Elvis Presley may have permanently left the building 46 years ago, but the singer—and his flamboyant Graceland mansion—have an uncanny habit of stepping back into the spotlight. Elvis and Graceland had the leading role in Baz Luhrmann’s high-camp 2022 biopic Elvis and an appearance in the whimsical 2023 movie Priscilla, written and directed by Sofia Coppola. And let’s not forget the recent legal drama around Graceland, which has more dramatic twists and turns than Elvis’s jumpsuited Las Vegas performances.
It’s not surprising that Elvis’s Graceland mansion still holds such intrigue; there is no place on earth quite like it. The superstar had a 20-year residency there from 1957 to 1977, treating the decor of his cherished Memphis, Tennessee, home as an outlet for his boundless creativity. Assisted by a cast of Memphis-based interior designers, shortly after moving his family and their fleet of gleaming Cadillacs into Graceland, Elvis set about transforming it into a revolving carousel of increasingly theatrical room sets, often mirroring the unadulterated drama of his stage performances. Design trends spanning the eras—from ultrathematic rooms to the burgeoning use of tech within the home—can all be found beyond the fabled music gates of Graceland, often in their purest and most authentic forms.
Below, take a peek inside Graceland.