CasaSugar

What Kind of Home Does $75 Million Buy?

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:16 -0700

While I'm all for living small and beautifully, sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me, and I wonder what it would be like to live large - really, really large. In reality I have no interest in living in a house much larger than 1,800 square feet. It's just too much upkeep for me, not to mention the environmental cost of living in a big house. Still, when I saw photos of an Upper East Side mansion on the market for $75 million, my interest was piqued. What exactly does this exorbitant amount of money buy?

To find out, read more.

Turns out, it buys you a lot. Seven floors, counting two basements, comprise approximately 21,000 square feet of this massive mansion.

The Sothebeys listing reads:

This grand and elegant neo-Italian Renaissance mansion is exceptionally wide (45 feet) and one of the largest and most important townhouses in New York. Commissioned in 1922 by Julius Forstmann, a prominent German merchant, the house was designed by C.P.H. Gilbert, the renowned architect who created majestic mansions for the leading families of the city. Behind a stately and distinguished limestone façade are five floors with an additional garden level and a full sub-basement comprising a total of approximately 21,000 square feet. The dramatic entrance foyer leads to a magnificent reception hall and grand-scaled rooms which feature many superb original details, including a spectacular sweeping marble staircase, an enormous skylight, marble fireplace surrounds, hand-carved moldings, and soaring high ceilings. This extraordinary townhouse offers the rare opportunity to own a Manhattan landmark with the versatility of luxury residential or trophy commercial use.

Interested in reading more about the history of this house and its neighborhood? Check out this New York Times article. Who can you imagine living in a house of this size (maybe the Jolie-Pitt brood)? What else do you think it could be used for?

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Home Away From Home: The G Hotel

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0700

St. Patrick's Day may be over, but that's no reason not to cast an eye toward Ireland, especially when the view is this fantastic. If you're headed to Ireland for a honeymoon or an adventure, consider booking a night at the g hotel in Galway, which evokes old Hollywood glamour on the Emerald Isle.

The luxury hotel features 18,000 square feet of public areas, including three separately styled and themed lounges and a restaurant, which are linked by a deeply pink carpeted corridor. The hotel's ESPA spa also provides everything from holistic hand massages to Ayurvedic body treatments. No expense seems to have been spared - one bar features a carpet of thousands of Red Swarovski crystals adorning the bar, while the restaurant offers European dining with an Irish influence, which can be eaten from the comfort of banquettes in purple velvet and jewel-colored Andrew Martin chairs.

To find out about the designer behind the hotel, as well as how much a night at the g will cost you, read more.

Designer Philip Treacy, who's perhaps better known for his millinery skills, is responsible for the g's glam look. He writes,

I am from Ahascragh in County Galway and Galway City is a place I am always telling my friends they should visit. It has a bohemian and artistic character that has long embraced its "worldliness," rather than just its Irishness, and it is different from almost anywhere else in Ireland. For this reason, it is the right location for a totally new kind of hotel experience.

Working in conjunction with Irish architects and designers Douglas Wallace on the g hotel I have brought together an eclectic mix of styles - from baroque to contemporary, and many places in between - to create an overall effect that seeks to surprise as well as to delight. But it is the impression of glamour that I most want to convey.

Rooms start at 140 euros a night, and given the luxurious and generous public spaces available in the hotel, this seems like a reasonable splurge, especially when other "luxury" hotels are often less interesting in terms of interior design.

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This Just In: Natalie Portman Sells West Village Condo

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:00:01 -0700

Actress and vegan shoe designer Natalie Portman has sold her Richard Meier-designed condo in Manhattan's West Village area. It had been listed for $6.55 million. Portman first purchased the condo in 2005 for $5.7 million. The stunning skyscraper, with its transparent glass facade, has been on the market since June.

According to the New York Post:

Included in the convertible three-bedroom, three-bath, fifth-floor apartment are views in three directions, a 32-foot balcony, and a spacious great room. Building amenities include a 24-hour concierge, a fitness center, an infinity-edge lap pool and a screening room.

For interior photos of the condo, read more.

While it's sad that the lovely Ms. Portman has ended her relationship with freak folker Devendra Banhart, I'm sure that this multimillion sale (impressive in this bad housing market) will provide her with some solace.

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Love It or Hate It? Luxury Bath With Flatscreen

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:00:27 -0700

The Cosmo Bathtub (about $4,580 US) comes equipped with massage jets and a 17-inch flatscreen television. I, for one, don't associate television watching with relaxing baths, but maybe I'm just a Luddite. Would you soak in this high-tech tub?

Home Away From Home: Minneapolis's Graves 601

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

If you're searching for modern, elegant accommodations in the super-hip Midwestern city of Minneapolis, then look no further than Graves 601. The hotel prides itself on merging high technology and high fashion, and has won numerous awards for its design and amenities.
Features such as back-lit photographs inspired by local culture; wall-mounted, 42-inch plasma screen televisions; flat screens in the bathroom; glass-etched, handcrafted headboards; and in-room entertainment systems that play music, video, and hotel information on demand are definitely selling points to chic geeks. Add to this the world-class cuisine of adjoining restaurant Cosmos, high thread-count linens, stunning public spaces, etched glass wash basins on limestone tables, and luxury toiletries including Hermes soap, and you begin to see the appeal of this downtown hotel.

To find out more about Graves 601, read more.

The hotel features a number of different suites, and you can take a virtual tour of them before you even enter the state. The hotel also can accommodate your wedding in its dramatic ballroom, which features two back-lit blue glass walls at either end of the ballroom, with rich Paldao wood walls and multi-level light boxes within the glass design.

The hotel's restaurant, Cosmos, was identified by the New York Times as a "hybrid of SoHo slick and Minnesota nice." Wine Spectator also gave it the "Most Outstanding Restaurant Wine List in the World" award.

Have any Casa readers stayed at Graves 601? If so, how'd you like it?

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If Money Weren't an Issue...

CasaSugar — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:20:25 -0800

. . . would you spend more than $200,0000 on this Malachite Baldi Bath Tub? Made of malachite, this luxury tub sits on 24-carat gold feet.

Roundup: Designer Ornaments

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0800

It's no wonder that these three Mouthblown Glass Bell Ornaments ($30-45) are drop-dead gorgeous: they were designed this year for the MoMa by none other than world-renowned industrial designer Eva Zeisel - who turned 103 years old last week! I'm absolutely in love with them. I almost feel guilty for owning drugstore variety ornaments. I think there should be a balance though; a few basic ball ornaments mixed with handmade and designer ones sounds like a ideal balance to me. To give your tree that luxury art element, I've rounded up a few more designer ornaments for you.

Do You Sleep on the Sofa When You Visit Friends or Family?

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:53 -0800

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my husband and I are staying at his mom's Whidbey Island retreat. Luckily, the house is big enough to allow us the luxury of staying in a guest bedroom. I've spent a good many nights sleeping on sofas, and I don't mind, but a guest bedroom is always a wonderful luxury!

Source: Flickr User jaliyaj

Midday Muse: Terraced Luxury

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:15:05 -0700

I don't imagine I'll ever have an outdoor living area as luxe as the Gramercy Park Hotel's. However, the roof club and garden, recently reimagined by artist Julian Schnabel, offers some great lessons in creating a space that looks great both day and night.

via Stylehive

Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 -0700

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you read more.

The first seven chapters of the book each cover a house the Novogratz couple have renovated, including lots of before and after shots. The duo offer advice learned from each experience, such as how to handle contractors, tips for buying a wreck, how to make your house renter-friendly, and how to mix high- and low-cost furnishings.

While the book jacket says each project proves "time and again you can bring charm to any four walls - and do so affordably," it actually just left me with a sense of envy, and with the reminder that the word "affordable" is all relative. The pair do have a knack for flea marketing and using vintage artifacts and architectural treasures in a unique way, but having the time to do so is a luxury in itself.

The book is full of tips like taming bold colors with neutral furnishings and mixing modern pieces with regional furnishings that in theory are helpful and affordable. But in reality it's the Cappellini coffee table, the luxuriously upholstered bed frame, and the couple's extensive collection of artwork that make me want to "get the Downtown Chic look."

This book is definitely a treat to read. It offers a sneak peek into one family's wonderful life as well as lots of inspiration, but in all likelihood, it won't solve the everyman's design woes. But then again, I guess you can hire Sixx to do that for you.

Michael Aram - $39.00	Jonathan Adler Pop Bird Ornament - $28.00
Kimberly Wolcott - $48.00	Jay Strongwater - $125.00
Jonathan Adler Dove Ornament - $24.00	Kimberly Wolcott Amazing Love Christmas Ornament - $45.00
Michael Aram Golden Pear Ornament - $39.00	Arthur Court Christmas Ornament, 2.5" Peace Symbol - $20.00
Jonathan Adler Pop Giraffe Ornament - $28.00	Michael Aram - bellflower ornament by michael aram - $29.00
Michael Aram Pine Cone Ornament - $39.00