Inside Elton John’s Maximalist Real Estate Portfolio

More than 20 years ago, Elton John made his thoughts on minimalism quite clear. He shared a design philosophy with his friend, the late Gianni Versace, on the subject of living with less. The beloved couturier often made the case that less is less and more is more. “And more is good,” John told Architectural Digest in a May 2000 interview. “A lot more is very good.”

It should come as no surprise, then, that the musician has amassed a significant real estate portfolio throughout the last nearly 50 years. His first home purchase was in 1974, a year after the release of the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which features some of his most iconic songs, like “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind.” Known as Woodside, John’s estate in Berkshire, England, has undergone several renovations over the years, most notably after the superstar went to rehab in 1990.

“When I came out of rehab ten years ago, I realized that life is so much more beautiful than my house reflected,” John said in the same AD interview. “I wanted a normal life, a traditional country house…. Ever since then, I’ve always had a decorating project under way, and because I always want to do more, each house is a work in progress. If I weren’t a musician, I would love to be a decorator.”

When not performing to sold-out crowds, the 75-year-old artist is putting his design eye to use. Beyond his classic English country house, John also owns properties across Europe, including a summer house in Nice, France, and an apartment in Venice. Stateside, he has an Atlanta condo and two mansions in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Here, AD recounts the many out-of-this-world homes belonging to the Rocket Man himself, what they sold for, and where they are now.