CasaSugar

This Just In: Kelly Clarkson Buys a Country Crib

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:00:34 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Kelly Clarkson has purchased a 5,470-square-foot, 5-bedroom, 5-bath home in Nashville, TN for nearly $1.5 million. The listing for the property reads:

One of a kind stone home updated with fabulous additions. 5 bedroom/5 full bath. Open kitchen to den with large breakfast room at heart of the home. You will love the screened porch with stone fireplace + stone terraces. Great level treed lot. 9-foot ceilings. 3-car garage.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the current owners' interior design choices, so let's hope Clarkson brings in some professionals. Perhaps Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban who live nearby can give her some local decorator recommendations to spice up the modest digs. If not, she can always take a note from the slick home of her dear friend Simon Cowell's girlfriend . . .

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This Just In: Jessica Simpson May Be Leaving LA For Nashville

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0700

According to Real Estalker, several sources are whispering that Jessica Simpson may have purchased a 10,925-square-foot, 7-bedroom, 8-bath home in Nashville, TN, known as "The Queen of Northumberland" for $3.47 million. The manse in question is in a gated community and is listed as having "magnificent stone work on cornices, window trim and entry door, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a home theater, and fabulous landscaping." While these reports have not been verified, the house was indeed purchased through a trust represented by money-manager Mary Ann McCready, who has executed the real estate goings-on of several other music-biz celebs in Nashville in the past. Considering that Simpson is known to be hard at work on her country album, if accurate, these reports wouldn't surprise me, seeing as Nashville is the capital of country music. But, no worries, Simpson won't be alone out there in Dixie; she'll join the likes of plenty of other celebs who call Nashville home, such as Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.
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Alan Jackson Lists His Sprawling Sweetbriar Estate

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:22 -0700

Country Billboard chart-topper Alan Jackson has put his 19,000-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-and-two-half bath "Sweetbriar Estate" in Franklin, TN, on the market for $38 million. The 135-acre property is the most expansive, indulgent celebrity home I have seen to date. It is bordered by the Harpeth River, one of the largest streams in the area and surrounded by equestrian estates. The property also boasts a "stocked and aerated" 10-acre lake, boat house, and three ponds. As for the buildings, Jackson is the proud owner of a 20-car (!) garage, gymnasium, swimming pool, jacuzzi, two-bedroom log cabin overlooking the river, barn with a two-bedroom apartment above, a pole barn, and more. As for the indoor amenities, it's got the works: granite countertops, central a/c, stainless steel appliances, walk-in closets, etc., etc.

Why on earth would the singer-songwriter want to leave such a magnificent spread? Find out and see dozens and dozens of photos when you read more.

Well, Jackson told the Nashville Scene, "It's just like a Disney World out here. But we realized, as our girls got older, that they don't really use the property much. Once they get to be teenagers, they're mostly hanging out with their friends and on the iPod and cell phones in their rooms. If I'd had three boys instead of girls, they might be out here fishing and riding four-wheelers or something." So, instead, the family plans to rebuild on a smaller lot nearby. While Franklin does have a long list of notable (i.e. wealthy) residents, including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, I have a feeling that Jackson is going to have a tough time getting the $38 million digs off of his hands.

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Open House: Historic Preservation vs. Energy Efficiency

CasaSugar — Sat, 30 May 2009 05:30:00 -0700

There is something - much - to be said for historical accuracy. Architects of the past have left a legacy for us, so we should respect their work. But sometimes this conflicts with efforts toward energy efficiency and renewables. A recent post in the New York Times blog Green Inc. talks about this incongruence, citing failed efforts to double-glaze the windows of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed cottage (in order to keep it warmer and use less energy) as an example of this conflict. Al Gore's attempt to install solar panels on his over-70-year-old Nashville home passed, but only on the condition that the panels were out of sight of neighbors. Personally, I think the merits of installing clean energy features and energy-efficiency upgrades on historic homes should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Until we're all running graywater systems in our homes and using wind turbines and solar panels to channel energy, it shouldn't be assumed that historic buildings should make the change. On the other hand, if Frank Lloyd Wright were alive today, he might be a leader in the green building movement.

Do you think historic homes should be exempt from integrating energy-efficient and green energy technologies? Do you think the two can meet halfway? Do you think all buildings should make the move to clean energy?
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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:00:20 -0700

Find Summer home inspiration with Toast.- Style Files
Check out a Nashville rancher.- PoppyTalk
A rustic cabin gets refined.- This Old House
Banish pesky home odors.- Re-Nest
Cultivate easy container gardens.- Real Simple
This lamp has both a light and a dark side.- Shelterrific

This Just In: Nicole and Keith Loving the Real Estate

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:00:30 -0700

Maybe it's due to a pregnancy-related nesting instinct, but Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban are taking advantage of the soft real estate market. In fact, according to a number of sources, the couple has recently bought not one, but two new homes - one in Los Angeles and one in Nashville.

The couple's new West Coast property is down the street from ex-husband Tom Cruise, but more importantly, it's also close to Kidman's BFF Naomi Watts. The $7 million home features five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and logs in at 5,600 square feet. It's located on the end of a cul-de-sac, which was probably a selling point for Kidman, who was looking for a home with a long driveway for privacy. While no photos are yet available, I'll be sure to provide you with plenty of real estate eye candy when photos of the property are released.

On the other side of the country, Nicole and Keith have purchased another expansive manse. To see a picture of their Nashville home, just read more.

According to the Nashville Post, Nicole and Keith have also bought a home that had been rumored, earlier this year, to have been purchased by Jessica Simpson. The 10,925-square-foot, seven-bedroom, eight-bath home in Nashville, TN, known as "The Queen of Northumberland," was purchased for for $3.47 million. The couple also owns land in the area. Guess they won't have to worry about having room to grow once baby makes three this July.

Pacific Coast News Online and Source

Found It! Michelle Branch's Rug

CasaSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800

I haven't seen much of songstress Michelle Branch these days. But the Union Jack bathroom rug in her recently listed Nashville property is a familiar face. Although the lady is an Arizona native, she was named after the Beatles song "Michelle," which in my mind gives her ample right to adorn her home with a Brit flag. To find out where you can get one of your own Union Jack rugs, read more.

Michelle's rug is the VW Flag Rug (inquire for price) designed by English fashion designer Vivienne Westwood for the Rug Company. I must say it's a pretty fabulous design. I'm sure my girl FabSugarUK would agree with me!
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This Just In: Nicole and Keith Sell Home, Buy Land

CasaSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 05:00:12 -0800

According to Big Time Listings, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban recently sold their Nashville area home for $90,000 below their original asking price of $2,450,000. The house features a three-car garage, five and a half baths, public areas opening to a covered terrace, a pool, and a spa.

It is rumored that the couple plans on building a farm on land in the Nashville area. This rumor seems to have legs, as the couple recently purchased two adjacent pieces of land totaling 36 acres in Franklin, Tenn.

Kidman and Urban also have a home in Sydney, Australia.

For photos of the home, just read more.

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Pacific Coast News and Source