CasaSugar

Mischa Barton Lists Her Beverly Hills Mediterranean Manse

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 -0800

Mischa Barton's high-paid days as Marisa Cooper are long over, and unfortunately her career hasn't picked up as she expected it might when she left The O.C. after its third season. So the mortgage on the 7,600-square-foot, six-bedroom, 10-bath Beverly Hills home she scooped up in 2005 is one that I suspect she simply can't afford, and she's listed it on the market for $8.4 million. Seeing as she bought the property at the height of her fame for $6.4 million, she's set to make a pretty penny on this one if her asking price is met.

In a past interview about her home, Mischa said, "When I arrived in LA, I looked at 10 houses. This was the last one on the list. It was a little beyond my price expectations, but I immediately fell in love with it. It's almost as if I would be living in the country. There's no traffic, no loud cars, simply heavenly quiet."

The house boasts two detached guest suites, a lush courtyard, a large terrace, a pool, and beautiful Mediterranean architectural details. Barton's décor choices, are on the other hand, are less crave worthy. She's washed it with a peach and neutral palette, and outfitted it with gaudy, gold tables and ostentatious, swagged valances. I expected so much more from a fashionista like Mischa! Check out the photos and tell me what you think.

See dozens more photos when you read more.

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Rachel Ashwell Lists Her Shabby Chic Malibu Cottage

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 -0800

Purveyor of all things shabby chic, Rachel Ashwell has put her 1,783-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath Malibu cottage home on the market for $4.4 million. Her beautifully remodeled home features limestone flooring, a brick patio with a spa, and mountain views. It's also surrounded by gorgeous gardens and just steps away from a shared beach access lot with a deck. The interiors, not surprisingly, are dressed in Ashwell's signature white shabby chic style, and look quite cozy and calm. You'd wonder why she'd want to sell this cute home, but I think the fact that her business filed for bankruptcy last year might have something to do with it. From the looks of it, Ashwell's already moved out; it seems pretty empty. But, she also owns another LA area property, so perhaps this was just her beach house. Would you like to live in this Malibu home? Take a look at the photos and tell me what you think!

Edward Cullen's House Gets a Price Cut

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0800

Twilight fans! Who wants to live like Edward? Back in November, the Vancouver home that the Cullens inhabit in New Moon went on the market for $3.3 million. The five bedroom, four-bath home is a modernist's dream, but apparently the award-winning and buzzworthy home was still too pricey for househunters. The seller has dropped the price down to just under $3 million.

I don't know much about the Canadian real estate market, but I would assume it's much like the States' these days: a buyer's market - which would explain the price cut. And as we saw with Mary-Kate Olsen and Scarlett Johansson's homes, even celebrity homes are seeing price cuts and being listed at a loss. Check out more photos of the Cullen home in New Moon.

Celebrities List Their Haciendas at a Loss

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:22 -0800

It's still a buyer's market in the real estate world these days, and average American homeowners aren't the only ones bearing the brunt of it. In the last week, two celebrities have listed their homes on the market expecting a loss. Scarlett Johansson's 4,352-square-foot, four-bedroom, 5.5-bath hacienda in Los Angeles, listed at just under $5 million, is the most painful one: she purchased the property only three years ago for $7 million. What's even worse about the $2 million loss (at least - it hasn't sold yet!) is that she spent a lot of dough restoring it. According to the listing, she made "massive system upgrades" including solar electric, as well as all new windows and doors. Ouch!

Meanwhile, Ashley Olsen's 2,332-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath hacienda in Los Angeles was just listed for $1.4 million. She also purchased her property back in 2007, paying nearly $1.6 million for it. Olsen's expected real estate loss tunes in at $200k, a far cry from Johansson's $2 million bloodbath. Maybe these pennies are small change for these ladies, but for most homeowners $200k (or even $2k!) can make a world of difference in a bank account.

James Franco Sells Sunset Strip Compound

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:00:38 -0800

Actor James Franco, whose latest role finds him portraying poet Allen Ginsberg in the movie Howl, has just sold his Sunset Strip home.

The house was listed in late September of 2009 for $3.7 million, and recently sold for $3.3 million. Franco originally purchased the house back in 2006 for $2.3 million, so, unlike some other stars, Franco managed to come out ahead on this transaction, although since the home required a major renovation, he may have sunk a lot of money into updates before it was sold.

The 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath Spanish-style villa was built in 1923. The home's beautiful open interior spaces and vaulted, beamed ceilings create an airy feel, and a master bedroom suite with city views features a bathroom with a 19th-century marble bathtub. Simply gorgeous. The property is walled and gated for maximum privacy, and also includes a pool and guest casita. Other coveted features include antique architectural details, which were installed during the renovation, and generous outdoor spaces, including lounge areas and an outdoor kitchen. The chef's kitchen, with its La Cornue stove in particular has drawn my eye. It's a beautiful design, and one that's perfectly suited for the home chef.

While the home has been staged to within an inch of its life (with animal hide rugs and sheepskins scattered copiously about each room), the house's handsome bones and beautiful indoor-outdoor California living floor plan speak for themselves. This is definitely a lovely house, and whomever snapped it up is lucky indeed.

Take the entire tour when you read more.

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Glenn Close Lists Her Upper West Side Digs

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:30:13 -0800

$11.8 million is a lot of money. A lot of money. If I had that kind of money, I would most definitely buy myself a beautiful spread, and hire a fancy decorator to fill it with killer décor. But apparently Glenn Close doesn't have the same priorities.

She's put her 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath apartment on Central Park West on the market for a whopping $11.8 million, and from the looks of it - furnishings spare, underwhelming, and poorly arranged - decorating is not one of her priorities. But that's OK because the bones of the place are fabulous. It boasts a wood-burning fireplace, two expansive terraces with french doors overlooking Central Park and the Museum of Natural History, two studies, a guest room, hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, and custom Craftsman-style cabinetry. It's just waiting for some glamorous Manhattanite with big pockets to swoop it up. Know anyone?

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Kings of Leon's Jared Followill Swoops Up a Nashville Castle

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:23 -0800

Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill has swooped himself up a proper castle in his home state of Tennessee for $1.8 million. The 7,411-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-and-two-half-bath home is brand spankin' new, located just south of downtown Nashville. Propped up on a hill, it should offer lots of privacy for the shaggy-haired pretty boy, not to mention those five bedrooms. It's got sort of a Craftsman-meets-Tudor-meets-Frank Lloyd Wright thing going on, which I don't quite adore from the exterior. But the inside does have beautiful bones, like rich hardwood floors, fancy stainless steel appliances, lots of stone, slate, marble - the works. It also has a massive wooden wine cellar, which I totally covet.

In April, Rolling Stone took a video tour of each of the Followills' homes, and back then Jared was living in a small fixer-upper '50s home. So this is definitely a step up in size and fanciness, but I wouldn't necessarily say newer is better. In full bachelor pad style, he had zebra-print sheets and some faux taxidermy in his bedroom, and a big flatscreen for his Playstation 3 habit. I'm sure he'll outfit his new digs with all those must-have rockstar elements, too. I've got 50 (!) photos of Jared's new digs for you to see, so read more.

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Megan Fox Transforms Her Address

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:00:13 -0800

Tattooed Transformers starlet Megan Fox has swooped up a 5,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bath home in LA's Los Feliz for the measly sum of $2.9 million.

Built in 1936, the Mediterranean-style house boasts restored original details, panoramic ocean and city views, custom hardwood floors, state-of-the-art security, and a pool with several terraces and lawn areas. The view alone would be enough to sell me, but it also has gorgeous features, including beautiful bones, white flat-fronted cabinetry, a Viking range, Carrara marble countertops in the bath and kitchen, and a free-standing tub. The pool area seems like an ideal place to entertain, too. Good work, Megan. Want to take the full tour?

Cher Auctions Off Her Hawaiian Getaway

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:00:18 -0800

Singer-songwriter, actor, director and record producer Cher, as it turns out, also boasts interior design as one of her skills - and you can see it for yourself. On January 18, the entertainer will auction off her 8,821-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 6-and-2-half bath home on the Kona-Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. The property, which she personally designed in traditional Balinese style, is part of the elite Four Seasons Hualalai community, and is estimated to sell for $8 to $12 million. In addition to a main residence, the residence includes five free-standing guest bungalows, four with bedroom suites and one with a media room and bar - sounds perfect for entertaining. Oh, and did I mention the pool, hot tub, terrace, and ocean and golf course views? Take the full tour.

Best of 2009: Celebrity Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:30:15 -0800

This year we toured dozens of celebrity homes - some for sale, some recently purchased, and some just for our gawking pleasure. Many, as expected, were located in and around Los Angeles. But the one that seemed to blow you all away is a little further from Hollywood Boulevard. Country Billboard chart-topper Alan Jackson's 19,000-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-and-two-half bath "Sweetbriar Estate" in Franklin, TN, which sits on a 135-acre property, was certainly the most expansive, indulgent, and captivating home I've seen to date. From his 20-car garage to his two-bedroom log cabin overlooking a river, the digs made for plenty of real-estate eye candy.