King of Chintz: Jacko was known for his outrageous persona, but as these pictures reveal, his home couldn't have been more staid

 

With its wooden panelling, deep leather armchairs and fine oriental carpets, it could be the overdone interior of an English country hotel.
Instead, this is the surprisingly old-fashioned decor of Michael Jackson’s final home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, where he died in June 2009.
Who would have thought of Jacko putting his white-socked feet on those staid chintz sofas or allowing his three children to cavort through the dining room with its pilasters, Regency- style table and carved chairs? These pictures have been released to accompany an auction of Jackson’s art and furnishings next month.

The library: Decorative panelling, leather chairs - it could be a fusty gentleman's club. But why so few books?

The master bedroom: The bed where Jacko died, with an imitation Louis XV headboard

The bathroom: CHaise-longue, silk curtains and a marble bath with chandelier

There are occasional flashes of the arch showman’s flamboyance if you look for them.
The swag-draped private cinema — with its plush red carpets, tiered rows of sumptuous velvet seating and ceiling painted as a bright blue sky with gathering clouds — is the kind of indulgence you might expect from the man who created his own private fairground at Neverland.

 

The carved German piano with its elaborate music stand shows a touch of his showmanship, as does the grand chandelier hanging over the  marble bath in a room bedecked with apricot swagged curtains.

The piano: Made in the late 19th century in Stuttgart, the ornate instrument is typical of the taste of the King of Pop, right

The cinema: There's vulgar velvet and a dramatic blue sky on the ceiling - but where did Jacko keep the popcorn?

The dining room: Regency-style sideboards and copies of Chippendale chairs

The drawing room: Chintz galore and the oil painting on the wall is a copy of Titian's Venus Blinding Cupid

But the overall style of the home of the King of Pop — famously shown in a 2003 documentary buying gilded urns, garish lacquered tables and elaborate chess sets — is astonishingly traditional, right down to the classical paintings hanging on the walls.

One telling sign, perhaps, of his declining fortunes before he died is that the paintings aren’t real Old Masters, but rather poor copies.
In fact, despite appearances to the contrary, there’s hardly a genuine antique in sight — almost everything is reproduction.

Stairway: The grand hall area, with a detailed wooden stairway leading upstairs, is another sparsely decorated room, while right, a loving message from one of Jackson's children on a kitchen chalkboard reads, 'I love Daddy'

Pool area: Trees and a simple stone walkway surround the secluded and quiet water feature outside Jacko's home

Poignant: A message written to himself on the mirror of Jackson's antique cabinet reads, 'Train, perfection March April Full Out'

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