i can understand the use of large house for a family but what do those single rich fucks with the goddamn true mansions do with all that space exactly? like let's table all valid criticisms of the spending and constructing of them aside and just focus on what exactly you do with that space

As a real estate photographer I can tell you with a confidence that most of that space is entirely unused. Extra kitchens which have never seen a meal, billiards rooms with untouched felt, an office that no one has ever worked in, a second, or third family room, that no family member has spent any significant amount of time in. I once shot a place with a walk-in closet so large the dude had an 8-person dining room table in the middle of it.. like.. no one is hanging out in your closet homie.. maybe downsize?

this is a fantastic answer, thank you for replying. sadly it confirmed my fears that these people are all insane

Traditionally mansions and manors had a lot of space because they were the lifelong homes of multiple generations of a family (the lord and lady, their unmarried children and heirs, and various widowed aunts and in-laws), dozens of servants, and rooms or even wings set aside for a constantly rotating cast of guests who had travelled days or weeks to visit so of course they were going to stay a while.

Now there's just Hank, Kate, Keighleyee, and their sterile palace.

#obviously the landed gentry had uuuuuh their own problems but at least their nonsense houses were actual homes

The only true modern mansion I’ve been into had an honest to god “white room”. Nothing in it but white carpet and furniture and decor. It was decked out like a functional fancy living room but it was totally off-limits and existed only to be viewed from the hallway.