CasaSugar

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor Sell Second House in Their Hollywood Hills Compound

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:54:00 PDT

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have just sold the second house in their Hollywood Hills estate for $2.6 million.This second, smaller house, is a generous 4,062 square feet, situated on less than a third of an acre.

The entire compound, which included the Spanish-style home, another house, and a guesthouse, was put on the market over two years ago for $12.5 million. Since that time, the larger home was sold to Jason Statham last year for $7.32 million.

The entire compound features a one-bedroom guest house, a lovely pool, outdoor living and dining areas, and a lushly landscaped yard, full of palms, succulents, and full-grown trees.

Let's take a look at the compound, which is truly a gorgeous piece of real estate!

Source

House Tour: Courtney Lake's Oakland Oasis

Julia Millay Walsh — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:00:17 PST

CasaSugar Community member CourtneyOutLoud has created some of my favorite Lovely Little Vignettes in the community group. When I first saw some of his designs, I thought, I have to learn more about this man! So, ever the snoop that I am, I did some poking around and discovered his wonderful blog, Living Life Out Loud.

It turns out that Courtney is pursuing a career in design and event planning and lives in a very charmingly decorated modern condo in Oakland, CA. It wasn't hard to convince him to let us take a tour of his house, and after seeing it, I am convinced that he has very bright career ahead of him. Come along and take a look!

Photos courtesy of Philipp Striebe

California Governor Allows Warrantless Searching of Cell Phones

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:18:32 PDT

Here's another reason to password-protect your mobile phone: California's governor just recently vetoed a bill that requires a court-ordered warrant in order to search mobile phones upon arrest. This means that if you get arrested in the state of California, the arresting officer can search your smartphone - which gives him access to emails, call logs, texts, location data, banking apps, and more - without needing a warrant.

Governor Jerry Brown says the issue is too complicated for him to make a decision about and has upheld the supreme court's recent decision on warrentless searches that include mobile phones.

Password-protecting your smartphone isn't just a good idea in everyday practice, but it will also require an arresting officer to obtain a warrant in order for you to hand over the password.

Can You Match the San Francisco Chef to the Restaurant?

Susannah Chen — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:22:24 PDT

What are you up to for the rest of this week? We'll be busy attending the third annual SF Chefs, a gathering of chefs, restaurateurs, and other individuals respected in the food industry. To get you excited for our upcoming coverage of the festival, I thought I'd quiz your knowledge of Fog City's top chefs and dining establishments. I'll name the celebrated chef, and I want you to try to guess his or her signature restaurant. Ready? Let's get started!

Source: Flickr User joey.parsons

Take the Quiz

Kate Middleton and Prince William's North American Tour: The Lookbook

Hannah Weil — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:18:29 PDT

Kate Middleton and Prince William's first royal visit to North America is underway in California, with their most recent event being the BAFTA awards. Donning Alexander McQueen, Kate looked subtly glamourous hanging with Jennifer Garner, Blake Lively, and Nicole Kidman. Our favorite part of her outfit? Sparkly Jimmy Choo platform heels! Style highlights of Catherine's trip so far: she paid homage to Canada via Canadian-born designer Erdem by wearing two of his dresses; she also donned a red maple leaf fascinator to celebrate Canada Day. She looked totally adorable in a cowboy hat and boots, and fresh in yellow Jenny Packham. While Kate chose a lovely gray Roksanda Ilincic dress for her arrival in LA, she quickly changed into a green silk dress from American designer Diane von Furstenburg for a welcome reception later that day. To get you caught up on Kate Middleton's style choices thus far, click our slideshow to see, and stay with us as we chronicle each outfit of her tour.

California Wants to Require LGBT History in the Classroom

Annie Scudder — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:30:06 PDT

Adding to laws requiring schools to teach historical contributions of women and various racial and ethnic groups, California's state assembly passed a bill this week that would make lessons on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people mandatory in public schools. If California's governor does not veto the bill, the state will become the first in the US to require LGBT curriculum in social studies classrooms. At least one state, Tennessee, has proposed the opposite: banning the teaching of homosexuality before high school.

The California bill, which also includes a mandate to discuss historically significant people with disabilities, prohibits teaching anything that reflects adversely on gays. Supporters hope including positive gay contributions to history in textbooks and lesson plans will help decrease bullying of gay students and present all kids with a more accurate version of America's past. Those covered in the classroom may include people like George Washington's crucial military adviser Friedrich von Steuben, who fled the country when he was outed as gay.

While some opponents call the bill well-intentioned but ill-conceived, others have gone as far as accusing it of promoting a "homosexual agenda." Republican lawmaker Tim Donnelly said, "I think it's one thing to say that we should be tolerant. It is something else altogether to say that my children are going to be taught that this lifestyle is good."

Do you think requiring public schools to touch on the contributions of gays and lesbians will decrease bullying and improve eduction? Or do you believe teachers and administrators should decide their own curriculum, even if that means some people get left out?

5 California Cheeses to Try

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:21:57 PDT

At a recent seminar hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board, I tasted a lot of amazing cheese. The class was taught by the wonderfully passionate and knowledgeable Juliana Uruburu. She selected the cheese and paired each one with different food items. While I enjoyed everything I ate, there are five cheeses that I'm on the lookout for. The next time I see them at the grocery store, I'm definitely going to buy them! To find out what cheeses they are so you can do the same, keep reading.

Take a Mini California Vacation With Trina Turk's Home Collection

Elka Karl — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:00:32 PDT

Want to add some California cool to your home, even if you live on the East Coast? Then check out the Trina Turk home collection. With sassy, vibrant colors and graphic prints, fans of her iconic contemporary clothing should be pleased to add pillows, rugs, and other accents to their casas. So even if you're only dreaming about a visit to the West Coast, pretend that you're in Palm Springs with something from the new home collection. Order through Layla Grayce and receive free shipping on your favorite new piece.

Santa Rita Hills: A New Wine Region to Try

Katie Sweeney — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:28:23 PDT

One of my favorite things about wine is that there's so much to learn about it! There's always a new varietal to taste or an exciting region to try. Recently I went to a tasting that featured wines from the Santa Rita Hills. This small, relatively young wine region is located in Central California and was named an official appellation in 2001. Thanks to its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this foggy district is perfect for growing Pinot Noir grapes. A cool coastal breeze and naturally rocky terrain only enhances its grape-growing qualities. Other varietals the area is known for are Chardonnay and Syrah. To see which wines from the province, which were featured in the film Sideways, I recommend, keep reading.

Would You Be Happier If You Never Had to Take Out the Garbage?

Elka Karl — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:15:32 PST

Sunset recently profiled a family in Mill Valley, CA, who chose to downsize to a smaller home as well as live a zero-waste lifestyle. You should definitely read the article on Sunset. Take a look at this video as well to get a snapshot of the family's practices, and a pretty surreal image of how much garbage they produce in four months.

Would you be happier if you had this little clutter and garbage in your life? Do you think you could make the switch?