Creating a cohesive design for one of the most well-known mega-mansion projects in the United States isn’t an easy job, especially when you’re being filmed for reality television. However, interior designer and founder of KCBO Design Kim Coombs, who appears in the new “Queen of Versailles Reigns Again” documentary series, says that when it comes to this massive undertaking, she’s happy to have someone as driven as Jackie Siegel spearheading the project.
“She’s actually great to work with,” Coombs says of her boss, with whom she has been working on the Versailles project for several years now. “She’s actually very smart and when she’s focused on something she wants, she’ll (get) it done. She has some out-there ideas (but) it’s just a matter of talking to her (and seeing) what her needs and wants are.”
Coombs says the overall vision for the house’s design has always been to create a space that reflects the dynamics of the Siegel family.
“it’s almost like telling the story of their life and what they’ve done,” she said. “They have all these antiques, and it’s really about telling that story in a way that’s going to appeal to the whole family.”
Coombs appears several times in “Queen of Versailles Reigns Again,” and says she has been keeping up with new episodes as they debut on the Discovery+ service. While the series definitely does include some of the family’s eccentricities, Coombs is happy that it also showcases a different side of the Siegel family.
“I think it’s a lot of fun. I love that they portray the family as nice as they are and as human as they are. I think so many people want to focus in on the wealth or the different extremes and those are definitely there. But the family, the core family and the way that they hold themselves is very endearing.”
As for the unique challenges of designing a massive 90,000 square-foot mega-mansion? Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Coombs says keeping costs under control for the project has been one of the biggest hurdles she has had to overcome.
“It’s a really expensive home, so you start thinking about the cost of all of these really elaborate rooms,” she said, adding that one specific challenge came in the form of a dining room with gold on the walls. “It’s got $110,000 of gilding on the walls alone and I had decided because there’s so much gold that I would put in silver leaf as well.” Because of the unique nature of what Coombs and Siegel were trying to accomplish with the room, three separate artists had to be commissioned that could work with the precious material.
“That process was a little hairy because I was afraid it wasn’t gonna pull together,” Coombs said. “We couldn’t find someone to make it look authentic and real. And then when we did, it was home run.”
In a previous interview, Jackie Siegel said that while the home is still under construction, her goal is to have it done by this time next year. Coombs agreed that this is a feasible goal and is hopeful work will be finished on the nearly two-decade project soon.
“The biggest thing is weaving it all together and making sure that it’s harmonious in the end.”
The first season of “Queen of Versailles Reigns Again” is streaming now on Discovery+.
