Sonja Morgan debuts top-to-bottom remodel of her Manhattan townhouse on the market for $8.75 MILLION

Sonja Morgan has given her swanky Manhattan home a stunning facelift.

The 56-year-old self-anointed ‘straw that stirs the drink’ has had her hands full this year, renovating the five-story townhouse which is currently on the market for $8.75 million.

The Real Housewives of New York star invited DailyMailTV inside for a VIP look at the makeover and chatted with senior correspondent Alicia Quarles during a one-on-one tour.

‘It’s a big change for me, I’ll tell you,’ Sonja said. ‘I feel like a visitor!’

Morgan has modernized the luxurious city dwelling which boasts five floors, five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms which she proudly showed off to DailyMailTV. Prior to the filming of the VIP tour, Sonja, Alicia and the DailyMailTV crew all had COVID-19 tests.

The 4,650-square-foot Lenox Hill townhouse was built in 1899 and features an elevator, sauna, library, at-home gym, and a peaceful outdoor space which adds additional square footage.

Sonja listed her five story townhouse for $10 million back in 2017 but recently slashed $2 million off the asking price amid the pandemic, calling it her ‘COVID discount.’

While waiting for the right buyer, the Bravo star is hoping to get some renters in, which is what originally prompted the renovations.

‘I had moved to Columbus Circle to a nice two bedroom with fireplace and a balcony, and I just wanted to lighten up emotionally,’ explained. After the move, Sonja decided to ‘play landlord’ but was worried about what renters may do to the space.

‘When people came to stay with me, they were using the family table and heirloom rugs,’ she said. ‘Six kids and two parents and a dog could really take, you know, could really bring some wear and tear.’

Sonja’s fellow Housewives, past and present, actually had an impact on the new modern, yet elegant design.

‘I said, okay, I’m going to take the advice of Bethenny and Ramona and just go all white, brass, glass – things that really weren’t in my vocabulary or my home before,’ Sonja explained. Because she’s planning on renting, most of the fashion designer’s own furniture has gone into storage.

One of her favorite features of the townhouse is the gourmet kitchen that she has outfitted with top-of-the-line appliances and tons of natural light.

‘As a mom, foremost, I have to say this kitchen is what sold me on the house because it’s almost like you’re indoors, but you’re outdoors,’ Sonja mused. ‘You have full windows that lead right out to the garden.’

‘I have a love for nature and this is where I meditate,’ she said. ‘I have my rose bushes and I have my fish pond.’ She added that in the concrete jungle of New York City she ‘really enjoys it out here’ in her little oasis.

‘The great thing about this house is it really is floor-through great views on every single floor,’ Morgan admired.

Sonja delighted in showing off all the hard work that went into her home makeover and made sure to give DailyMailTV all the details. 

She dressed for the occasion too, in a vibrant printed skirt and button up from her very own Sonja Morgan New York label.  

The center piece of the five-story home is the expansive master suite that stretches throughout the entire third floor. To that spectacular space, Sonja added some truly luxurious ‘silk-lined walls.’

As for what inspired the style of the room, the Bravolebrity revealed a unique and historic muse. ‘I had a custom-made four poster bed fashioned after the first bed in the White House by John Adams,’ she surprisingly revealed.

Interestingly, Sonja’s ex-husband is named John Adams Morgan and the couple, who were wed from 1998-2006, named their now 19-year-old daughter Quincy Adams Morgan.

‘This house has been really part of reality TV history,’ Quarles said during her chat with Sonja at the home. ‘Everybody knows this residence. For you, what’s it been like bringing viewers in?’ 

‘I tell ya, it doesn’t get old,’ Morgan responded. ‘I ask people, regularly, what do you want to see? And they say they want to see more of the house.’

‘I had a custom-made four poster bed fashioned after the first bed in the White House by John Adams,’ she surprisingly revealed. 

One feature RHONY fans will always associate with Sonja is a bidet – which she’s used throughout the seasons in a variety of ways like washing her lingerie.

‘The chandelier I brought back from Venice,’ the RHONY star explained while showing off the master bathroom. ‘And then I love a freestanding tub and I have, of course, a bidet in every room.’ 

Now that the home has been fully refreshed, Sonja is waiting for the right buyer. Shortly before the coronavirus crisis hit, the star revealed that she had gotten close to unloading the posh property. 

‘I had a cash offer. Full price, $10.75 [million] just before the pandemic,’ she explained. ‘Then this lady, [who] had six or seven houses outside the city, she was gone. So I lowered it another two million.’ This will mark the seventh time the property’s been on the market over the years.

Meanwhile, Sonja is gearing up for fans to finally finish the explosive three-part Real Housewives of New York season 12 reunion special.

‘Did it get vicious?’ Alicia wanted to know. ‘Or maybe was it lighter, because of COVID, because you guys hadn’t seen each other.’ 

‘Uh no, we get pretty vicious,’ Sonja teased in response. ‘But, there’s always another season.’ 

In a preview video for part two airing on Thursday, the cast looked back at their wild trip to The Hamptons where the ladies infamously stripped down to go skinny dipping.

Tinsley Mortimer admitted she was ‘shocked’ by her behavior during the debauchery-filled trip in an exclusive preview for DailyMail.com, telling Andy Cohen she was a bit ’embarrassed’ by her skinny-dipping escapades.

During the reunion the ladies will also try to solve the mystery of who left a vibrator on a plate of chicken piccata. 

Andy got straight down to it in the clip, demanding to know: ‘Who put the vibrator in the chicken?’

Sonja was the first to chime in, claiming Leah McSweeney was responsible before realizing she actually could have been the culprit.

The ladies will dish even more details during the second and third chapters of Real Housewives Of New York season 12 reunion, which air Thursday nights at 9pm on Bravo.