Karl Lagerfeld’s first branded luxury residences – slated to open in Marbella, Spain in late 2023 – feature mirror-like cladding; shelves galore; windows that perfectly frame the natural landscape and the “lightness” that was one of the most defining characteristics of everything the legendary fashion designer has touched.

On Thursday, Spanish developer Sierra Blanca Estates unveiled scale models of the five unique villas at Lagerfeld’s headquarters on rue Saint Guillaume in Paris, adorned for the day with exotic plants and exhibits of key materials: black and white terrazzo for the floor, pale woods and reflective ceramic-like tiles finished with white gold dust that give these homes a modernist glow.

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Sleek residences, ranging in size from around 5,400 to 9,700 square feet, are set to propel luxury living into the green age with carbon-neutral construction, solar panels and geothermal energy – as well as gardens on the roof and plenty of greenery, as much for insulation and shade as for their natural beauty.

The campaign to sell these trophy houses won’t start until February or March 2022, but Sierra Leone’s chief executive Carlos Rodriguez said he was already carrying out serious investigations.

“We show that luxury living can be sustainable,” he said, calling Karl Lagerfeld Villas an “iconic” project crowning a series of developments that have made Marbella a destination of choice for big international players. “This is the direction in which we want to continue moving forward. . . There is added value to a sustainable project, and people are willing to pay for it. “

He noted that the Karl Lagerfeld company has done just that with fashion, featured by its recent and upcoming collaborations with its sustainability ambassador Amber Valletta.

Karl Lagerfeld CEO Pier Paolo Righi noted that fashion brands have proven that you don’t have to give up on style to be eco-friendly. Likewise, the enduring elements of the upcoming villas “blend together so well and amplify the beauty and connotation of luxury. It doesn’t take anything away, it just adds.

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Prices for the villas will only be provided on request next year, but are believed to run into the tens of millions given top-notch real estate – offering views of the Mediterranean and the Penibaetic Mountains – and sumptuously landscaped grounds without cars, which roll directly into the underground garages with the light entering through the windows located in the swimming pool hugging a wall of each of the houses.

“Luxury today is also how you spend your time,” said Andrea Boschetti, the architect of the villas, some built in V-shaped or Y-shaped configurations, and all with almost transparent ground floors to give the feeling of living in nature.

According to Righi, Boschetti came to the project with a deep understanding of Lagerfeld’s varied tastes for architecture and interiors, and his passion for photography, which inspired the modular windows that frame elements of the landscape like through a viewfinder.

Courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld

Admittedly, the late designer was strongly opposed to any “cookie cutter” approach to architecture, and would surely be impressed by the tailor-made approach of the developer and of The One Atelier, a real estate consultancy specializing in architecture. brand projects, having worked with Sierra Blanca on Epic Marbella, a complex of 28 luxury apartments and townhouses with furnishings by Fendi Casa.

“Branded residences are growing very, very fast,” said Michele Galli, CEO of The One Atelier.

While hoteliers were the first players, more and more fashion and luxury brands are entering the fray, offering not only a glamorous name, but also a lot of content, design principles and standards of quality and design. strict image.

“The brand becomes like a certificate of quality,” said Galli. “Owning a branded home means that the value of that home will either become higher or be stable in the future. “

Rodriguez likened Karl Lagerfeld Villas to works of art, given the attention to detail and the amount of storytelling built into the concept.

Sierra Blanca Estates is the company behind what it describes as “the Beverly Hills of Marbella”, having developed dozens of villas in a variety of styles.

Galli said all project partners spent more than six months researching the Karl Lagerfeld company and learning about the late founder, longtime communications and image director Caroline Lebar, sharing valuable knowledge about his different houses and his passion for interiors and architecture in order to identify the key codes of the brand to be exalted in the villas.

“Customers are looking for new experiences. And with the help of brands, you are able to deliver that, ”Rodriguez said. “The brand creates desirability, it creates uniqueness. “

Before his death in February 2019, Lagerfeld had stepped up his activities in hotels and residences. A 270-room luxury hotel he designed in Macau, a project initiated in 2014 and billed as a “six-star” property, is slated to open smoothly next month.

The brand also recently launched a range of branded hotel equipment with the Australian group Vanity.

The Lagerfeld company plans to develop furniture and items to provide customers with full brand customization in Marbella, up to and including helping fill shelves with the designer’s favorite photo and design books.

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