

If sprawling lawns and impressive masonry is your style, but you lack the pounds to purchase a French chateau, perhaps toning it down to suit your individual home is not the impossible task you think it is. If the exterior of your home cannot change to incorporate this impressive style, don’t be dismayed. Turn your home interior into a chateau with a few clever touches.

Take time to pick the furniture

If you grew up in the 80’s, you were more than likely exposed to the phenomenon which is Richie Rich. Richie Rich’s mansion depicted what most children wanted in their dream homes, and it’s no small wonder that some of the rich and famous have lived up to childhood fantasies. Whether you are a billionaire tycoon or a world renowned actress, defying the status quo is not an issue where these celebrities are concerned.

Opulence a la Donald Trump

It is incredible how much can be done to a home to give it a lift, however, what if you only have an hour in which to do so? Imagine you’re lounging at home, playing your son’s Xbox while he’s at school, when suddenly the phone rings. Your sister and her new husband is passing through town and will be at your house this evening for dinner. You’ve always loved her style, and suddenly, you’re stressed that this sibling rivalry is not something you’re going to be good enough to compete in. You head off to the shops, but what to buy? You pull out your phone and google celebrity homes. With a few nice touches your space can go from soccer mom disarray to film star glamor.

What to buy?

Thinking of your favourite celebrity as having a life of their own is hard to believe, when it’s so easy to keep them in the favourite role you have mapped out for them. Is it the same with the design theme you would imagine them to have?

Angelina Jolie