Amanda Holden has created her own ‘Beverly Hills Hotel’ after transforming her new £7million Surrey mansion into a decadent ‘forever home’ – with palm trees, chandeliers and leopard-themed wallpaper.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge, 53, moved from south London to the affluent village of Cobham with her music producer husband Chris Hughes and their two daughters Lexi, 18, and Hollie, 12, in November.
And the interior design guru admits she has longed for the property her entire life and worked hard to achieve her vision, remodelling the house from ‘pale’ and ‘grey’ to a glamorous one-of-a-kind abode.
With a black and gold dining room, leopard-themed wallpaper and high ceilings adorned by sparkling chandeliers, Amanda created a space fit parties, and has already christened the room with co-stars Alan Carr and Ashley Roberts.
She has taken inspiration from RuPaul for her newly refurbished hallway, recreating the drag queen’s statement black and white diamond print flooring and peach walls, which she has decorated with photos of her family and friends.
Amanda Holden has created her own ‘Beverly Hills Hotel’ after transforming her new Surrey mansion into a ‘forever home’ – with palm trees, chandeliers and leopard-themed wallpaper
The interior design guru admits she has longed for the property her entire life and worked hard to achieve her vision, remodelling the house from ‘pale’ and ‘grey’ to a one-of-a-kind abode
With a black and gold dining room, leopard-themed wallpaper and high ceilings adorned by a sparkling chandelier, Amanda has created a space fit elegant parties
While the Heart Breakfast presenter quickly turned her house into a home, she did have her reservations before buying the seven-million-pound property
Amanda told : ‘This is my dream home. My entire life I have wanted the dream home, and you know you do the stepping up and now I’ve finally got it.
‘I definitely feel settled… I’m obsessed with interior design and I said to my husband, ‘Don’t worry, this is the house for life and it will take me a couple of years to do it up’ but I think the whole house will be done by June and we only moved in November so I’m already looking for another project… he’ll go mental!
‘It was the perfect house, and most people would have probably moved in and kept it the same, but it was a very pale, white and grey house and it’s not like that anymore.
‘I am turning it into the Beverly Hills Hotel, that’s my aim. I have just planted two palm trees in the garden, which makes me feel so happy.’
While the Heart Breakfast presenter quickly turned her house into a home, she did have her reservations before buying the seven-million-pound property.
She even doubted it was the right time to buy given stamp duty rates, high mortgage prices and soaring inflation costs but now she feels the risk was worth the reward.
Amanda said: ‘We moved in November, just before Christmas. It was the worst possible time to buy and sell a house, which is awful and there’s stamp duty and you ask yourself, ‘What am I doing?’ But it was worth it in the end.’
The TV star particularly loves her daughter Hollie’s bedroom, which is wallpapered in jungle green print and includes a four-poster bed styled with powder pink and white striped pillows.
The star shared photos of her new home before she decorated, explaining that while the property was fine beforehand, she wanted to put her magic touch on the design
The TV star particularly loves her daughter Hollie’s bedroom, which is wallpapered in jungle green print and includes a four-poster bed styled with powder pink and white striped pillows
As well as ‘going bold’ with the interiors, Amanda told she has planted palm trees in her garden to give the entire property an LA feel
Subtle changes such as ripping out the old flooring and replacing it with a dark herringbone floors has helped to complete Amanda’s house transformation
She added: ‘I love my youngest daughter’s bedroom because it’s so like the Beverly Hills Hotel.
‘I recently ripped up the flooring in our hallway too, we had a perfectly decent hallway, but I’ve had the whole floor changed…
‘I love RuPaul so much, if you Google RuPaul’s entrance hall, I’ve done it exactly like that, I have peachy coloured walls. I have gone for diamond printed black and white flooring.’
Transforming her house into her very own ‘Beverly Hills Hotel’, famed for its luxury, and A-list guests, is a reflection of Amanda’s longstanding Showbiz career, from acting to singing and starring on Britain’s Got Talent for the past 18 years.
And she says the mansion has become a place where she can host talent boss Simon Cowell and his partner Lauren Silverman, further cementing their close friendship.
She said: ‘Simon and Lauren and me and my husband Chris have grown a lot closer in the sense that we would always have dinners out but now we’re in each other’s homes at the weekend, which makes for a totally different vibe than when we’re on the panel.
‘Simon does feel more like family than he ever has done. It feels very comfortable and very lovely… Our children are so close, Holly and Eric are two mischievous elves who constantly see each other at weekends and get up to no good on set, along with Alesha Dixon’s daughter as well.’
Despite their bond, Amanda says she doesn’t ‘expect’ to be recruited on Britain’s Got Talent each year, especially after Simon replaced David Walliams with Bruno Tonioli, recruiting the Strictly judge over potential hire Alan Carr.
Amanda says the mansion has become a place where she can host talent boss Simon Cowell and his partner Lauren Silverman, further cementing their close friendship
The Britain’s Got Talent judge moved from south London to the affluent village of Cobham with her music producer husband Chris Hughes and their daughters Lexi and Hollie in November
She added: ‘Having said that, I still don’t expect my seat every year. I never take it for granted and I don’t expect to do it every year because as we know Simon is the king of reinvention. Who knows what the future will bring but I’m so excited for the new series.’
Amanda, whose new spring/summer collection with Lipsy is available to buy in Next stores and online, admits to still feeling emotional as she judges the ITV juggernaut, which returns next Saturday.
And she believes her tears are caused by the memories she has as a rising star, auditioning for acting roles at the start of her illustrious career.
She said: ‘I’m always on the edge of crying, I don’t know what it is.
‘I remember how I started, standing on stage auditioning. I remember those days and the nerves and hope you had in your heart. As romantic as that sounds, I will never forget it.
‘I am an actress despite the fact I have covered every other genre in this industry, first and foremost I am an actress so that’s the most important thing to remember when I’m in that judging seat.’
- Amanda Holden x Lipsy SS24 collection is available to buy now from next.co.uk