Home of the Week: This $41 Million Mansion Outside of Paris is Modeled After the Grand Trianon at Versailles
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It’s no easy feat to restore and renovate a lavish palace with more than a century’s worth of history, but the extensively restored and updated Palais Rose outside Paris successfully retains its original grandeur.
The $40.8 million (€38 million) hôtel particulier, or grand mansion, is located in Le Vésinet, one of the wealthiest suburbs in Paris. It’s just 20 minutes to Porte Maillot in Paris, meaning you have the benefit of leafy countryside living in close proximity to the city.
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Like many of the palaces around Paris, Palais Rose is steeped in history. It was built in 1899 and modeled after the Grand Trianon, a French Baroque-style château in Versailles. The home has traded hands several times through the 20th century. Legend has it that one owner, Indian businessman Ratanji Jamsetji Tata, funded his purchase by selling two pearls and an emerald; the poet Robert de Montesquiou lived here from 1908 until 1921; and General Charles de Gaulle stayed here as a guest in May of 1940. Over the years, the mansion has also played host to raucous parties attended by a slew of French celebrities such as Claude Debussy, Colette, Auguste Rodin, Sarah Bernhardt, and Jean Cocteau.
Palais Rose became a designated historic landmark in 1986 and underwent a painstaking renovation between 1999 and 2005 by the French architectural firm Cogemad, known for its renovations of historic mansions and high-design apartments. It spans a palatial 19,000 square feet.
Few details of the original mansion remain apart from the marble flooring on the ground floor and on the veranda, but you’d never know it from all the extravagant moldings, gilt trimming, and carved stone fireplaces. Cogemad conserved the historic structure and enlisted an army of French gilders, sculptors, cabinetmakers, marble workers, and masons from a historic monument organization to refurbish the interiors so that they would reflect the 30-room mansion’s original design. The regal design wouldn’t look out of place in a royal palace and is filled with intricate details, incredible period artwork, and crystal chandeliers. Still, Palais Royal, which got its name for its pink marble pilasters on its facade, features many modern updates and modifications.
The main level houses the reception hall, reception room, living room, winter garden, dining room, gallery, and a stunning kitchen equipped with La Cornue appliances. Each room is bright and airy thanks to large French windows and high ceilings. The second level houses all of the bedrooms, including the spacious primary suite with dual walk-in closets, dual bathrooms, and a private living room.
“The ceiling height of the lower level (ground floor) was increased from less than seven feet to almost 11 feet by lowering the floor,” says listing agent Geoffrey Benoit of brokerage John Taylor Paris, who is co-listing the property with David Samama. “All the windows were enlarged and converted to double French doors. There’s also a monumental staircase that now connects the various levels, and the residence was comprehensively modernized with new electrical, heating, plumbing, and home automation systems.”
It’s the finished basement, however, that transforms this property from a grand palace into a modern-day home. There’s a movie theater, a games room, massage and yoga rooms, a sauna/hammam, a large gym, a squash court, an underground three-car garage, a playroom, and a massive 52-foot swimming pool and spa. Gilded arches and columns surround the pool, and the bottom of the pool is adorned with decorative mosaic work.
The estate also includes a caretaker’s villa, staff accommodations, and a three-story, four-bedroom guest house called Maison de L’Ermitage. The lush, manicured grounds include a Japanese garden, a rose garden, a football field, a greenhouse, and several lovely fountains. There’s also state-of-the-art security throughout the home for added peace of mind.
Click here for more images of Palais Rose.
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