I built billionaire mansions for Jennifer Lopez and the Bezos family: These are the ‘invisible’ tricks to inject ultraluxury into your home on a budget

As someone who has helped build some of the most expensive homes on the planet, Manny A Varas has gained a rare, intimate look into the elusive celebrity world.

The Miami-based 46-year-old has created mansions for an array of billionaires, Hollywood stars and athletes including Jennifer Lopez, Lil Wayne and the Bezos family.

And according to the self-proclaimed ‘master builder,’ creating a celebrity home is about much more than adding flashy amenities and decadent furniture.

He’s gotten his fair share of outrageous requests – a helicopter pad, a three-par private golf course, a rooftop skate park and shark tank are among the most shocking – but Varas explained that the subtle touches are what the ultrawealthy are really after.

It’s his ability to create ‘understated luxury’ that has turned him into the go–to home builder for the rich and famous.

‘Most builders say [practical things like] the laundry room or the insides of cabinets don’t matter because no one’s going to look there,’ Varas told the Daily Mail. 

‘But understanding the areas people assume nobody would look [is key]. We look at all of the details, from the handles [on cabinets] to inside the cabinetry to make sure they are pristine. It’s really about what you don’t see in these homes.’

Varas explained that many of his rich clients prefer a ‘less is more’ approach rather than a home that screams opulence at every turn.

Take the Bezos family, for example. Varas built the home that was bought by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s mother and stepfather, Jacklyn ‘Jackie’ and Miguel ‘Mike’ Bezos, in July 2022. He said it was the subtle details that drew them in.

‘It’s about knowing you feel a certain way but not being able to pinpoint the reason why,’ he explained. 

Those nuances range from ‘invisible speakers’ built into the walls ‘so you don’t know where the music is coming from’ to a trick that makes a home smell like luxury accommodation.

‘We put scented diffusers in all of the air conditioners so there’s a nice scent in all areas almost like you’re in a hotel,’ Varas said. ‘It’s about things you don’t see but you feel.’ 

Another way Varas will elevate a home is by covering up any brand names or logos.

‘We had a glass wine cooler that had the big Sub-Zero logo on it [in the Bezos home],’ he said. ‘We put panels over it so you’d see wood instead of the advertisement of a brand.

‘That’s one of the things in all of our ultraluxury homes that we work very diligently on. It’s about knowing something is beautiful and great but not because of the brand.’ 

Another subtle touch that he added to the Bezos mansion was a freezer in the bar area so they can frost glasses before serving cocktails. 

‘Just the simple notion that the glass is frosted creates an impression of a great feeling that’s much stronger than any brand or logo you may have,’ he added. 

After graduating from college with a degree in architecture, Varas started his career working as a general contractor.

He would help build the interiors of high-rise buildings across the country, focusing on features such as flooring, closets and window treatments.

His attention to detail helped him move his way up, and he launched his company MV Group USA in 2006, which quickly became the ‘preferred company’ for interior build-outs in high-end buildings.

In 2011, Varas officially switched from interiors to building full custom homes. One of the first major celebrity abodes he worked on was Lil Wayne’s mansion on La Gorce Island in Miami Beach.

Some of the quirks of the nine-bedroom home included a shark tank, glass elevator and a skateboard ramp on the roof.

‘We also put underwater lights [in the lake it overlooked] and automatic fish feeders so he could see the fish,’ Varas said.

Lil Wayne bought the house for $11.6 million in August 2011 and sold it for $10 million in 2017.

Varas also built the $32.5 million Miami Beach home that Lopez rented in 2021 while she was dating Ben Affleck. 

The house, described as an ‘entertainer’s masterpiece,’ overlooks Biscayne Bay and has 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. 

When the singer moved into the mansion, she had one request from Varas: that he convert the ten-car garage into a private gym and Pilates studio.

According to Varas, while at-home gyms have always been essential in celebrity homes, he has noticed a massive shift away from ‘entertaining areas’ and more toward ‘health and wellness’ in recent months.

He said people are replacing things like wine cellars, bars, cigar lounges and home movie theaters with saunas, padel courts, cold plunges and pools with lap areas.

In addition, he noted that there’s been a push toward ‘air quality’ and humidity control.

Other popular features include a ‘voice activated’ video system inside private gyms – allowing for virtual training sessions – and ‘sound barriers’ between rooms ‘by layering plywood and dry wall’ so the stars who live with staff have privacy.

So how can you elevate your own home to live like a billionaire without breaking the bank?

Varas explained that anyone wanting to make a change on a budget should focus on what will ‘create the most value’ for your home.

He recommended against spending on things like installing marble or stone floors, which some may think will give their home a luxurious feel, and instead suggested investing in adding a bathroom or a pool.

Varas also said adding square footage is a good way to increase property value. 

‘[You should ask], “If I spend X, what will the Y value of my property be and why would it be that?”‘ the expert said. ‘Look at how to create value in every project that you’re doing.’

He noted that while most people think billionaire homes are all about aesthetics, the rich care more about things that will make their lives easier and add value to their property. 

‘People assume that because someone’s wealthy they make irrational decisions because of aesthetic or luxury,’ he said.

‘That’s not how it works, we work with managers to understand how every dollar invested creates value for that property.’