The luxury house Aston Martin built

Daily Mail​

20 hours ago

Aston Martin doesn't just want to flog its luxury cars to well-heeled clients - now it wants to sell them a lifestyle. The British auto firm based in Gaydon, Warwickshire has today unveiled its first ultra-luxury house. However, if you wanted it, you'd need to pack your bags and move to Tokyo first. The N °001 Minami Aoyama home has just been completed in the Japanese capital in partnership with real estate developer Vibroa.
The four-storey private residence is situated in the city's highly desirable boutique Omotesandō neighbourhood, meaning you'll need a sizable collection of zeros in your bank account to afford it.
The townhouse extends the company's exclusive property portfolio, which already includes the Aston Martin Residence apartment block in Miami . It also designed the interiors for 'The Astera' complex on Al Marjan Island in the United Arab Emirates. Both are worlds away from affordable housing.
And while the mega mansion boasts a gym, wine cellar, theatre, dedicated golf simulator, and a private spa, the garage is arguably the most incredible showpieces of all. 'N°001 Minami Aoyama is a true showcase for bespoke craft, high-end technology and a unifying design language that parallels the truth to materials, perfect proportions and effortless beauty of Aston Martin's range of luxury sports cars,' so Aston Martin's blurb says.
But what are the important figures in the sales brochure? It offers three storeys above a substantial basement level, three en-suite bedrooms, and a total floor area of 724 m2 (7,793 ft2). On the outside, it's - unsurprisingly - a stunning spectacle.
The exterior façade to the front uses vertically-aligned metal louvers of varying proportions and angular fins that are split by a singular LED light, which looks like the spine of the electric building. 'Together, these create a shifting presence throughout the day as light plays on the reflective surfaces, providing animation as well as privacy,' the car maker claims.
And they also provide a tiny glimpse of the lavish interior finishes, like the rippled mirrored ceilings and a wilderness of plants on the first-floor spa terrace. To the rear is balconies galore, with four in total as well as a selection of enormous portrait windows that flood light into the property.
There's a roof-top terrace too, with 360-degree views of the affluent district of the Japanese city - including Tokyo tower - as well as an entertaining space, outdoor kitchen, and planting section that acts as a mini garden oasis. Back indoors, one of the main focal points of the property is its dramatic sculpted staircase. This is formed from folded steel and shaped to give the impression of a piece of origami.
Running from the basement and ground floor, adjoining an internal garden and illuminated by a feature pendant chandelier, it is one of the most jaw-dropping aspects of the luxury home. An ultra-expensive kitchen features black lava stone surfaces and Italian-crafted grey oak cabinets, which are contrasted by nebula steel and pewter metal accents throughout.
Many of the unique furniture pieces were custom designed under Aston Martin's direct supervision, too. This includes the first-floor spa, with sauna and bath finished in natural Hinoki timber cladding and using a specially designed audio system. There's an outdoor Onsen pool too, with seating on the private terrace. Like its cars, Aston Martin also commissioned a fully-integrated Bowers & Wilkins audio system that plays in every room of the residence.
It's not a garage; it's an 'automotive gallery'
The 'showcase space' consists of two covered parking spaces that presents a two-vehicle collection 'as if they were sculptural works of art'. A 'special glass vision panel brings the vehicles into the lounge and meeting room on the ground floor,' the car maker says. The garage area has adaptive lighting and a wave-texture metal ceiling for a final splash of opulence.
From the outside, with the gallery shutters open, it reveals the incredible garage roof as well as a peek inside the premium pad's living space. Announcing its completion, Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer at Aston Martin said: 'Throughout the design and construction of N°001 Minami Aoyama we have worked closely with Vibroa to celebrate the influence of Tokyo's culture, history and style.
Before you pick up the phone to call a real estate agent in Tokyo to inquire about the price, save yourself the time. That's because the property was sold to a private buyer back in 2022.