RuPaul’s Beverly Hills Mansion
It’s the ultimate runway for the supermodel of the world. I could not imagine a more appropriate place for the universe’s drag mother to hold court.
RuPaul is one of those rare people in life whose career has broken boundaries, made the world rethink its ideas and ideals, and changed the lives of so many.
When your friend of almost thirty years asks you to decorate their dream home it’s obviously an honor, but when your friend is the world’s most famous drag queen, a superstar whose particular form of entertainment has changed the face of today’s world, the design needs to be executed not only with love, but also with great showmanship to match the magnificent personality that will reside within.
RuPaul is one of those rare people in life whose career has broken boundaries, made the world rethink its ideas and ideals, and changed the lives of so many. He is fascinating, and fascinated by all who come across his path. He views life as his stage, and has starred on that stage in many forms for many decades, both in male and female drag, to the greatest success.
His home, a vast mansion in Beverly Hills, has been carefully transformed into his main stage. This Hollywood Regency-inspired villa has a staircase so glamorous it would make Florenz Ziegfeld weep, a ballroom fit to rival any Studio 54 moment you could imagine, a primary bedroom that lives out all of design diva Dorothy Draper’s directives-and a spectacular array of closets housing outfits, accessories, hats, and wigs collected over a forty-year career on stage and screen.
One of my favorite projects to date, for one of my favorite friends, this house oozes old Hollywood style and has been custom-made to match the most splendid drag queen the world has ever known. The dramatic 20-foot-high metal-framed windows that I added to the facade of the building announce at once the glamour you can expect behind the lacquered front doors. Once within, you are greeted with matching towering marble columns, inlayed stone floors, and bold Neoclassical-inspired parquetry. Layers of polished lacquer sparkle against the dramatic architecture. Careful research was given to the Hollywood Regency style, with its classical revival in the 1930s and 1940s echoed in the furnishings and materials used. Even the textures and palettes are a nod to the period, with velvets, silks, leopard and Greek key prints, chinoiserie, fringes, tassels, and lashings of Hermès orange hues-provid-ing the most vibrant, unexpected backdrop.
The aesthetic may be old Hollywood, but the house boasts all the modern necessities and needs of the client. From a glam room to a podcasting room, the home also functions as a world-class office, archive, and center stage. It is the ultimate in custom design, and the perfect trophy for a man who has worked his whole life to break boundaries and entertain us all in the most spectacular and individual way.
