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    in Luxury

    Ad-Rock From The Beastie Boys Just Picked Up This $3.5 Million Pasadena Home

    This quintessential midcentury modern house sits in one of Pasadena’s best neighborhood pockets, behind gates on a quiet side street. Designed by local architect Robert E. Bennett—a son of J. Cyril Bennett, architect of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium—it was built in 1960 as Bennett’s own personal home, and remained in the family for over 60 years. Earlier this month, the low-slung structure was sold for the very first time ever to Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, best known as a member of iconic, pioneering hip-hop group Beastie Boys.

    Because the house was never on the market, recent photos aren’t available. But tax records show Horovitz, 54, paid exactly $3.5 million for the roughly 3,500-square-foot structure, and dated photos from previous rental listings provide a glimpse inside.

    A look inside the single-level home which boasts an indoor-outdoor design. 

    Planomatic.com

    The older photos show the house received some rather unfortunate cosmetic upgrades over the past six decades, including a rather ’90s kitchen and some decidedly un-midcentury decor. But the home’s pristine bones always remained intact, with its very livable indoor/outdoor floorplan, and many other midcentury hallmarks remain—terrazzo and polished concrete floors, walls paneled in lustrous hardwood, and even a “hidden” bar in the living room.
    All three of the bedrooms are located in their own wing of the single-level structure, screened off from a vast area that merges the living room, dining room and den into a single living area. A central fireplace has a stone mantle that runs floor-to-ceiling, and the home’s skylit entryway boasts a gorgeous atrium. The master bedroom overlooks the bedroom and boasts several closets and private bath, while the two guest bedrooms share a single full bathroom.

    The retro kitchen accented with modern appliances. 

    Planomatic.com

    But perhaps the property’s best features are outside, where a covered loggia shades an original conversation pit overlooking the sunken rectangular pool. The entire yard is landscaped simply, with drought-tolerant plantings, and around front lies an attached two-car garage.
    Horovitz still owns another house in the neighboring city of South Pasadena, this one a Craftsman-style bungalow acquired in 2018 for $1.7 million. Presumably the New York native shares that place with his longtime wife, feminist activist Kathleen Hanna. The couple have also long owned a contemporary co-op loft in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, which was put up for sale in March at $3.1 million and is currently in contract to be sold. with And over the summer, they put their lakefront hideaway in semi-rural New Jersey up for grabs at $975,000; public listings say the funky spread is currently in escrow at an unknown price.

    Check out more images of the home below.

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    in Luxury

    Neil Patrick Harris Lists His Eclectic Harlem Townhouse for $7.3 Million

    Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, actor and chef David Burtka, are parting ways with their beloved Harlem brownstone. The couple purchased the place for $3.6 million back in 2013 and spent 14 months converting it from a bed-and-breakfast to a single-family home for them and their kids. Now, they’re decamping to East Hampton after dropping $5.5 million on a home there—which means you can snap up their old NYC digs for a cool $7.3 million.

    The couple worked with interior designer Trace Lehnhoff and architecture firm Povero & Company on converting the property, which dates back to 1908. They updated many aspects of it but also left much of the historic charm intact: The moldings are all original, as are the sycamore staircase and the oak floors.

    The foyer 

    Will Ellis / DDreps

    It’s an 8,000-square-foot parcel, with four bedrooms, four full baths and two half-baths. Those with a larger family (or who just need more guest rooms) can convert the library space into another bedroom should they so choose.
    A good amount of outdoor space is included in the historic home too, starting with the backyard garden. There’s also a deck on the third floor, an outdoor Jacuzzi off the primary suite and a rooftop entertaining area with a pergola and barbecue. Altogether, that’s 2,000 square feet of additional out-of-doors space.

    The bar 

    Will Ellis / DDreps

    It’s kitted out with amenities too, most notably the home theater, which has its own separate entrance. On the basement level there’s a gym, wine cellar and a playroom for the couple’s twins.
    One of the more left-of-center features is Harris’s secret office. You open the trick bar by pressing the eyeball of a magician on a vintage poster (not unlike how one would access the Batcave). Inside are the How I Met Your Mother actor’s original Haunted Mansion and Disneyland artworks.

    The den 

    Will Ellis / DDreps

    “We think of it as Willy Wonka meets the Magic Castle,” Harris told The New York Times jokingly in an email. True story.
    Vickey and Pacey Barron of Compass hold the listing. Check out more photos below:

    The primary bedroom 

    Will Ellis / DDreps

    The movie theater 

    Will Ellis / DDreps

    The roof deck 

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    LA Clipper Luke Kennard Drops $5.5 Million on a Modern Farmhouse in Los Angeles

    Signed late last year to the LA Clippers on a coffer-filling four-year contract extension valued at $64 million, with a whopping $56 million guaranteed—an annual haul that’s more than three times the $3.8 million he pulled down during his final season with the Detroit Pistons—sharpshooting 6’5” guard Luke Kennard has shelled out some of his rapidly expanding athletic riches on a $5.5 million dollar home in LA’s once overlooked but nowadays increasingly expensive and desirable San Fernando Valley community of Tarzana.

    The front of the home featuring a smooth stone driveway, garage and its wooden accents. 

    Redfin

    The unmarried 25-year-old Ohio native, who dropped out of Duke University after his sophomore year to go pro as the 12th pick in round one of the 2017 NBA draft and several years ago briefly dated reality TV personality Savannah Chrisley of “Chrisley Knows Best,” opted not for a sleek cliffhanger in the Hollywood Hills or a Beverly Hills starter house, as many wildly rich 20-something-year-old professional basketballers might, but rather a newly built, family-sized suburban mini-mansion with five bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms in just over 7,000 square feet.

    A view of the airy lounge area within the home. 

    Redfin

    Private sited on an elevated plateau at the end of a long, gated drive, the sprawling home—a warmly contemporary version of the ubiquitous “modern farmhouse” that’s sprouted up everywhere in affluent communities all over southern California over the last handful of years—sits on more than half an acre with leafy and relaxing if not exactly jaw dropping treetop views. Open plan living spaces, which include formal living and dining areas along with a family room and a second-floor den, showcase scads of custom built-ins and expertly crafted wood work such as the geometrically paneling that surrounds the fireplaces in the living and family rooms. A huge, high-end culinary workhorse, the clean-lined kitchen is arranged around two large island topped by thick slabs of black marble (or a marble-like material) that waterfall off the ends. The main floor is completed by an en-suite home office or staff bedroom and a small screening room with a dramatic lighting program.
    Each of the four second-floor guest bedrooms includes a paneled accent wall and a uniquely tiled private bathroom, while the primary bedroom offers a vaulted and beamed exposed wood ceiling, a fireplace, a private terrace and spa-style bathroom where the imposing black marble (or marble-like) walls are balanced with gleaming white floor tiles and wood paneling on the wall behind the tub.

    The spacious master bedroom with farmhouse-style overhead paneling. 

    Redfin

    Soaked in sunshine with nary a tree for shade, the backyard was designed for easy-going al fresco living and entertaining with a thick carpet of manicured lawn, a built-in grill and bar and several loggias for shaded dining and lounging, including an open-air pavilion with attached bath next to the tile-accented infinity-edge swimming pool and spa.
    The property was co-listed with Kobi Costa at Compass and Daniel Drantch of Rodeo Realty; Kennard was represented by Kevin Stewart and Jon Grauman, both of the Grauman & Rosenfeld Group at The Agency.
    Check out more images of the mansion below.

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    John Legend and Chrissy Teigen Just Sold This Beverly Hills Home for $16.8 Million

    Sometimes, a good price cut can work wonders.

    Chrissy Teigen and John Legend certainly found that to be true, anyway. The model and musician lowered the price of their Beverly Hills home from $24 million to $18 million about three months ago, and it’s already found a buyer, selling for a whopping $16.8 million. Not a bad payout considering the couple purchased the home for $14 million back in 2016.

    The home was previously owned by Rihanna. Teigen and Legend brought on Don Stewart of Desiderata Design to completely redo the interiors, which were much more glossy and contemporary when they purchased it. Stewart has worked with them on homes in both New York and Los Angeles.

    The great room 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    Stewart added incredible finishes to the 8,500-square-foot home, most notably a hand-carved teak ceiling in the great room imported from Thailand. The home has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in total and includes amenities such as a home cinema, a gym and a playroom with ocean views. Those staying in the primary suite get a sprawling sanctuary all to themselves, with a private balcony, dual walk-in closets featuring lit display shelves and a bathroom with a soaking tub made of Italian marble.
    It’s an .84-acre estate, so there’s activities to do outside, too. The couple installed a heated saltwater pool and additional hot tub, as well as an expansive outdoor kitchen area.

    The kitchen 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    Why leave it all behind? The couple plan to expand their family in the future, which means more space. They’ve since shelled out $17.5 million and upgraded to a 10,500-square-foot home in Beverly Hills. In a recent Instagram Live session, Legend showed viewers around the home, which features a tree in its center. Dubbed “the tree of life”, it’s a tribute to their son Jack, whom they lost at 20 weeks gestation.
    The buyer of their previous home is a mysterious “private-equity executive,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Whoever they are, they can expect Teigen to drop by on occasion, as she told Architectural Digest that she and her mother still stop by and visit one of the couple’s other old homes in the area.
    Check out more photos of the place below:

    The dining room 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The primary bedroom 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    One of the walk-in closets 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The outdoor dining area 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The children’s playroom 

    Photo: Anthony Barcelo

    The pool 

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