Celebrity Homes

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian teamed up with a renowned designer to create the masterpiece that is now their Hidden Hills home ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us ... Kanye's a huge fan of Axel Vervoordt's work, so he sought him out and convinced him to help design their mansion. We're told Kim gave Kanye the reins ... and he collaborated with Axel on nearly every aspect of the house.

As for the design ... it's what's come to be expected with Kanye -- VERY minimal ... much like their recently sold Bel-Air mansion. The partnership makes sense too -- Vervoordt's known for minimalist interiors "infused with a serene sense of history and timelessness."

Our sources say Kim and Kanye's new home features other signature styles too ... like tonal colors and every piece of furniture being custom made.

As we reported ... all the remodeling and attention to detail's paid off, because the home is valued at $60 million -- $20 mil more than what they put into it.

6:05 AM PT -- The fire is extinguished, and firefighters say 2 civilians were injured -- one potentially life-threatening -- as well as one firefighter.

Trump Tower provided an eerie canvas for a photographer who snapped this pic as an area of the building burned.

A fire erupted Monday just after 7 AM ET and obviously NYC fire crews rushed to the scene. Especially because of the building owner, law enforcement had a large and quick reaction.

The fire started on the roof and we're told it was some kind of electrical malfunction. There were no evacuations and no injuries. The fire was quickly extinguished.

Khloe Kardashian's first order of business when she got pregnant? Grab a hard hat!!!

Sources close to Khloe tell TMZ ... she had extravagant renovation plans for her Calabasas crib -- the one she bought from Justin Bieber in 2014 -- by turning a bedroom next to her master into a closet big enough for her massive clothes and shoe collection.

But, life happened. As TMZ first reported ... NBA superstar BF Tristan Thompson knocked up Khloe. So, that bedroom-turned-closet is going back to bedroom ... baby bedroom.

Khloe wants the baby's room as close to hers as possible, and that room's the perfect fit.

We're told Khloe is holding nothing back when it comes to the fine details of the room ... buying top of the line furnishings, decor and clothing.

Kyle Richards, Yasiel Puig, Mariah Carey, Jason Derulo and Scott Disick ... ya know what they have in common? They've all been hit by burglars, and now we know cops have a take on who's doing it.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... most of the celebs have been hit by professional burglars, who know the weak points of a home and how to penetrate them. For example, a number of the break-ins have been through second floor balcony windows, accessed by a ladder. The reason ... many homeowners don't put alarms on second floor doors and windows.

Cops also say there seems to have been a migration ... burglars are now hitting the San Fernando Valley more than the Hollywood area, where the first wave of break-ins occurred. The LAPD is investigating 23 celebrity burglary cases ... of those, 19 occurred in the Valley.

In case you're interested, the area of the Valley where many of these celebs live is pretty secluded, so it's easy to hit a home, drive to a freeway and get lost among the zillion drivers.

Now the big question ... Is this like another Bling Ring? Cops tell us the answer is no. There are various, sophisticated groups of burglars hitting posh areas of L.A. Police say there have also been an incredible number of non-celebrity hits. These burglars are looking for nice houses with nice contents ... they're not looking for famous victims.

Still ... hard to imagine a few of these hits were planned after the celeb homeowners posted their out-of-town pics on social media.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have poured boatloads of cash into their Hidden Hills home over the past few years, but it was all worth it ... because the house is now $20 million ABOVE water.

Sources tell us ... the couple sunk around $20 mil into renovations since they bought the property -- once owned by Lisa Marie Presley -- in 2014 for $20 mil. It's been in a constant state of design, re-design, construction and expansion -- not to mention all the landscaping -- until they finally moved in a few weeks ago.

Now get this ... we're told Kim and Kanye had the property appraised ... and the estimated value is $60 million. Do the math, and they're in the black $20 mil.

Kyle Richards is sending a message to any other burglars thinking of trying to break into her home again -- letting 'em know she has 3 large dogs ready and willing ... to lick their faces off.

Kyle posed with her pooches, which she says just got back from dog training. However, based on those adorable faces ... we're guessing it's more obedience than attack dog school. Ok, maybe the German Shepherd would mess you up ... but the other two? C'mon, look at those mugs.

As we reported, Kyle and Mauricio Umansky's new Encino home was broken into last week while they were on vacation in Aspen. The burglars made off with about $1 million in jewelry and handbags. The dogs were not at the home either.

We'll say this ... they probably bark really loud. That helps.

2:47 PM PT -- A Secret Service rep tells us the fire started in the ceiling of the second floor. Agents were able to use fire extinguishers to put the blaze out ... the fire department came to inspect and ensure everything was safe.

2:12 PM PT -- A rep for Hillary says the fire started in the Secret Service facility on the property, which is not connected to the main home. The Clintons were not home when the fire started.

12:22 PM PT -- The fire appears to have been on the second floor of the structure ... according to the local department, it's been mostly extinguished but crews are checking for anything additional.

The New York home of Bill and Hillary Clinton is on fire.

The Chappaqua Fire Dept. tells TMZ a structure on the property is ablaze and they are on the scene trying to control it.

We don't know whether the main structure was involved or if an ancillary structure such as a garage or guest house was on fire.

The Clinton's bought the home next door to their Chappaqua mansion in 2016 and turned the properties into a single compound.

We will update when we know the extent of the damage.

Kim and Kanye's new mansion -- the one they spent years renovating and finally moved into a few weeks ago -- has its first house rule ... NO JEWELRY ALLOWED!!!

Our Kardashian sources tell us Kim decided to put the policy in place at the Hidden Hills home because she doesn't want it to be a target for thieves. In essence, she's throwing up her version of the bat signal ... NOTHING TO STEAL HERE!

We're told the very few pieces that Kim does still own are being stored elsewhere -- under constant supervision -- with very elaborate security measures to get to it. And despite the lack of jewelry at their new place ... we're told armed security's still on guard 24/7.

The move makes it clear ... the trauma of the Paris robbery is still on Kim and Kanye's minds. Especially with a new baby due this month.

Our sources say if and when Kim does decide to wear jewelry of her own again, it'll be replicas or fakes.. However, we're told if Kim decides to borrow real pieces for an event, it will NOT be allowed in the home ... a stylist will meet with her right before said event and take it back right after.

As we've reported ... there have also been a string of celebrity burglaries over the past year, with 'Real Housewives' Kyle Richards being the most recent victim.

Lookin' for a place to pee? Try Chris Paul's brand new Houston-area mansion ... 'cause the dude has enough bathrooms to handle a small army!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the NBA superstar purchased an 18,717 square foot estate in Spring, Texas -- 30 miles from the Toyota Center where the Houston Rockets play.

Paul had been eyeing the mega-mansion for a while but finally closed on the place in October. It was originally listed for $8 MILLION ... but we're told CP3 got a good deal on it.

Besides the 14 toilets ... the home has 9 bedrooms, a 6-car garage and is on an exclusive Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. Don't worry, we're told the home is in a private gated community.

Paul has reportedly made more than $186 million in his NBA career -- so ... this ain't nothing for him.

#ItsGoodToBeRich

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky are the latest victims of celebrity break-ins ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the house was empty Wednesday night -- the family went to Aspen the day before. The burglar or burglars made their way in by breaking a window and stole some expensive items. Our law enforcement sources say the thieves made off with more than a million dollars in jewelry, including $150,000 worth of watches owned by Mauricio. Kyle's jewelry was in a lock box. We don't know if they got into that. The housekeeper discovered the break-in.

Kyle and her real estate mogul hubby bought the Encino home in October for $8.2 million and were in the middle of renovations.

We're told there is a security system but it was not on when burglars entered. Cops do know the burglary occurred at around 1:15 AM because a closet sensor inside the home was triggered by the burglars.

The home -- once owned by Motown legend Smokey Robinson -- has a number of surveillance cameras, so cops are hopeful it will help them nab the culprits.

Ellen DeGeneres just unloaded her second condo in a posh L.A. building, but the sale offers more proof that condos are the red-headed stepchildren in the Southern California housing market.

Ellen sold half a floor in the Beverly West condo complex in West L.A. She's pocketing $5,850,000 which sounds great, but here's the rub. She owned the entire floor, and she previously sold the other half for $6 million.

Real estate sources tell TMZ she bought the floor for $13 million, so after commissions and renovations ... she's underwater.

Ellen, who's repped by real estate guru Kurt Rappaport, still has a swanky home in Beverly Hills. She buys and sells lots of property and usually turns a big profit, so this is all part of the game.

The folks who built Beyonce and Jay-Z's new Bel-Air house apparently scored a fortune off them, but screwed the little guy who did the dirty work ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Qwest Engineering is suing famed real estate developer Dean McKillen and Cuesta Estate -- the developers of Bey and Jay-Z's $88 million estate -- for allegedly stiffing them on at least $200k of work Qwest says it did on the house prior to it being sold to the couple.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Qwest says McKillen and Cuesta asked them to do all the excavating on the house and to specifically carve out a space for a future basement.

Qwest says that required 2,000 sq. feet at a height of 12 feet and 888 cubic yards of dirt to be taken out ... which they say they quickly wrapped up over 5-6 weeks with McKillen and Cuesta breathing down their necks.

When it was time to pay up ... Qwest says McKillen and Cuesta came up empty-handed, and never gave 'em their cash -- an alleged whopping $205,337.

Even more interesting ... Qwest says McKillen and Cuesta can't claim they're broke on this one, 'cause Qwest says the developers made a FAT profit off Bey and Jay in selling it for $88 mil. Qwest says McKillen and Cuesta paid only "a small fraction" of that purchase price to demolish and reconstruct the home that was eventually sold.

We broke the story ... Jay and Bey have continued to pour money into their home, and an underground living area of this type sounds like what they were still building back in October.

Qwest wants its dough and then some ... they're asking for more than $1.8 mil in punitive damages, too. We've reached out McKillen ... he said the lawsuit was based on false info, and that Qwest is not owed that money.

Calvin Harris paid homage to Steve Angello ... actually, he paid him millions of bucks for his home.

Calvin bought Angello's 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath L.A. home for $5.045 million, and got a deal, too ... the home was originally listed for $5.5 million.

The two have been friends for years and we're told Calvin was sold on the crib since it had a recording studio. It also has a pool, guesthouse and 18-foot ceilings with glass walls, so Calvin can get inspiration looking out into the canyons.

The house is right under the Hollywood sign ... which is kinda awesome.

New parents Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova are going all Donald Trump to make their Miami mansion a fortress of privacy for their twins.

We broke the story ... Anna gave birth to the twins, a boy and a girl, and while she was secretly pregnant, the couple started building a huge 16-foot-tall wall around their Miami home. Construction started in late summer, deep into Anna's 2nd trimester.

According to city building permits, they're also adding a 2-story single family residence to their property -- along with baby-proofing measures, like a "child barrier for pools."

The wall makes sense. Privacy is totally Enrique and Anna's M.O. -- since they clearly went though a whole pregnancy without anyone ever knowing.

The docs say the home makeover will cost $600k when it's all said and done.

Phaedra Parks is having a good ole fashioned French provincial sale ... which has less to do with 18th Century Paree, than it does 21st Century ATL.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's unloading her 4 bedroom, 6 bath home which she bough in 2013 for $845k. Phaedra could be turning a nice profit since she's listed it for $1.195 million.

That's the bargain price, too -- she initially put it on the market in July for $1.499 mil.

The pad has a pool, nice yard and a sweet covered patio area for chilling through hot ATL summers. As for why Phaedra's bolting -- we're told she has another home in Atlanta.

Tennis legend Jimmy Connors is pretty cool and calm ... considering there's a raging fire threatening his mansion in Montecito, CA.

The 65-year-old (who looks great, btw) was out with his family at Madeo when he told us the Thomas Fire, raging in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is too close to his home for comfort.

"I'm trying to avoid the fires up in Montecito ... so, hopefully that works out and everybody's safe out there for the holidays."

Connors reportedly owns an 8,000 square foot mansion in the area, where he's lived since 2001.