Lesson: Money does not buy good taste. (Dial-up warning)

[Sannum]

The Lovely and modest home of Russell and Kimora Simmons. People could describe it as extravagant, over the top etc...I describe at as trashy, vulgar nouveau-riche horror. I know someone who has more money than they claim to have, but you would never know it because he lives in an incredibly simple lake house that is just so gorgeous and simple. It is paradise. This looks like hell.

[Little Wing]

1. yeah, I can see the street influence in that

:puke:

[Fenris]

11. Clearly you overlooked the disembodied saxaphone player outside the theater.

:thumbsup:

[Little Wing]

16. Seriously

That place will be visible for miles once those curtains catch on fire and bring the whole place down.

[krispos42]

2. Hey, the pic dosn't show...

:cry:

[Sannum]

4. fixed...

[Kerrytravelers]

3. I see a box with a red x. It really is tasteless!

:evilgrin:


Got a link so I can view?

[Sannum]

6. The lovely lady of the house was once photographed in an ad campaign surrounded with uniformed maids

She also looks like a bad drag queen, but I won't go into that:)

[Kerrytravelers]

5. Ok, now I can see it. Wish I hadn't.

This really isn't my style at all. Too much too much too much everywhere. I'm a very simple person. A nice English cottage or a simple Art Deco. That's my thing. Not this.

[underpants]

7. ..remember how I always wanted a bathtub shaped like a clam? Well I got that too

[bbernardini]

8. My humble opinion:

First two pictures aren't too bad. Next four are hideous. The gym is no different than you might find in any independent or hotel gym. The theater is just cool. :) The pool room is also hideous, but the picture of the outside seems nice enough.

[LoveMyCali]

27. Isn't the foyer

just like the Beverly Hillbillies?

[crim son]

9. The first thing I think when I see the pictures: I sure as hell wouldn't

want to clean it. But with a "staff" and a few billion dollars I could learn to live in a house like that.

[Rhythm]

10. Elvis did worse...

But seriously, all of the interior decorating is too "busy"... it's just too much stuff.
And what's up with that lion thing in the 6th frame? Is that a fireplace mantle?

The exterior of the house is delicious, however, especially the gardens.

[Tyo]

12. Okay, you had me fooled for a while

This is really one of Saddam's palaces isn't it?

[XemaSab]

13. Why does it look like the pictures are painted on the wall?

:shrug:

[Robb]

14. On the plus side,

...think of all the contractors employed to create this monstrosity.

I'm thinking an open line of credit at the hardware store. "Yes, I'll be needing a fifth tile saw to complete the work." :rofl:

[youthere]

15. Looks like a Raphaelite nightmare.

[krispos42]

Well, the yard is my style...

Not that I'm any good at landscaping...

Everything else is just past me.

[MilesColtrane]

17. Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Russell...

for the poor entrepreneur, gettin' paid was a tussle.

Then one day he signed Run-DMC..
now he's livin' large like a real OG.

Rap that is, Hip Hop, Youth subculture turned mainstream

Well, the first thing you know ole Russ's a millionaire...
Queens homies said, "Russ, move away from here."

etc...


He's even got a cement pond.

[RedStateShame]

18. Wow. And to think I just hated Russell Simmons for dicking over Public Enemy and killing hip hop.

[Dervill Crow]

19. The grounds are lovely, and I would love to have that dining table.

As for the rest of it, it looks like something my brother's ex-wife would create.

[trof]

20. A little bit about Mr. Simmons:

Simmons attended City College of New York but left his studies to begin promoting local rap music acts, including Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC (whom he would later sign to his record label), and producing records. In 1984, he met Rick Rubin and they founded Def Jam Records, signing the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and other acts.

He married model Kimora Lee Simmons on 20 December 1998. Simmons officially filed for divorce in March 2006, saying the couple had split some time before. The Simmons have two daughters -- Ming Lee Simmons (21 January 2000) and Aaoki Lee Simmons (16 August 2002) -- who both model for Baby Phat Kids Collection.They are currently working together to get back with each other in 2008. They have placed their New Jersey mansion on the sales block for a reported 25 million dollars.

Endorsement of Telephone Psychics

Mr. Simmons insinuated that the advice of telephone hot line psychic "Bishop E. Bernard Jordan" has been an indispensable part of his personal success during an infomercial shown on the American cable television channel BET December 2006.

In several segments, Mr. Simmons indicated that he looks to Bishop Jordan (who claims to be a direct descendant of the Apostle Paul) as his spiritual leader.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Simmons#Endorsement_of_Telephone_Psychics

[Shell Beau]

55. He is the brother of Rev. Run from Run DMC!

[Sequoia]

21. Swimming pool is too narrow

And the furnishings are so not swimmer friendly.

[Lyric]

22. It's hideous now, but perfectly salvagable.

Here are the changes I'd make, if I bought that home (assuming it came furnished and decorated like that).

Photo 1: Too much stone! I'd get rid of a lot of the stonework and replace it with more green space, trees, shrubs, and flowers. I'd also get rid of the tacky tiny fountain statue and replace it with a much wider, less symmetrical, tree-shaded (maybe willows?) koi pond with gentle riverstone fountain in the middle to keep the water aerated and fresh.

Photo 2: The white overload is overwhelming and harsh. I'd tear out the chandilier and the Sistine Chapel-type ceiling painting and replace it with a lovely domed skylight. The walls would look lovely painted in a gentle pale green, and I'd use more natural, polished wood as opposed to all of that white-painted wood on the staircases. The huge vases would be replaced with lush potted indoor trees.

Photo 3: Again, FAR too much white here. White washes out the pink and gold, and the whole effect reminds me of a Barbie Doll dreamhouse. Eww. That big potted tree unbalances the room on that side--I'd replace it with something less "bushy" and add some greenery to the other side to balance it out. I'm thinking cream and green print (a natural pattern of some sort) for the walls, trashing every bit of furniture and replacing it with deeper greens, blues, and polished natural wood, hardwood floors, and an area rug with some actual color in it. I'd change the window coverings from that icky gold to something deep green, tear out those white cabinets and replace them with rich wooden bookshelves, and change the layout of everything so it doesn't look so cramped and cluttered.

Photo 4: I don't like that weak brick color on the walls. I'd paint the walls cream, with a lovely handpainted 2 foot border (dark green ivy leaves, perhaps) around the ceiling, and install hardwood flooring. The drapes would be deep green, probably velvet, accented with a light green silk print. The gold in the chandelier fixture and base would look *so* much prettier with green, instead of that icky brick color. And the furnishings would all be mahogany, with deep green printed cushions (I'm thinking maybe the same ivy pattern as I'd use for the top wall border).

Photo 5: I hate everything about it. I'd start over 100% from scratch, to be honest. The painted "pictures" are tacky, and the furnishings, accents, and fixtures look like something from a mobile home (which I know intimately, because I live in one, lol).

Photo 6: This room I actually mostly like! I'd change those white curtains to the green and gold of the furniture. The lion thing is cheesy, and would get tossed out. Add a green printed rug under the table, and this room is good to go!

Photo 7: It's a gym. *shrugs* Other than changing the floor covering to a royal blue solid, rather than grey-and-white stars print, I'd leave it alone.

Photo 8: I'd rename the "theater", but otherwise no complaints here.

Photo 9: I'd change to mostly wall lighting, rather than ceiling lighting. I'd replace the white cushions on the wicker furniture with light blue, replace those dried-out looking potted trees with something less tall and much more green, add more greenery period, perhaps do some sponge painting in blue on the walls, and get rid of that black mural-thing at the end of the room. Is that a fireplace in the pool room? Indoor pools do NOT need fireplaces. I'd tear it out and replace it with a walk-in double headed shower, or a steam bath. All the vases, curios, etc. would be gone.

Photo 10: Other than adding more flowers, and perhaps a still pond, this is lovely. I'd probably replace the statue bench with a couple of *real* benches, though.

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. What? That house is a prime example of good taste! Nothing tacky about it.

Now, you might question whether it is ETHICAL.

But you cannot question the good taste in its decoration and execution.

[Scooter24]

24. I personally like it...

the only room I didn't like was the one with the lion head fire place. The colors are just too bland for me.

Otherwise, it's your typical mansion. You should see Donald Trump's NYC penthouse, with all of its gold and marble.

[otherlander]

25. Might I ask...

What the hell they do for a living? :wow:

[HuffleClaw]

26. i like the pool and the theatre

the rest is icky

[gmoney]

28. Well, as someone once said when I was in college...

"It's better to be nouveu-riche than not riche at all..." ...this guy was the son of some military contractor CEO or something.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

29. Ewwww....

Blarg. Too much too much.

I like Art Nouveau and Oriental. Don't like Yellow, Beige, or Brown. Do not like colors with any gray in them at all.

Gag.

[Zookeeper]

30. My goodness.

Maybe they should add a zircon-encrusted copy of Michaelangelo's David.

[donheld]

31. I love all of it except the theatre

so sue me.

[Tektonik]

32. The dining hall is gorgeous

but that's about it, well except the garden is cool and the indoor pool would be too if it were wider.

But I'd sure live there :P

[Deep13]

33. Baroque, I think.

Frankly, I think it is fabulous.

[JVS]

45. I'd prefer something more medieval

[Phillycat]

54. I completely agree.

They've had it impeccably decorated. I'm not a fan of the lion's head fireplace, but otherwise, I think it's gorgeous. Would I want to live there? No. But it is certainly NOT tacky.

[dysfunctional press]

34. it's not my taste, but i wouldn't call it a horror, either...

i've seen worse...MUCH worse.

and it doesn't necessarily mean nouveau-riche, either...plenty of old money folks have tastes that run along the same lines.

[Tyler Durden]

35. Looks like one of the sets in "Adams Family Values,"

The gold digger's horror house.

What's he going for? Channeling Louis XVI??

[Katina]

36. it looks like a Vegas hotel

over the top and a tad tacky.

[Beaverhausen]

37. Imagine how many people they could help with all the money they wasted

I mean, they deserve the money they make, and can spend it however they want.

But gold ceilings? All that crystal? All that space for how many people? 4?

That is just wasteful.

[NashVegas]

38. I Think the Place Looks Tasteful

Now, it's not *my* taste, and really it's not the taste of anyone who wants to show off the best in decorating arts of their time, but there's nothing intrinsically wrong with the place. Everything looks pretty well balanced, good proportions, with nothing terribly overwhelming.

Now, if you want to see over the top, pay a visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park.

http://www.hvnet.com/houses/vanderbilt/

[Xithras]

39. I'll take the yard and the gym, they can keep the rest.

I actually have enough land to put a yard like that in, I just lack the money to hire the staff required to make it that pretty :) The gym would be cool too...my "gym" is the properties original garage. It's old, drafty, and full of spiders (this is a good thing, it keeps the wife and kids out when I'm trying to work out).

My dream home would be single story, and would involve large wooden beams, lots of raw stone, and an incredible amount of mahogany panelling. That house is too bright and far too tacky.The French Baroque style just screams "more money than taste". Gold on the walls? Meh.

I could make the dining room work with just a few tweaks. Replace the marble floor with a heavy, dark oak, and then paint over the gold in the ceiling inset. It would be perfect!

[BreweryYardRat]

40. Excuse me while I gag.

:puke:

[Arkansas Granny]

41. It is a little (cough) overdone for my taste.

I heard an old saying once: Everybody has taste, but some people only have it in their mouth.

[hfojvt]

42. Rusell and Kimora Sannums? WTF?

Any relation?

Well, at least money can still buy love.

[JitterbugPerfume]

43. that is just

ugly

[JVS]

44. Wait, I thought criticizing such things was off limits since the Edwards' house debacle!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

46. How would you describe that?

Faux neo-Rococo with an urban sprawl twist?

[AlCzervik]

47. i watched when they were on Cribs, her closet is freaking amazing

that i would take in an instant, of course it's probably bigger than my entire house. The gym looks fine, the rest--not so much.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

48. One word - PRETENTIOUS

:puke:

[Blue_Tires]

49. lol....where o where is Robin Leach when we need him most?

he would be ALL over this shit!!!:smoke:

[wildhorses]

50. actually except for WHATEVER that is hanging on the wall in

pic #3 i find it be very liveable...with a few minor adjustments here and there.

french provincial:shrug:

[QMPMom]

51. The outside is the only thing that looks halfway decent.

I read or saw somewhere that Kimora has 2 guards in her house just for her shoes.

I guess that is what Hello Kitty and blood diamonds can buy you.

[bleedingheart]

52. You know..I have my personal tastes...however I don't like to diss other people's taste in things

I had an aunt whose house was full of those Hummel figures and Precious Moments stuff...

Every inch of her house and huge cabinets with glass backing...it was her life's joy...she loved those little figures.

Going to her home felt like you were in a jewelry store...and she was not a rich person...she just spent a lifetime collecting...

It wasn't something I would do...but I could respect her taste.

I had a cousin who paneled her entire home...and her husband was a taxidermist...their home was full of little and large animals in poses...he even had an American Eagle with a rattlesnake in its mouth...(he got it legally) Deer on the walls...and little racoons here and there....

Now the home you posted has some elements I like the chairs in the dining room look interesting...but then again I like so many things that I have to say that it has paralyzed me from really ever completing any kind of decor for my own home...I am hoping that one day I might have a "style"...but I keep changing my mind about what I like....

I say to each his own...

[stuntcat]

53. it's more Waste than Taste

The very last picture with the trees is the only good one, but the house cost enough to feed a small country, looks like.
We built a theatre in our basement, everything we need, and without being tacky.

Conspicuous consumption is nastier by the hour, :shame:

[begin_within]

56. The backyard's nice though.