Gift-wrapped $114 million mansion goes on sale - PHOTO

Even for the Upper East Side, which is no stranger to luxury living, an opulent $114 million, 20,000 square foot mansion with sweeping views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline has set new standards.Wrapped in a bow for Christmas, the six-level 69th Street house has seven bedrooms and its interior is inspired by the Palace of Versailles, the castles of Italy and even a media room based on the owner's favorite movie-theater in Queens, New York.The decor throughout the 19 rooms features the 'finest European imported materials', atop is a three-tiered rooftop deck and in the basement a saltwater pool with spa, while the sidewalk outside and the stoop leading to the front door can be heated for the winter months.Built in 1883, the property, which has an annual $178,246 property tax was bought by the NHL's Florida Panther's owner Vincent Viola and his wife Teresa in 2005 for $20 million.They set about gutting and renovating the interior, which now boasts six bathrooms, three powder rooms, a brick pizza oven in the kitchen and a 'picnic room'.Viola, the president of Maida Vale Designs lived in the Waldorf Astoria for the first three years of the renovation - but moved in five years ago as soon as the kitchen was able to be used.'I wanted it to feel welcoming, like your grandmother’s kitchen,' she said to the New York Times about the 40-feet wide space.Boasting three stone sinks and four mahogany-framed windows that overlook 60th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue, Viola said that she supervised every aspect of the grand redesign.The level of grandeur is staggering across the home. Viola traveled the world to find exact shades of Venetian onyx, and took inspiration from Versailles for her own 900-square-foot dining room.In the two story library there is a wall embossed with the Rudyard Kipling poem 'If' - which was stenciled by an artist who designs the Christmas cards for the White House and Vatican.Across the home walls are decorated with gold-leaf and the powder room has a fireplace made from Brazilian travertine and the third-floor banquet room has a black walnut heated floor.On the fifth floor is the master suite which has his-and-hers dressing rooms while on the lower floors there is a family room, a recording studio, gym and a media room with red velvet seats which remind Viola of her favorite Queens theater.Gabriella Dufwa, who is the listed broker with Corcoran said that entering the mansion is 'stepping back in time, finding yourself at Versailles and never wanting to leave.'Paul Anand, who is also handling the sale said that, 'It’s a magnificent one-of-a-kind property with a level of craftsmanship that speaks for itself.'We don’t think people who are looking for something of this size in this neighborhood are going to be afraid of the price.' (dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az