CasaSugar

Brad and Angelina Live It Up in Long Island

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:23:15 -0700

Where in the world are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? Well, when they're not globe-trotting, the dynamic duo has, as of late, been renting out media mogul Rupert Murdoch's expansive waterfront home for $100,000 a month. Known as "Rosehearty," the 1885 Federal-style North Shore Long Island mansion is on the market for $12.8 million. With 11 bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, at least three fireplaces, a guest house, a tennis court, pool, spa, and its very own 260-foot stretch of beach and a dock, the 10,000-square-foot property is just big enough to keep the Jolie-Pitts' growing family warm and well-entertained all Summer long. Want to see how the stars live? See photos and hear more details when you read more.

According to the property listing, the property's highlights include:

Fine craftsmanship, soaring 12” ceilings, refined moldings and woodwork are found throughout “Rosehearty’s” approximate 10,000 square feet. Modern amenities subtly dovetail with the well-groomed interiors cloaked in a soothing color palette. Pristine millwork in the palatial rooms is illuminated by a myriad of tall windows. Breathtaking vistas of water or gardens are captured throughout this waterfront haven and the rear terrace overlooks spectacular century old oaks that shade the grassy lawns. A superb sanctuary with 260 feet of shoreline, pool, spa and tennis, “Rosehearty” is a rare and exceptional property.

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On the Market: Grey Gardens For Summer Rental

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:24 -0700

Grey Gardens, the once squalor-filled Hamptons mansion that was the home of "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, aunt and first cousin of Jackie O., and the subject of HBO's recent flick of the same name, can be yours for $30,000 this Summer. Current owners journalist Sally Quinn and husband Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee are renting out their East Hampton mansion from August 28 to Labor Day. Thirty thousand for 11 days in a former garbage-strewn home? Well, the turn-of-the-century house has since undergone an intensive renovation, and Long Island is nice in the Summer. See postrestoration photos of the home from a 1984 issue of Architectural Digest when you read more.

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This Just In: Natalie Portman Is Homeless

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:30:47 -0800

Natalie Portman recently stopped by The Late Show With Dave Letterman and admitted to being homeless. Apparently, after she sold her West Village condo in October, she moved back to her parents' home in Long Island, where she'll camp out until she finds a new place. She said, "I'm a Long Island girl. Yeah, I just went and voted out there because I'm homeless right now and residing with my parents." Here are the pros and cons of living with your 'rents, according to Natalie:

Pros: It seems like a lot of fun in the beginning: "You get like . . . good meals, your laundry done."
Cons: "It's rough. I'm old to be residing with the parents." And, they scream at her: "They're like, 'Get a job!'"

Well, Miss Natalie may be homeless, but at least she has $6 million to keep her warm this Winter.

On the Market: Former Home of Truman Capote

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:00:27 -0700

The former estate of Truman Capote, author of literary classics Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood, in Sagaponack, NY, is on the market for $14.6 million. Though he was actually a New Orleans native, Capote lived in the Long Island home until his death in 1984.
A cached listing for the property reads:

Hear the ocean from this very private and breathtaking setting in the heart of Sagaponack. Once the home of Truman Capote, this property has an oceanview main house, legal 2 bedroom guest house, 1900 sq ft artist's studio, detached garage and swimming pool. It is an oasis with stunning gardens, lawns and mature trees set 1000 feet from the ocean. Main house is a south facing, mid centruy modern home tastefully appointed and has plans and permits to expand. Guest house is ideally situated with its own privacy, gardens and parking.

For more information and to see photos of the property, read more.

The Hamptons home is being sold by abstract-expressionist painter Ross Bleckner, who purchased the property in 1993 from the Nature Conservancy for $800,000. Capote had left the property to his long-time partner Jack Dunphy, who in turn left the property to the Nature Conservancy at the time of his death in 1992. Be sure to check out this Hampton Style piece on Capote's former home. And, as an ode to Capote, here's how you can get the look of Holly Golightly's studio in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

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This Just In: Michael J. Fox Has a Future in Quogue

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:30:57 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Michael J. Fox and his wife, Tracy Pollan, have purchased a 7,000-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 7.5-bath shingled Dutch Gambrel-style home for $6.3 million in Quogue, a quiet 'hood at the western end of the Hamptons. According to Newsday, the new home of the family of six sits on:

1.11 acres and includes seven fireplaces, a 17-x-11-foot wine cellar, a 250-square-foot guest cottage, and Gunite pool with spa. The kitchen opens to a sunroom overlooking a private garden, and leads to a wraparound screened porch with fireplace. A second-floor master suite leads to a roof deck overlooking Quantuck Bay.

There's no word on whether Fox and family will be staying there year-round, or just summering there, dahling. But, from the looks of it, I'm sure they're not suffering on the real estate front wherever it is they decide to call home.

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Coveted Crib: Lovely in Long Island

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:15:08 -0700

This beautifully decorated home was designed by the firm of Nickey Kehoe. Check out the slideshow for the inspirational and surprising furniture and décor choices. Source

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Student Designers Win Corrugated Chair Competition

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:00:03 -0700

This year, the fourth annual Chair Affair student design competition asked architecture and package design students from 49 schools throughout North America to create chairs from nothing but corrugated board and glue. After much deliberation, the competition sponsors, American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, have chosen six lucky winners. First place went to Cuesta College's Jessica Leung for her Hole on Hole chair, which I must say looks very inspired by the Campana Brothers' Favela Chair. To see and hear about the other winners, read more.

Two teams - Winston Mi and Jessica Brown of Rhode Island School of Design, and Sarah Clement and Michael Wallace of Louisiana State University - tied in second place. Mi and Brown's "Profile and Silhouette," clearly draws inspiration from architect Frank Gehry's innovative corrugated board 1972 Easy Edges Side Chairs, which are in the MoMA Collection. Meanwhile, Clement and Wallace's "A Corrugated Chair or a Chair Made of Corrugated" conjures Gehry's Bubbles Chaise Lounge, with its soft top layer.

Honorable mentions went to Keith Holman, Benjamin Shullaw, Neal Birchum, and Sean McDow for University of Oklahoma for their "Adjustable" chair; Brad Smith of Cuesta College for his "Caterpillared" chair; and Jonathan Coop of California State University Long Beach for his "Corrugated Board Chair."

It's inspiring to see how these students have created stylish, modern furnishings from such a common packaging and display material. Corrugated board is made from a natural renewable resource, and seeing these innovative creations suggests that the possibilities for sustainable furniture design truly are endless. While I personally like these contemporary creations, what I'd love to see is a corrugated chair designed for traditional design enthusiasts. Sustainable furniture designs will never make a huge impact if they don't appeal to everyone's tastes.

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Nice and New: Orb 5 by Carlo Van de Roer

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:00:09 -0700

You may have heard of 20x200, an online retailer of limited-edition prints at affordable prices ranging from $20 to $200 (based on size), begun by New York gallerist Jen Bekman. The site, which sells works by both up-and-coming and established artists, gives nearly everyone the ability to afford good art. For that in itself, they deserve a pat on the back. Now, with new prints by Carlo Van de Roer, 20x200 is taking its benevolence to the next level. Van de Roer's Orb 5 (Long Island, NY) is offered as a new kind of benefit edition. All the profits from sales of the print return directly to Van de Roer, to fund his critically acclaimed (and quite expensive) Portrait Machine Project. Orb 5 is available as an 11-by-14, 16-by-20, or 24-by-30 archival pigment print. It's beautiful, don't you think? If you like this one, you'll also like Orb 3, which pairs wonderfully with this print.

Summer Style: India Hicks's Cricket Pavilion

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:42 -0700

I recently caught a story about India Hicks in Coastal Living, and fell immediately in love with her beautiful island home. The laid-back, Bahamas lifestyle seems a perfect way to spend time with your family on a Summer vacation. Luckily, for those of us with the cash, we can rent out one of Ms. Hicks's properties on historic Harbour Island, Bahamas, which is lined with pink sand beaches and surrounded by tropical, turquoise waters.

One of the properties available for rent (for a cool $4,900 a week) is the Cricket Pavilion. This 2,000-square-foot, studio-style house boasts classical English architecture and a long, broad terrace, set back from the beach. Take a private path to reach the beach, where you can fish, scuba or snorkel, and take a dip in the gorgeous tropical waters. Around the house, you can relax in a hammock or in one of the thatched cabanas.

See more pictures of the house, and read about its interior when you click here

Home Away From Home: The Maidstone in East Hampton

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:33 -0700

If you live in the New York metro area, you know very well of the Hamptons' reputation as THE place to be in the summertime. If not, you've probably caught a glimpse of the glory of the Long Island townships in movies like Something's Gotta Give and Grey Gardens. Unless you're a lucky dog who owns a home in the popular seaside locale, most visitors rent a Summer share or score a bed with a friend, as hotels in the area tend to be overpriced and lacking in looks (and personal BBQ grills). But room and maid service does have its perks, so if you are looking to stay in a Hamptons hotel, might I offer one that gets my seal of approval? The iconic Maidstone hotel was reinvented by Swedish hotelier Jenny Ljungberg who has mixed the free-spirited design of her native Scandinavia with the timeless sophistication of the Hamptons, and thrown in some arresting artwork and photography - all with a bit of a bohemian twist. One of the guest rooms is furnished with pieces designed or inspired by seminal designer Josef Frank (a favorite of mine), and features white oak flooring typical of midcentury Scandinavia, as well as modern wallpaper by up-and-coming Swedish designer Hanna Werning. Another, the Kurbits Cottage, takes a note from traditional Sweden with a wooden Jantze Brogård Asshoff table, hand-painted wall motifs, a wood-burning fireplace, and water-lily light fixtures, as well wooden clogs as décor. Hear about the hotel's eco-friendly features and see plenty of photos when you read more.

Beyond its refreshing design philosophy, the hotel has also taken every conceivable step to be the Hamptons' most eco-friendly hotel, with a goal of becoming carbon neutral. Some of its eco-friendly features include an on-site Natura water filtration system in place of bottled water; high-efficiency furnaces; state-of-the-art central a/c units; Low-E double-paned windows with insulating argon gas; organic cotton linens; water-based paints; and low-flush toilets. They also use refillable toileterie containers, recyclable carry-out containers, organic produce, organic cleaning products, and compost all of their restaurant's organic waste and donate it to local farmers. And, guests are encouraged to use their collection of Kronan bicycles as green transport free of charge.

If you arrive in a car, you'll be happy to note that each room comes with a much-coveted beach parking permit. Pets are also welcome, and WiFi throughout the hotel is free. And after a tiring afternoon at the beach, you can cozy up with a book from the library stocked with volumes about art, design, photography and the Hamptons' history, or watch a DVD from their large collection, also free. Summer rates range from $450-$995.
To see interior photos, read more.

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