Such was his passion for luxury and ostentation that in one of his homes, he walked on a carpet that belonged to Louis XV, ate on Meissen plates, and preferred candlelight to electricity.
The magazine Vogue recently recalled some words from André Leon Talley, editor of the publication and right-hand man of Anna Wintour, who ingeniously described Lagerfeld of that time as someone with a "Versailles complex."
One of his most unknown residences was auctioned a few days ago for 4.7 million euros. It is the Voisins pavilion that the German designer named Villa Louveciennes, in honor of the town located just 23 kilometers west of Paris. The neoclassical mansion was built in the 1850s by the silk merchant Charles Tavernier, has 600 habitable square meters, and is surrounded by a two-hectare park that also includes a tennis court and pool, where he built a small glass house where he slept only one night of his life.
After Tavernier's death, the residence passed into the hands of the poet Leconte de Lisle and later to one of the branches of the Rothschild family. The Chanel fashion designer bought it in 2010 to completely remodel it inside for four years. Some of his eccentricities included a faithful replica of his childhood bedroom in his parents' house in Hamburg, transforming the stables into a library, and creating a fenced play area for hiscat Choupette.
Inside, there were art deco furniture, his collection of early 20th-century German posters, vases and 18th-century carpets, armchairs from the 1920s, etc. Lagerfeld was clear from the beginning that he did not want to live in the mansion. His intention was to receive visitors, organize some parties related to fashion shows, and above all, create a space to work away from the hustle and bustle of Parisian life. By the way, he renovated the ground floor to set up his workshop and work area.
With the death of the fashion kaiser in 2019 at the age of 85, Villa Louveciennes fell into oblivion. They let time take its toll on it. Four years later, a real estate agency acquired it and restored it with the aim of putting it up for auction. Jéròme Cauro, a notary from Aras, the firm that managed the sale, said, "this private mansion is a haven of peace." And he added, "Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by it. He did not live here, but hosted his loved ones and came here frequently. It was his place for receptions."
The auction was quite unique as it was conducted in the same way as in the 15th century with the à la bougie method, which involves bidding while two small candles burn. This way, the bids do not unnecessarily prolong.
This was the last property of the former creative director of Chanel to be sold, as in March 2024 his Parisian apartment on Quai Voltaire of 260 square meters with enviable views of the Seine and the Louvre was sold by the notary Althémis for about 9.2 million euros. This was Lagerfeld's home during the last decade of his life.
When he died, due to his tax issues, Sotheby's auctioned numerous assets to settle the debt with the government. The first one in Monaco in December 2021 raised 12 million euros, the second one in Paris in the same month another 4.4 million, and the third one in Cologne a little over 631,000 euros.