Shubhabrata Dutta
Hulu’s reality show ‘Vanderpump Villa’ is a spin-off of ‘Vanderpump Rules,’ another reality show, both of which are hosted by TV personality/actress Lisa Vanderpump. ‘Vanderpump Villa’ follows a group of young and attractive staff members who compete to provide top-tier, luxurious, and extravagant customized services to their affluent guests at a posh villa. They do this while navigating love, romance, rivalry, and more, all of which result from sharing the same working and living space 24/7. The person who performs the best gets a reward. Naturally, the production team had to opt for opulent aesthetics dipped in grandeur and glitter to highlight the pomp and show.
Vanderpump Villa Shooting Locations
The filming of Season 1 of ‘Vanderpump Villa’ took place in France, while that of the second season took place in Italy. Principal photography for the first season was carried out from December 15, 2023, to March 5, 2024. The second season reportedly began filming on July 26, 2024, and wrapped up by mid-September the same year. While the two seasons were shot in two different countries, it was important for the crew to ensure that the backdrops were distinctly different from each other while carrying the luxury and glamor.
Season 1: Château Saint-Joseph, France
The Château Saint-Joseph was renamed Château Rosabelle for Season 1. Located at 11240 Mazerolles-du-Razès, a commune in the Aude department, southern France, the almost 22,000-square-foot property was built in 1879 and has a Haussmann-style architecture. Talking to Architectural Digest (AD) about why she chose the rentable villa, Vanderpump stated how “When I first found this château, one of the first things that really excited me about it was the height of the ceilings…That was so essential to me. To have the right kind of atmosphere. Big windows, lots of natural light.”
From changing the wall colors to adding new décor, including mirrored furniture, wall murals, damask fabric for the walls, and floral arrangements, to redoing the pool with sunbeds from from Business & Pleasure Co, Vanderpump worked with production designer James McGowan to turn the majestic South-of-France venue into their custom hotel in just three weeks. She even brought over a chandelier from her restaurant TomTom in West Hollywood, which was made popular by the show ‘Vanderpump Rules.’
Talking to AD about her choice of pink, she said, “Well, I chose this beautiful pink paint by Farrow & Ball. It’s called, Sulking Pink. Yeah, I love pink, but I don’t like Barbie pink. I like sexy, plush, dirty pink. And this really puts in perfectly.” The charming venue was customized as per Vanderpump’s need, which stems from her love for France and design, and she brought in a lot stuff personally, including an old French desk from a Parisian dealer, a velvet from downtown Los Angeles, lights by Vanderpump Alain, her own tea set from her LA home, and a lot more.
Season 2: La Badia di Orvieto, Italy
For season 2, Lisa Vanderpump and her team went bigger, better, and even more luxurious. Shifting from Mazerolles-du-Razès, France, to Orvieto, Italy, they opted for the 12th-century residence La Badia di Orvieto. Located at Località La Badia, 8, in Orvieto, Italy, the historic structure has been transformed into a four-star hotel. For the show, it was renamed to Castello Rosato and became the new home for the second bunch of young men and women competing for the $30,000 bonus and the opportunity to work at one of Lisa’s establishments.
The “Castello” has twenty-two rooms and five suites overlooking the courtyards of the abbey. It also has a hotel bar, a restaurant, a park, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. Furnished top to bottom and inside out in classic style, with antique furniture, the hotel looks completely like a medieval castle with dungeons within. To top it off, the stunning aesthetic has a cathedral in its backdrop. The La Badia di Orvieto is, thus, starkly different from the Château Saint-Joseph, which has a more modern appearance.
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