The weirdest homes from A-list celebrities

Celebrities – they appear on our TV screens, cinema night outs, and in tabloids for relationship scandals. But at the end of the day, like the rest of us, all of them probably enjoy coming back home, easing into their living room couches, and watching Netflix. However, some of them have decidedly stranger living rooms (and houses) than the rest of us, a way to match up to their incredible wealth and personal style. Check out the properties and see what you think of these mega (odd) mansions:

Katy Perry

Pop star Katy Perry fought hard to get her very unusual property – a convent. Her purchasing decision was embroiled in a legal battle with The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the latter of which wanted to sell the property to a prominent restaurateur and developer, Dana Hollister. After around three years of fighting, Perry won the property after the judge ruled that the sisters weren’t in a position to sell the convent.

Markus Persson

The inventor of Minecraft owes a lot to his ability to connect with the youth of today, and he’s paid homage to that particular trait by out-bidding Beyonce and Jay-Z for this glorious mansion, where the pièce de résistance is a room dedicated to candy. The USD$35 million property also has eight bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms, and a curved infinity pool.

Robert Downey Jr.

After working on Marvel’s super high-tech films, it’s no wonder that Robert Downey Jr. wants some time spent in a more natural environment – what’s less expected is that his place to de-stress is actually a windmill in the Hamptons. The design of Downey Jr’s holiday home has a unified lightness to it, with quirks in the form of a purple, white and black themed bathroom deemed ‘everyone’s favourite room for some reason’ and a 3D print of Downey Jr’s head, amongst other things. In order to truly tie the colour scheme together, the lavish interior is accentuated with laminated, Microsoft-Word designed signs that, alarmed, remind homeowners and guests alike to not let the cats out.

Kat von D

Tattoo artist extraordinaire Kat von D sold this house in 2013, but it deserves a place in the history books for being every bit as extravagant as any lover of all things glamorous and macabre could hope for. A haven of dark elegance in a Gothic castle, the interior design looked straight out of a twisted fairytale – and a lot of the decorations were handmade, making Kat von D herself even more of a talented maverick.

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris’ Harlem brownstone combines elegance with a decided sense of the absurd – both Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka are fans of the weird, with circus props, cushions with old women’s faces on them, and a taxidermied rat with wings giving the 1904 townhouse a delightfully eccentric vibe. However, the most notable feature of the house is Patrick Harris’ ‘magic office’, a place for him to explore his interest in the illusionary arts, which can be opened by pressing a button on a poster that reveals a door, and is filled with all sorts of magical items.

Barbra Streisand

Broadway star Barbra Streisand brings her theatrics all the way home, to a stunning mansion that has a monochrome colour scheme for each room, a beautiful rose garden, and a lavender guest bedroom.  However, the most astounding part of the property is how she chooses to display her belongings – she has a street of shops instead of a closet, to properly display her gobsmacking collection of vintage dolls and clothes.

 Matthew Gray Gubler

Matthew Gray Gubler calls his home a ‘haunted tree-house’, so it’s no wonder that it has a uniqueness to it that’s hard to find anywhere else. The ivy-covered property contains all manner of delights – a kimono closet, a collection of chipmunk memorabilia in homage to his role as Simon in Alvin and the Chipmunks, and a hand-built fireplace that he describes as being built by ‘a drunk gnome’.

 Bill Gates

One of the richest men in the world has to have a house to match, so it’s no surprise that Bill Gates’ mansion is one to gawk over. The house is luxurious from the moment a guest steps in, when they’re greeted with a pin that allows them to change the temperature, lighting, and music to suit their preferences as they make their way through. Other magnificent features include: an 18m swimming pool with an underwater music system, a 2,300 ft reception hall to fit 200 guests, and a trampoline room with a ceiling 20ft high.

Feature image: The Villa del Bablianello on Lake Como, Italy. Image by Francesco Dazzi via Shutterstock.