Kanye West is selling his half-renovated ‘bomb shelter’ mansion because the minimalist concrete walls are ‘too gray’ for the rapper’s liking, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
The sleek Malibu property, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, already had a striking postmodern look when Ye paid $57million for it in 2021.
Since then, West has ripped out walls, doors, windows and plumbing to create an even more brutal aesthetic, leaving the 4,000-square foot home an empty shell.
The renovation is nowhere near complete but the Yeezy mogul, 46, put the four-bed, seafront spread back on the market last week as a $53million fixer-upper.
An insider tells DailyMail.com that West – whose famously Spartan wardrobe features just a handful of colors – will take the $4million hit because he’s decided the imposing concrete walls are too cold for his tastes.
Kanye West is selling his minimalist Malibu mansion for $53million because its concrete walls are too gray, an insider revealed
Ye snapped up the sleek postmodern property designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando for $57million in 2021
But the rapper has decided to abandon his renovation project and sell up due to the fact his concrete walls have come out the wrong shade of gray. A source confirmed the color is more of a cadet gray’ whilst Ye would prefer ‘more of a dovetail’
‘Ye prefers earth tones, muddy colors from silt to loam but never too cold and nothing visually draining like a clay,’ our source reveals.
‘Architects and designers working for Ye have in the past been dispatched to collect soil samples from the UK, France and elsewhere as color references for his iconic looks.
‘Unfortunately, the concrete settled into more of a cadet gray and he was hoping for a warmer tone, more of dovetail gray or coachman’s cape.
Kanye is working with Selling Sunset realtor Jason Oppenheim, 46, to sell the home
‘Ye would only visit the house at sunrise and sunset, when he said the color didn’t irritate him so much. Eventually, he stopped going altogether.’
The boxy, three-story behemoth was built in 2013 for financier Richard Sachs who spent seven years on planning and construction before putting the finished house up for sale.
It’s made from 1,200 tons of Ando’s trademark ‘smooth as silk’ concrete, reinforced with 200 tons of steel struts and pylons driven 60 feet into the sand.
The property boasts 1,500 square feet of deck space, giant floor to ceiling windows and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean – but currently no AC, doors or appliances, according to realtor and Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim.
He hails it ‘an exceedingly rare architectural achievement that should be seen as a masterful work of art, rather than just a residence.’
But potential buyers are warned: ‘Currently all interior finishes have been removed from the property, and work is needed to either restore or reimagine the interiors.’
The futuristic-looking building is also at the center of a lawsuit between dad-of-four West and former contractor, Tony Saxon, who is suing for labor code violations, more than $1 million in unpaid wages, and damages.
Saxon claims he worked 16-hour days and slept on the floor as he worked as ‘project manager, caretaker and 24/7 security’ to fulfil West’s vision of a self-sufficient home resembling a ‘bomb shelter from the 1910s’.
He claims West ignored all his safety concerns and fired him in November 2021 when he refused to remove the widows and electrical wiring.
‘We were going to be gutting all of that out and sort of building him a Bat Cave’ where West said he could ‘hide from the Clintons in and the Kardashians in,’ Saxon said in an interview with NBC.
West – who is said to be worth $400 million – ‘wanted no electricity. He only wanted plants. He only wanted candles. He only wanted battery lights. And he just wanted to have everything open and dark,’ Saxon added.
The Gold Digger hitmaker prefers more earthy tones such as ‘silt to loam’, according to a source
The property is constructed from 1,200 tons of Ando’s trademark ‘smooth as silk’ concrete, reinforced with 200 tons of steel struts and pylons driven 60 feet into the sand
Ye completely gutted the home as part of his renovation, stripping out all interior finishes, windows and several walls
Kanye has been criticized for allegedly forcing wife Bianca Censori to wear barely-there outfits such as this one she showcased in Miami while holding a stuffed toy to protect what’s left of her modesty
‘You can’t keep food in that house because you had no refrigerator left. You had no windows. I had seagulls flying in.’
West, who has homes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Wyoming, where he owns several ranches, denied the allegations.
The property sale comes as stunning new images obtained by DailyMail.com show the extent of the decline of Kanye’s empire, including his Wyoming ranch appearing abandoned and his Hidden Hills estate in disrepair.
During his heyday, Kanye‘s stated goal was to become ‘one of the biggest real estate developers of all time’, but shocking new photos of his construction empire – including bizarre, futuristic domes – reveal the true extent of his crumbling legacy.
His world-conquering status as a fashion and music mogul vanished, and his real estate aspirations – including bizarre building developments inspired by Star Wars – have turned to debris.
Now, only the bones remain of his once-bold goal to become to real estate ‘what Howard Hughes was to aircraft and Henry Ford to cars’.
The Gold Digger hitmaker saw his estimated wealth plummet from $2billion to $400million after major brands including Adidas and Gap cut ties with him in 2022 over a series of anti-Semitic remarks.
In August he sparked outrage after exposing his buttocks in front of gawking tourists while on a boat ride with his wife, Bianca Censori, in Italy.
A rep for West – whose new album, Vultures, a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, drops December 31 – could not be reached for comment.