CasaSugar

Leo Says Goodbye to Malibu

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:00:39 -0700

Leonardo DiCaprio has sold his Malibu home for an undisclosed amount, according to the LA Times. The oceanview property was initially put on the market last November for $8.999 million, and was later relisted for $7.999 million.

The 2,374-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath midcentury oceanfront Malibu home boasts ocean views as well as a separate guest house with two one-bedroom suites. A staircase provides easy beach access for the new owners. The sale was prompted in part by DiCaprio's purchase of an eco-friendly Battery Bark condo last November, paying nearly $3.7 million for the condo. Riverside's green features include programmable thermostats, filtered air, filtered water, locally quarried bluestone, recovered barn wood, low- or no-VOC adhesives, paints and carpeting, and recycled, salvaged, and biodegradable materials.

To see more photos of the Malibu house, read more.

The listing for DiCaprio's Malibu property reads:

Distinctive contemporary on the bluffs above the ocean complete with new stairway to the cove below. The interior is a collection of elegant open spaces looking out to beautiful gardens and your hot tub tucked away on the ocean front. A separate guest house containing two 1-bedroom suites. A four car garage and long winding driveway complete this beautiful estate.

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On the Market: San Francisco Multi-Story Mansion

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Need some space to spread out in San Francisco? Then check out this four-level home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. The home has already dropped a few million dollars over a few weeks, and is currently offered for $9,995,000. While this is likely way out of most of our buying ranges, it's still fun to window shop.

The Georgian home's exterior features neo-classical ornamentation and a red brick façade. Over the home's four levels you'll find formal living and dining rooms, breakfast and family rooms, five to seven bedrooms, five baths and two half baths, fireplaces, a study, a wine cellar, and in true SF style, a "meditation room" (formally an au pair's quarters). Outside, you can drool over the gorgeous views from the garden roof deck, or dine al fresco on the terrace or near the rose garden. If you're tired of taking the stairs, you can also take the elevator.

This home was designed and built 99 years ago by architect Nathaniel Blaisdell, who designed numerous homes in this neighborhood. It was selected for the 2009 Decorator Showcase, a fundraising event for San Francisco High School, and the photos reflect the different styles of the designers chosen to decorate each room. Tell me which room is your favorite when you read more.

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Source

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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Candy Spelling's Holmby Hills Mansion Officially On the Market

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:00:29 -0700

While rumors have been swirling for several years that Candy Spelling was quietly shopping around her Holmby Hills mansion, the home is now officially for sale. And at $150 million, it's the most expensive home on the market in the United States.

The house, which is built on the former site of Bing Crosby's Hollywood home, is a 56,000-square-foot mansion built in a French chateau style and sits on over 4.6 acres. The house is absolutely massive, with more than 100 rooms, although neither the listing agent nor the owner herself can tally the exact number at this time. With a beauty salon, bowling alley, screening room, wine cellar and - yes, I kid you not - a gift-wrapping room, you can see why the excess might be difficult to keep track of.

"Everything there is glamorous, and is luxurious and it’s really great scale,” said Sally Forster Jones, an agent with Coldwell Banker Previews International in Los Angeles, which is colisting the property. “There really is nothing to compare it to.”

To see a video tour of the mansion, read more.

Spelling, who's due to move into a Century City high-rise penthouse, which is only about 16,500 square feet, apparently won't budge on the price of the Holmby Hills mansion. Her attorney, Stephen Goldberg, told the Wall Street Journal "The ones who could afford it three years ago, can still afford it today."

Source and
CBS Videos Online

What You're Wanting Revealed: The Pickfair Mansion

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:00:41 -0700

When the LA Times recently ran pictures of the Pickfair Mansion, which was often frequented by luminaries such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joan Crawford, Albert Einstein, and Amelia Earhart, I was particularly taken with the grandeur of the foyer. So, for this latest What You're Wanting, I asked how you'd decorate this glamorous entry.
I was really impressed by the look that Mrs W put together. She writes, "I love the mix of organic and ornate details in the foyer of the Pickfair Mansion. If I were to redecorate the entry hall, I would want to keep the pieces light and simple so as not to detract from the beautiful architectural details in the space. I would use a round table in the center of the hall to carry through the medallion on both the ceiling and floor and accent it with fresh flowers. I would use an armoire in a light color to add storage without bogging down the space. Two chairs on either side of a small table would give a place to remove shoes, etc. I would finish the design by adding details that echo the doors and ceiling like a few ornate frames and maybe a floral accent pillow."

Mrs. W wins the CasaSugar schwag of her choice for the look. Nice going!

For another cool look, read more.
I also loved the look that Iwillmarryunick put together. When putting together her look for this Pickfair Mansion room, she decided she'd go the route of "keeping it simple with lovely accent furniture." I completely applaud this. The room's ornate ceiling, doors, and gleaming floors are all ready the main attraction. It really needs little else besides some classic accent furniture pieces to complete the look.

Source

What You're Wanting: The Pickfair Mansion

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:31 -0700

The LA Times recently ran pictures of the Pickfair Estate, which was originally owned by silent film actors Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks. This grand estate used to host parties frequented by luminaries such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joan Crawford, Albert Einstein, and Amelia Earhart. It's now on the market for $60 million. I love the grand feel of all of the rooms, and was particularly taken with this room.

So, for this week's What You're Wanting, I want to know how you'd decorate this room. What would you pick to complement the beautiful stained glass, Deco-patterned doors? How would you accessorize with the bold architectural details? Would you leave the plants and entry table, or replace them with your own finds? Add all the finds to your ShopStyle Living stylebook, and create a look tagged with the phrase Pickfair Mansion. Private message me if you have any questions. Oh, and as extra incentive, I'll give some Sugar schwag away to my favorite look!
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On The Market: Nicolas Cage Relists Bel Air Manse

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:00:51 -0700

Nicholas Cage is one busy real estate hobbyist. Having put his Vegas manse on the market in July, he's now relisting his sprawling Bel Air mansion. Previously owned by such legends as Tom Jones and Dean Martin, Cage bought the mansion from Jones in 1998 for $6.49 million. I'm not exactly sure what huge changes Cage has made to the place, but they've got to be extensive to justify the initial asking price of $35 million. To get the details on this Bel Air English manor-style mansion, read more.

The nine-bedroom, nine-bath, 11,817 square-foot mansion, which is now back on the market at a reduced asking price of $29.99 million, features a wine cellar, Olympic-sized pool, and a theater. Cage, who owns properties across the world, piqued my interest last year with his purchase of a haunted NOLA house.
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Midday Muse: Ocean Views

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:00:39 -0700

Clingstone, a 103-year-old mansion in Narragansett Bay, which was recently featured in the New York Times, sits on a rocky island that's barely bigger than the house. While this situation leaves very little room for a yard or garden, the ocean views make up for it, don't you think?

Eric Jacobs for The New York Times

What's the Carbon Footprint For McCain's Mansions?

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:00:03 -0700

You might remember that presidential candidate John McCain couldn't recall how many homes he owned. Given that, he probably doesn't know what the carbon footprint of these homes is either. Can you guess? Source

Take the quiz

Coveted Crib: Hoosier Dream Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:15:46 -0700

Built in 1938, this Indiana home has more than 3,000 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, five baths, two guest cottages, and a treehouse! The 115-acre property includes brick walkways surrounded by gardens edged in boxwood, lavender plantings, pear trees, and illuminated fountain pools. Check out the gorgeous photos in the slideshow. Source

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