Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's announcement that they would be divorcing after almost seven years of marriage wasn't too much of a surprise. For months following West’s erratic behavior, many speculated that the end was near. What is surprising, however, is the major asset Kardashian is reportedly getting out of the divorce.
A source recently told TMZ that Kim Kardashian will get the pair’s Hidden Hills mansion -- which is valued at $60 million -- in the divorce settlement. The house was designed by acclaimed Belgian architect Axel Vervoordt over several years and includes countless rooms, cabanas, spa features and a massive pool.
It has been reported that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have a prenuptial agreement that essentially covers all financial matters between the two. Neither star is exactly waiting for money from the other, given their lucrative businesses in fashion and music. Their shared properties are another matter entirely that will have to be negotiated in a mediation between their lawyers.
It's likely that Keeping Up with the Kardashian star Kim Kardashian will get the sprawling property in the divorce simply because it is their family home where they have raised their four kids – North, Chicago, Saint and Psalm. With Kardashian being their sole caregiver and West spending most of his time at his ranch in Wyoming, the Hidden Hills property has a good chance of staying in Kardashian's hands.
The decision would make sense, but it is well known that the property was more so a design project undertaken by Kanye West. Kim Kardashian told Architectural Digest, which featured the Hidden Hills home in one of their spreads last year, that she discovered the place and thought of it as her “dream home.” But it was West who met designer Axel Vervoordt at antique fairs and brought him in to work on the home. West said:
When I saw the kind of work he was doing, I thought, ‘This man could design Batman’s house.’ I had to work with him. It was a coup to get Axel to come to Calabasas to redo a McMansion, which is essentially what the house was.
The result of Kanye West and Axel Vervoordt’s collaboration is a home more akin to a monastery. Despite having four young children, the pair opted for complete neutral colors and minimalist design. Vervoordt claimed that Kardashian and West pushed for more of a pure “philosophy” rather than a “decoration” scheme. According to Kim Kardashian:
The one thing Kanye and I had in common was our preference for a neutral palette. I love the simplicity of the design. Everything in the outside world is so chaotic. I like to come into a place and immediately feel the calmness. Kanye would come up with the most far-out ideas, and I’d say, ‘This is not normal. We need drawers!’ I was the voice of functionality.
The Hidden Hills home is a figurative child borne of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's relationship, and it's sadly one that Kardashian will likely be getting custody of in the divorce. We'll keep you updated on the divorce proceedings between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and you can check out the final season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians when it hits E! on March 18th at 8 p.m. ET.
