Billionaire Robert F. Smith’s plastic penthouse plants are not up to par for his ritzy Chelsea neighbors.
A source tells us that Smith, the CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, has decorated the outdoor deck of his $59 million NYC penthouse with towers of cheap plastic shrubbery.
“The fancy [neighbors] are complaining all over the neighborhood,” says the source. “He has a $59 million apartment and fake plants? Eww.”
Smith lives with his Playboy model wife, Hope Dworaczyk, in the 10,000-square-foot home that spans three floors and has a pool.
The plants, though seemingly low maintenance, apparently get daily upkeep says our spy.
“Every morning an army of staff appear on the roof at 7:30 a.m. sharp to put up umbrellas and dust the plastic plants,” says the source.
Adding, ‘He couldn’t hire a landscaper? Sweetie, this is Chelsea. Prepare to be judged.”
But sources familiar with fake plant faux-pas tell us they were part of the temporary decor set up for a fundraiser Smith hosted that featured classical music performances by young black musicians.
And they tell us, he otherwise does not keep plants out there.
Smith’s neighbors are a chatty bunch.
In 2020, they were annoyed by the near yearlong renovation that had contractors and workers streaming in and out of the building with one sniffing, “I guess even when you pay $60 million, it’s still a fixer-upper.”
A source told Page Six at the time that, “The apartment is being renovated to reconfigure the systems, which were recently being tested,. No redecoration, just finalizing the system configuration.”
Smith wed Dworaczyk in 2015 in a lavish ceremony on Italy’s Amalfi Coast that included performances by John Legend, Seal, Brian McKnight and DJ Cassidy. We are betting they had real flower arrangements.