How and where an individual chooses to live says a lot about that individual’s personality. When a person has enough funds to do or have anything or live anywhere they want, it is interesting to see what sides of their personality they decide to express. In some cases, with today’s “influencers” on social media, the only statement made with extravagance is “excess for the sake of excess.”
Celebrities with houses in Aspen live there primarily or use them as a vacation property. Many of these homes focus on high-end Aspen interior design, unlike any other town or city. Many celebrity houses are available to rent when the star is not there; for example, Kevin Costner owns an Aspen property named” Dunbar” with three houses spread over 160 acres. The cost to rent this wide open space, replete with an ice skating rink, dog sledding, and private lake, is $36,000 per night. Included in that price are all the services of the property’s full-time employees. These additional services may include a fitness instructor, masseuse, or horse riding instructor.
Follow the Money
There are a reported 1,600 billionaires in the world. According to Forbes, 735 of them live in the United States. Fifty billionaires have concentrated in Aspen, CO.
The fifty billionaires that reside in Aspen have a total estimated wealth of $355 billion. The collective property values in Aspen from these 50 are about $750 million. The “average” home sales in Aspen during 2022 was $18.7 million, up from $12.7 million in 2021.
Red Mountain in Aspen is called” Billionaires Mountain.” It is home to notables Ann Walton, heir to Walmart; William Wrigley Jr., the candy man; and the parents of both billionaires Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Michael Dell (Dell Computers).
Top Features of Aspen’s Celebrity Homes
The surprise top three features of these celebrity homes are privacy, security, and a return to nature. Aspen, Red Mountain, in particular, is difficult to get into and, consequently, to get out of. The city of Aspen’s urban areas are notoriously low-key. Many uber-rich mingle with the simply excessively rich without the constant exposure by paparazzi and random tourists.
The billionaire developers of these state-of-the-art living experiences maintained the outward appearance of ranch-like comfort. Using locally grown timber and locally sourced stone in interior design is commonly applied in the most uncommon and creative ways.
Ceiling-to-floor windows communicate interior spaces with the ever-changing beauty of the mountain elevations outside. Many inside elevators are made of glass so as not to disrupt the view. Wide open floor plans with open second stories blur the line between inside and out.
Many high-end interior designs for mansions at this level are standard with mild variations. For example, a gourmet kitchen, fitness studio, and home theater seem usual. Some celebrities, however, have gone all out. Some of the rich and famous have spent considerable money installing high-end features demonstrating the owner’s individuality.
Celebrity Homes Come in All Shapes and Sizes
John Denver’s Aspen home had a state-of-the-art music recording studio on the premises. John Denver built his mountain house shortly after his first musical success in the 1970s. The musician lived and frequently worked from Aspen until a plane crash killed him in 1997.
The Koch brothers have an estimated collective worth of over $500 Billion. The brothers are in their 80s and have homes in Aspen. One of the mega-rich siblings has a full regulation-sized basketball court, complete with electronic scorekeeping in the basement. In addition, there is a full-service fitness studio large enough to accommodate up to 27 individuals working out together on different machines simultaneously. As they get in shape, they have the wide open view of Aspen below to serve as motivation.
One sports celebrity has customized his Aspen home with a unique signature adaptation in refrigerators. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France cycling race six times. He now lives in Aspen. So the cycling champ chose to have refrigerators within easy reach throughout his home. In addition to the two full-sized kitchen refrigerators, there is an office refrigerator, a downstairs refrigerator, and a garage refrigerator.
When visiting inside the house, those appliances are overlooked due to the incredible artwork on display. Lance Armstrong has originals of artists like Kehinde Wiley and Bansky lining the walls. We can only assume that appreciating such auspicious works of art is thirsty work.
A discussion of celebrity homes in Aspen can only be complete after referencing Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel’s home together for over 30 years. The main property, called” Home Run Ranch,” has been a private getaway not only for the Royal Hollywood couple and their extended family but has also hosted some Royal guests as well. In the 1990s, then Princess Diane and Princes William and Harry spent ten days on the 75-acre spread ATVing and just relaxing out of the prying eyes of the paparazzi.
And Then There’s This Place
A property has recently come on the market in Aspen. The asking price alone gives this property celebrity status. Realtors bill this $100 million listing as being “Aspen’s best address.” The ski-in, ski-out estate is on the side of Aspen Mountain, yards from the Little Nell ski run.
One must take an elevator to the second floor to enter the house. Then a short bridge takes you to the front door. There are no unsolicited visits here; it is pure privacy. The entire ceiling is a mosaic skylight when entering the great room from the main entrance. Ten fully appointed bedrooms and 10.5 baths provide a five-star hotel experience in a private home setting. In addition, there are 5,000 square feet of extensive decks that wrap around the house and patios that give panoramic views of the ski slope and the City of Aspen.
Rustic chic with grand views dominates the large mansions in Aspen. Less attention was paid to designer closets and automated AI systems in the houses as opposed to exposing and celebrating the outside. In a community stacked with billionaires, expressions of nature and privacy were selected as the top features of celebrity homes in Aspen.
