In Los Angeles, The One estate breaks records, with a living area of more than 9,700 square meters and an estimated price of $350 million. Take a guided tour of a house that's making a splash in the real estate market.
It took nearly a decade of design and development work to finally get the house that was touted as "the most expensive house in the world" ready for its close-up. Situated on a 2-hectare parcel of land in Los Angeles's chic Bel Air enclave, the interiors of the aptly named The One, with over 9,700 square metres of living space, have remained a well-kept secret until now.
Surrounded by gullies on three sides of the house and a jogging track, the estate seems to float above the city. Built in eight years and requiring more than 600 works, the house was designed by architect Paul McClean, who was contacted by Nile Niami, a film producer and land developer.
The main entrance of the house, with its 8-meter high ceilings, leads to numerous common areas offering a 360-degree panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains. The entrance has a water feature with a sculpture and a bridge. The use of black, white and grey throughout the house was a request from Nile Niami who wanted a neutral palette so as not to overshadow the landscape and the panoramas.
The house has 42 bathrooms, 21 bedrooms, a 500 m2 master suite, a 30-car garage with two turntables, a bowling alley, a spa, a 30-seat cinema, a "philanthropic wing" (with a capacity of 200 people) for charity galas, floating capsules overlooking Los Angeles, a 900 m2 sky observation platform and five swimming pools. Kathryn Rotondi, the founder of KFR Design, helped decorate the premises by creating distinctive spaces that blend together despite the impressive size of the house. "I was guided by the "Wow" elements of the hotel business," explains the decorator, who has turned to major luxury hotel brands such as Aman, Bvlgari and Baccarat. The colour palette, soft textures and lighting of the house are in turn an ode to the Tom Ford boutique on Rodeo Drive, dear to the hearts of Nile Niami and Paul McClean.
The collaboration between Creative Art Partners and Art Angeles has enabled the property to showcase an impressive collection of artwork, including an installation by Stephen Wilson and a black and silver panel by Niclas Castello. An important collection of custom furniture comes from the Showroom publisher.
Due to recent city regulations, a house of this magnitude will no longer be built in Los Angeles, which means that The One will remain truly unique. The time has now come to find the ideal buyer. California agencies The Beverly Hills Estates and Compass are already working on their listings in search of the right buyer.
text: ADmagazine
photo: Douglas Friedman