Madonna, or the ‘Queen of Pop’ as she has been widely known, has made a legacy in the music industry. Over about four epochal decades of entertaining her audience with chart-topping hits and award-winning acting, Madonna has always been in the headlines. While she has been appreciated for her pushing her boundaries in mainstream music, she has also been catching eyes for her interest in luxurious property hopping. One of her popular musical images, ‘material girl’, has come to life if we look at her real estate portfolio. Madonna has been a nomad in the landholding business for a while, and over the years, she has attained a magnificent collection of houses. In some breathtaking locations around the globe, Madonna’s houses have always been an architectural statement catching the limelight for their material tastefulness and desirable aesthetics.
Hidden Hills, California: A Real Estate Prodigy of Architecture | Madonna’s House
In the news for being listed for a raging profit of $7 million, the Hidden Hills house is the most bizarre flip of Madonna’s real estate portfolio. Being tossed in the market just a little over a year of its purchase, the 12,500 square-foot house is quite a contemporary opulence. Up-marketed from its interiors to its locality, it is an active source of income and profit. A well-versed knowledge of designing and building construction always impacts the utility of the property.
The architectural elements like the double-height glass front with the foyer, or the boastful description of the house with its amenities like a climate-controlled wine cellar, infinity pool, full-size basketball court, and redwood dotted property are efficient real estate manipulators for gaining a whopping profit. These architectural elements have made a powerful advertisement of this house in the real estate market, justifying its value for money.
Beverly Hills Compound: Inclusive Architecture in an Isolated Cocoon
The mere existence of architecture began from the idea of habitation. A house has to be a place that provides us with the utmost comfort. While it was a struggle to linger around in houses during the pandemic, Madonna plummeted to the Beverly Hills Rental, which became her isolated yet inclusive cocoon for the rest of the lockdown. Originally built in the 1940s by architect Paul Revere Williams, Madonna’s pandemic abode is a three-structure estate hidden behind tall hedges, a ‘quintessentially Californian take on a classical Connecticut country house.’ Inclusive of a two-lane bowling alley, outdoor tennis court, swimming pool, and gym, this compound was a perfect architecture cocoon for Madonna’s pandemic stay.
Moorish Revival Palace: Perceptible Statement Through Character Architecture
There are plenty of instances where architecture has been a public statement, whether it’s the Taj Mahal reciting an epic of love or Madonna’s 18th-century Portuguese palace making a dramatic statement to the public. Locally identified as Quinta Do Relogio, this Moorish Revival Palace is, in fact, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed in a new-Arabic style by Antonio Manuel de Fonseca Jr., the house has four bedrooms, a guesthouse, caretakers’ cottage, all amalgamated with the surrounding nature.
Extensively flaunting her Portuguese Mansion through her Instagram posts during the pandemic, Madonna has significantly been making statements with the lush interiors, revealing wooden floors, cream-coloured walls, and exposed beam ceiling. This is an apt example of how the character of architecture makes a loud statement.
Georgian Townhouse: The Privately Molded Pad
Very craftily integrated within the Upper East Side dwellings, Madonna’s Georgian Townhouse in New York is no ordinary apartment building. The roomy mansion is made with 3 apartment dwellings seamlessly merging, accommodating 13 bedrooms, 9 fireplaces, and about 3000 square feet of garden. The house was bought right after Madonna’s divorce from Ritchie and hence became Madonna’s most private residence. However, the interior of the house is as per Madonna’s usual subtle taste with cream-white furniture, black hardwood flooring, and vintage photo picture walls.
Sunset Boulevard: An Architectural Haven For Retreat | Madonna’s House
There is no doubt that good architecture can provide a haven for its habitants. Madonna’s old Beverly Hills estate on Sunset Boulevard, designed in a French Country style architecture is a prime example of that line of thinking. The automated smart home with eight bedrooms, seven fireplaces, a 15-seater home theatre, a full-size tennis court, and a true-blue sparkling pool, spanning over 1.1 acres of land is a true architectural haven for retreat. ‘The mansion was an entertainment Nirvana where Madonna could open her heart, express herself, take a bow, holiday and celebrate with plenty of room to spare.’
Wiltshire Mansion: The Summertime Madness
The Wiltshire Mansion, also known as the Ashcombe House was Madonna’s second residence with her then-husband Guy Ritchie in Salisbury, England. The Georgian Manor House was originally built in the 17th century and is inclusive of a brick mansion, dairy house, stable, and an orangery. In an interview once, Madonna mentioned the manor and said that “in the summertime, it’s the most beautiful place in the world”. As much as this mansion seems to have made a blissful and cozy life together for the married couple, even before their occupancy the manor used to be a prime spot for celebrities like Salvador Dali and Lady Diana to visit.
South Kensington Apartment: Quintessentially Architectural
Madonna’s South Kensington apartment seems to be a quintessential architecture. Located in London’s Kensington neighbourhood, the apartment has two bedrooms boasting a traditional mews-house style. The house is creatively cultured in an English charm with its open layout concept, French doors, Juliet balcony, and arched windows, making the envelope more open and naturally lit. In addition to its bright and minimal aesthetics, the location of the neighbourhood is close to tourist spots like Hyde Park and High Street, which significantly adds to its perfection.
Miami Mediterranean Revival: The Picturesque Architecture
Situated on a ridge by the Biscayne Bay, Madonna’s one of the early investments in real estate is a Mediterranean-style mansion with about 100 feet of water frontage. Spaciously spread over 1.1 acres of land, the house has 9 bedrooms, a private dock, and stone-covered walkways with swaying palm trees. The architecture of this house is simply picturesque with about 30 meters of the Miami skyline as its backdrop.
Harperley Hall Apartment: An Architecture Sanctuary | Madonna’s House
Madonna’s Harperley hall house was her first-ever property purchase. The unit in a pre-war, second-tier building on the Upper West Side of New York City, overlooking the central park was a lovely investment that embarked her real estate portfolio. The initial unit was a two-bedroom space tastefully curated with subtle and clean interiors. Later on, the unit was expanded and remodeled by purchasing two more units to make it into a spacious six-bedroom sanctuary.
References:
- Mark David, Madonna Sequesters in Splendor at celeb-Pedigreed Beverly Hills Compound, 3rd September, 2020, Available at: https://www.dirt.com/entertainers/musicians/madonna-beverly-hills-rental-mansion-1203337416/ (accessed at: 5th October, 2022)
- Danni Holland, How fitting; the Queen of pops lives in a palace, 29th August, 2022, Available at https://www.velvetropes.com/backstage/where-does-madonna-live (Accessed at 5th October, 2022)
- Degen Penner, Madonna Selling hidden hills mansion, 21st April, 2022, Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/real-estate/madonna-selling-hidden-hills-estate-26-million-1235133428/ (accessed at: 5th October, 2022)
- Keith Flammer, Madonna’s former Beverly Hills estate lists for $35 million, 30th September, 2018, Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/keithflamer/2018/09/30/madonnas-former-beverly-hills-estate-lists-for-35-million/?sh=cc118fdd5769 (Accessed on: 7th October, 2022)
- Joyce Chen, Inside Madonna’s Real Estate Portfolio, 24th January, 2022, Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/inside-madonnas-global-real-estate-portfolio (accessed on: 7th October, 2022)
