Go Inside the Fabulous Homes of Designers Christian Louboutin, Tracy Reese, Valentino, and More

By Jennifer Velez
Updated: May 21, 2015 @ 2:17 pm

What could be more amazing than stepping into the homes of the ultimate arbiters of style—fashion designers—and checking out their decorating choices? That's exactly what InStyle has been doing since it first launched 20 years ago, asking designers and celebrities alike to open up their homes and show readers how they express their personal style in their living spaces.

Take Christian Louboutin’s 13th-century medieval castle on 22 acres in Western France (above) where each treasure-filled room reflects his passion for global bazaars and antique emporiums, like a 16th-century tapestry and a giant stuffed boar that holds napkin rings.

But at the end of the day, if you take away Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s zebra-printed chairs or Valentino’s Chagall paintings, designers, like us, crave the comfort and beloved escape that home provides. As Giorgio Armani said of his fortress, “when I close the door … Milan doesn't even exist anymore. I am surrounded by the fullness of my life.”

Ready to go window peeping? Check out our gallery of InStyle’s favorite designer homes featured within our pages over the last 20 years.

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October 2008, Christian Louboutin

Francois Halard
Christian Louboutin’s 13th-century French chateau contained a treasure trove of riches, including an 18th-century mahogany stairway with Venetian crystal globes, a Charles X chair and a stuffed boar. What did Louboutin love most? “… being able to feel the imprint of different centuries.”
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March 2010, Giorgio Armani

Dean Kaufman
Of his many homes around the globe, Giorgio Armani’s Milan fortress (which also encompasses his offices) was where the designer collected “many of the treasures from my lifetime of travel.” The beloved manse was filled with art, antique rugs, elephant tusks, ceremonial costumes, books, lacquer boxes, and family portraits-each with its own backstory.

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Fall/Winter 2005, Tracy Reese

Maura McEvoy
Tracy Reese’s Manhattan apartment was filled with treasures-either scavenged from flea markets and secondhand stores, then reinvented, or created from scratch. To that end, her living room's crayon-red walls were stenciled with a fleur-de-lis pattern in a shimmery metallic gold. Large gold tassels hung on nearly every other doorknob.
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June 1999, Nicole Miller

Bårbel Miebach
At Nicole Miller’s gray-shingled Long Island getaway, she infused minimalist interiors with funny, eye-popping touches, like a pink flamingo, a glass-poinsettia lamp, an avocado-shaped bowl from Juarez, Mexico, and a carved-foam parrot from Rio de Janeiro. "The kitschy stuff is all mine," she said.

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September 2006, Valentino Garavani

Julian Broad
Valentino’s beloved stucco and stone villa on the Appia Antica in Rome was decorated with an eclectic mix of styles. Rooms were filled with antiques, including, as he explained it, "a little Napoleon III, some Louis XIV... a lot of Chinese." Not to mention paintings by Dufy and Chagall, Botero, yards of brocade and toile, and a lot of plaid.

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October 2013, Kenneth Cole and Maria Cuomo Cole

Dean Kaufman
This seven-bedroom, white-shingled Stanford White-designed, antiques-filled home outside New York City-set amid acres of rolling fields with a swimming pool and a pond-is where Kenneth Cole retreats from his hectic life. "We didn't set out to 'decorate' the rooms," said his wife. “We just filled them over time with interesting pieces that are meaningful to us.”
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September 2010, Domenico Dolce/Stefano Gabbana

Jason Schmidt
InStyle photographed Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s charming Portofino home on a peninsula, which offered up small balconies overlooking breathtaking vistas. “The gold bedroom on the top floor is like arriving in heaven," said Gabbana. "amp#91;It'samp#93; where all of our guests want to sleep.” The “guests” he speaks of? Think Jennifer Lopez, Eva Mendes, and Madonna.

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May 2002, Todd Oldham

Matthew Hranek
Across a field from Todd Oldham’s country Pennsylvania home, up two flights of split-oak stairs, was his tree house-sixty feet in the air. With sleeping room for four, the heated interior contained a refrigerator, TV, stereo, custom-made cabinets, and sundeck. “Lie down at twilight and it really is magic carpet time,” said Oldham. “You’re floating.”
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