Karl Lagerfeld’s former estate in Louveciennes, just outside Paris, will go up for public notarial auction on July 1, 2025. This secluded, two-hectare property reflects the creative world and refined aesthetic of the late fashion icon.
Hidden from view, once a creative sanctuary and reception venue, a former residence of iconic German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is headed for public auction this Tuesday under France’s notarial system.
Purchased by Lagerfeld in 2010, the “Domaine de Voisins,” located in Louveciennes (Yvelines), was dubbed his villa outside Paris. The estate is listed at a starting price of €4.6 million.
The two-hectare property includes three separate houses, a swimming pool, and a tennis court, surrounded by “trees or walls” to ensure “discretion and anonymity,” according to Jérôme Cauro, a notary with the Arias office overseeing the sale.
The main residence—referred to as the “master’s house” by Cauro—features a classic exterior and minimalist interior. The absence of furniture during the viewing, attended by AFP, made it difficult to imagine the ambiance once shaped by the couturier.
Photos from a book by Marie Kalt and Patrick Mauriès, which explores the interiors of Lagerfeld’s homes, reveal a mix of designer furniture, vintage German advertising posters, and walls lined with bookshelves.
The Lagerfeld Aesthetic
“This place was the jewel box for all his favorite furniture,” said Arno Felber, also a notary at the Arias office. “He invested everything in this last home—he really loved it. He used to call it the truest version of himself,” Amanda Harlech, Lagerfeld’s longtime muse and confidante, told Vogue in 2021.
The legendary artistic director of Chanel even recreated his childhood bedroom in a small room with leopard-print wallpaper.
That said, Lagerfeld’s actual use of the house remains uncertain. Legend has it he only spent one night there, hosted a grand reception for Princess Caroline of Monaco, and regularly lent the place to friends.
“He loved coming here to create during the day and to entertain,” said Jérôme Cauro. The three salons and large kitchen—outfitted with four ovens, five sinks, two refrigerators, and two deep fryers—were clearly designed for events of up to 100 guests.
Lagerfeld’s studio took up a large portion of the 600-square-meter main house’s first floor. He dressed every window with sheer curtains and insisted on intense white lighting, just like in his fashion ateliers. A few square paint pots found in a drawer are the only traces left of his creative process.
Steps away is the “guest house” with three bedrooms, and further down the slope, the “pool house”—a one-bedroom retreat adjacent to the pool and tennis court.
Designer Fire Extinguishers
According to the Arias notarial office, Lagerfeld undertook “colossal renovations” on the estate, which once belonged to poet Leconte de Lisle and later to members of the Rothschild family in the early 19th century.
“We don’t have the invoices, but we estimate that the renovation costs were close to the property’s asking price,” said Arno Felber.
All buildings were meticulously updated and modernized, down to details like painted power outlets and silver-toned fire extinguishers chosen to blend with the decor.
Neglected after the designer’s death, the property was acquired in 2023 by a real estate investment company, which resumed upkeep and is now selling the estate.
Jérôme Cauro says there has been “interest from several families,” and he believes the estate could also appeal to event organizers or companies.
The auction will be held “à la bougie,” using a traditional French notarial method where bidding lasts only as long as two small candles burn—roughly fifteen seconds each.
Back in March 2024, Lagerfeld’s Paris apartment—a futuristic 260-square-meter three-room home with a 50-square-meter walk-in closet—was sold by the Althemis notarial study for €10 million, double the initial estimate.
By Juliette Vilrobe / AFP
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