Raphael Stevens

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    A Baby Formula Billionaire Just Dropped $27 Million on This Massive Beverly Hills Estate

    In a prime pocket of Beverly Hills, just a literal stone’s throw from the longtime 90210 estate of Taylor Swift, this grand Spanish-meets-Mediterranean-influenced house was on the market for nearly a year, originally listed with an asking price of $33 million. The exceedingly lavish spread just sold for nearly $27 million—or $26.8 million, to be exact. Despite the discount, the deal still ranks among the priciest real estate transfers recorded in Los Angeles so far this year.

    Records indicate the all-cash buyer is an entity tied to billionaire “Roger” Hua Liu, the vice chairman and CFO of Feihe International Inc. Headquartered in Beijing, Feihe is the largest and most famous supplier of infant formula milk in China, with approximately 20% of the country’s market share. Per Forbes, Liu’s personal net worth tops $1.4 billion.

    The 15,000-square-foot house was completed in 2000 and lies just a short walk from Taylor Swift’s home.

    Google Earth

    According to records, the sizable 90210 property last sold back in 2011 for $17.5 million. The buyer then was Russian oligarch Sergey Sarkisov, who amassed a fortune in Russia’s insurance industry and later dabbled in film production.

    If Sarkisov’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he also owned the smaller tennis court estate next door to this $27 million compound. Sarkisov’s smaller “spare” property was sold last year for $15 million, and the buyer was prominent Hollywood actress Mindy Kaling, who reportedly intends to radically redesign and refurbish the house.

    Set high above the street, the giant house is mostly obscured from public view by a sea of trees and hedges.

    Google Earth

    As for Liu’s larger house next door, photos are scant and details remain sparse. But tax records confirm the mansion was built circa 2000 and is sited on a knoll-top lot of nearly 1.5 acres. Spanning more than 15,000 square feet of living space, the house is large even for this affluent neighborhood, and includes some 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. Despite its size, the place is mostly invisible from the public roadway out front, carefully cloaked behind big gates, a very long driveway, and a forest-like canopy of mature trees and other shrubbery.

    In addition to the main house, there’s a backyard swimming pool and a full-size tennis court on the south side of the There’s also a detached guesthouse or staff building of some sort on the premises, which itself stands some two or even three stories tall. In addition to garaging for four cars, the property features off-street parking for up to 15 more vehicles. The entire property is ringed by a collection of specimen trees, and there are also rose gardens and several patches of grassy lawn. More

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    ‘Star Wars’ Filmmaker Kathleen Kennedy Sells Malibu Beach House to Prominent Video Game Exec

    Eight months after it first popped up for sale with an impressive $18.5 million ask, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and her producer husband Frank Marshall have officially handed over the keys to their longtime Malibu getaway.

    The new owner is digital media and technology veteran Tim O’Brien, chief revenue officer and board member of the interactive entertainment company and mobile games publisher Scopely, who paid roughly $6 million less than the couple originally wanted. But it’s still around $3 million more than the Oscar-nominated filmmakers—collectively known for blockbuster hits such as E.T., Indiana Jones and the Star Wars franchise—doled out for the place nine years ago, back in spring 2015.

    Perched atop a gated 2.2-acre promontory in the exclusive Carbon Mesa enclave, at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac high above La Costa Beach, the modern gray-hued structure was built in the mid-1990s. Renovated in the years since, the single-story home includes four bedrooms and an equal number of baths filtered across nearly 4,000 square feet of living space adorned throughout with wide-plank hardwood floors, high ceilings and walls of glass providing sweeping coastal vistas.

    Among the highlights: an expansive great room holding a living area resting beneath a vaulted wood-beam ceiling, and sporting a decorative fireplace, seated bar and Fleetwood sliding glass doors spilling outside. The formal dining room opens to a garden, while a gourmet kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island, top-tier stainless appliances and a cozy fireside breakfast nook.

    Elsewhere is a spacious primary bedroom suite that comes complete with a fireside sitting area, private patio, large walk-in closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, a spa tub and glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the leafy grounds host an infinity pool and spa, a built-in barbecue, custom fire-pit, several lounging areas and an al fresco shower. There’s also a detached two-car garage and an additional gated entrance for guests or services, plus deeded rights to the La Costa Beach & Tennis Club.

    In addition to their recently sold Malibu property, Kennedy and Marshall also still maintain a permanent residence in the Sullivan Canyon area of Los Angeles that was previously owned by Bea Arthur. More

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    Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger Just Tore Down This Stunning Midcentury Modern Home

    Last year, preservation-minded fans of midcentury modern architecture were devastated when another one of L.A.’s historic gems was surreptitiously demolished with little warning. Located on one of Brentwood’s most prestigious streets, the so-called Zimmerman House by modernist architect Craig Ellwood was razed in a matter of days. In its place, a new and much larger mansion is currently rising.

    According to the USModernist nonprofit, the Zimmerman house was commissioned in 1949 by Martin and Eva Zimmerman, and completed in 1950. Once featured in Progressive Architecture magazine, the 0.83-acre estate featured gardens and mature trees carefully placed by esteemed landscape designer Garrett Eckbo. Inside, the blocky modernist structure offered five bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,770 square feet of single-story living space.

    Completed in 1950, the Zimmerman House was one of pioneering modernist architect Craig Ellwood’s earliest projects.

    Julius Schulman/The J. Paul Getty Trust/Getty Research Institute

    The house changed hands in 1968 and again in 1975, when it sold for the paltry sum of $205,000 to Sam and Hilda Rolfe, he the co-creator of the classic 1960s spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the CBS series Have Gun — Will Travel. Sam Rolfe died in 1993, but his widow Hilda continued to own and reside at the property until her own death nearly 30 years later.

    Although the Zimmerman house was never listed on the open market, the property was quietly sold last January, just months after Hilda’s death, for $12.5 million. The off-market buyers were Hollywood actor Chris Pratt and author Katherine Schwarzenegger, who wasted little time in demolishing the midcentury structure to make way for their own new Brentwood dream home—which is currently still in the early stages of construction.

    After buying the property for $12.5 million, Pratt and Schwarzenegger quickly razed the house.

    Google Earth

    Permit records indicate the upcoming new house, which stands two stories tall and includes a full basement, was designed by prolific L.A. architect Ken Ungar, perhaps one of the Westside’s most prolific and successful designers of large modern farmhouse-style mansions.

    The property will also contain a backyard swimming pool, plus a pool house or poolside cabana of some sort. No word about whether it will feature a full-size tennis court, however, as the original Zimmerman property did.

    The Zimmerman House (right) sits almost directly across the street from two Brentwood homes owned by Maria Shriver.

    Google Earth

    It’s probably little wonder that Pratt and Schwarzenegger selected the Zimmerman house as the lot they wanted, because the tree-shaded property happens to sit almost directly across the street from a two-house compound owned by Schwarzenegger’s mother Maria Shriver. Other nearby neighbors include Arianna Huffington and Sofia Richie.

    While they wait for their new Brentwood digs to be completed, Pratt and Schwarzenegger continue to own their “old” house, a heavily renovated mansion in the hills of Pacific Palisades. The contemporary Mediterranean-style manor, given an extensive refresh during the couple’s tenure, remains on the open market, asking $30 million. More

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    A Former Apple CEO’s Onetime Northern California Estate Hits the Market for $23 Million

    Back in spring 1983—shortly after John Sculley joined Apple as CEO, and subsequently oversaw the ousting of company co-founder Steve Jobs—the former PepsiCo executive doled out nearly $2 million for a swank Northern California residence. Around seven years later, before resigning from his position in 1993, Sculley sold that home for $3.4 million toSamuel Maslak, co-founder of ultrasound manufacturer Acuson; and now, a little more than three decades later, the place has quietly popped up for sale off-market, this time asking a speck under $23 million.

    Originally built and designed in the early 1930s by noted modernist architect Gardner Dailey for his wife’s family, but extensively renovated and restored over several years during Maslak’s tenure, the 1.5-acre spread in the affluent Silicon Valley enclave of Woodside features an English Country-style manor offering six bedrooms and nine baths spread across 10,000 square feet of living space. Leaded-glass windows and terraces also overlook picturesque views of the neighboring Menlo Country Club golf course, San Francisco Bay, East Bay Hills and Mount Diablo.

    A pedestrian gate opens to an expansive front courtyard filled with a sparkling pool and custom-designed bench surrounding a heritage oak tree.

    Patrik Argast

    A gated driveway leads to a brick motorcourt and four-car garage tucked off to the side of the house, with a secure pedestrian entrance opening to a stone walkway that passes through a spacious courtyard holding a swimming pool and custom-designed bench wrapped around a centuries-old oak tree before emptying out at a charming speakeasy front door. Once inside, a foyer displaying green-hued marble floors, a mirror-lined arched alcove and staircase with carved balustrade railings greets and flows to a large wood-clad living room sporting a coffered ceiling, fireplace and cozy seating nook.

    An adjacent office space equipped with bookshelves and a wet bar flows to a duo of multi-purpose sitting rooms, and other highlights include a formal dining room topped by a Murano Venetian-style crystal chandelier, as well as a European-inspired kitchen outfitted with tiled countertops and walls inlaid with decorative accents, a granite island, built-in desk, and high-end Bosch, Wolf, Sharp, Sub-Zero and U-Line appliances, plus an adjoining dining area and sky-lit family room.

    A coffered-ceiling living room is spotlighted by a fireplace encased in a wood-paneled wall.

    Patrik Argast

    Elsewhere is an upstairs primary bedroom suite decked out with a private balcony, a standalone office, and dual dressing rooms and baths, along with a secluded one-bedroom apartment that has its own entrance, living area, kitchen and bath; and outdoors, the landscaped grounds are laced with 24 varieties of fruit trees, and host a greenhouse and several raised vegetable beds. There’s also a finished basement with plenty of storage space, an attached four-car garage that’s pre-wired for an EV charger and adjacent 2.8-acre lot that’s available for sale separately should the new owner desire extra privacy or a development opportunity.

    “The time, care, attention and love that went into every corner of this house throughout its entire existence is truly remarkable,” says listing agent Erika Demma of Compass. “The history of being built by a legend in both landscape and architecture for his personal family is amazing in itself. But then to add this extensive 10-year restoration and remodel, it has created the most gorgeous timeless estate that is perfect for today and always.”

    Click here for more photos of John Sculley’s former Silicon Valley house.

    Patrik Argast More

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    Two Days After Selling for $17 Million, a Sleek Beverly Hills Mansion Pops Up for Rent

    Alon Abady was busy wheeling and dealing in 2023. Not only did the Los Angeles-based real estate investor buy and then flip Simon Cowell’s former Beverly Hills mansion for nearly $34 million—in what was one of the priciest deals ever closed south of Sunset Boulevard—but he also sold an extravagant Coachella Valley estate in The Madison Club to Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey for well over double what he paid for the place in 2019.

    Now, in his latest off-market transaction, the managing partner of the commercial and residential reaal estate investment firm Waterfall Bridge Capital has picked up yet another Beverly Hills home. Records show Abady paid $17 million in March for the Laurel Way residence, which was previously owned by prominent conservationists Dan and Susan Gottlieb, of Gottlieb Native Garden fame, then immediately hoisted the contemporary spread onto the rental market with a steep $125,000-per-month price tag.

    The Gottliebs paid $18 million for the for the contemporary Paul McClean-designed mansion back in late 2019, right around the time it was completed and outfitted with interiors by Plus Design Studio. Boasting a striking glass and stone exterior, the multi-level structure has five bedrooms and nine baths in a little more than 11,200 square feet of travertine- and wood-clad living space, all accessible via an eye-catching bridge entryway overlooking an inviting lounge area flanked by a living wall and water feature enhanced with a fanciful tree sculpture.

    A tree sculpture nestled amid the lower-level water feature serves as a focal point for surrounding living and wellness spaces.

    Ryan Lahiff

    Other highlights include glitzy amenities, such as a wet bar-equipped game room, tiered movie theater, fitness studio sporting a sauna and six-car garage. A formal living room displays an eye-catching linear fireplace, custom seated bar and walls of glass spilling outside, while a family room and dining area connect to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with dual islands and high-end appliances.

    There’s also a glass-lined master retreat offering a fireside sitting area, private balcony overlooking city and ocean vistas, walk-in closet, and luxe bath spotlighted by an oval soaking tub and large glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the landscaped grounds span a half-acre, and host an infinity-edge pool with a spa and sunken fire-pit, along with numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

    The listing was held by Ernie Carswell of Douglas Elliman and Lea Porter of The Beverly Hills Estates. Branden Williams and Rayni Williams of Beverly Hills Estates repped the buyer, with Rayni Williams now serving as the rental listing agent.

    Click here for more photos of the Laurel Way House.

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    Kelly Slater’s Hawaiian Hideaway Hits the Market for $20 Million

    Always wanted to live like a surfing legend—specifically, a pro shredder with countless accolades under his board? Now’s your chance, because the picturesque Hawaiian spread that Kelly Slater has owned for the past several years has just popped up for sale on Oahu’s north shore, as was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    The asking price is an impressive $20 million—or around $12 million more than the 11-time champ doled out for the beachfront digs seven years ago, back in spring 2017. Acquired largely for personal reasons—he fondly remembers crashing at a nearby house with teen surfing buddies in the 1980s—Slater has long floated the place on the rental market, once for as much as $80,000 per month.

    Sited amid a gated parcel spanning just over a half-acre, alongside one of the most sought-after streets in the Haleiwa area, the property was built in the early 2000s, and offers a main home and pair of guesthouses—for a total of six bedrooms and eight baths sprawled across a little more than 7,600 square feet of Asian- and Hawaiian-infused living space, all with access to 101 feet of secluded shoreline.

    The beachfront compound has a pool, two-story guesthouse and three-car garage topped by a studio apartment.

    Christoff Molesworth/Pacific Shoots

    Though interior photos are scarce, previous listings show the primary dwelling is showcased by a soaring living room displaying an open-trussed ceiling, a curving hardwood staircase tucked off to the side and glass doors spilling out to a covered lanai. Other highlights include a formal dining room, media room, and kitchen outfitted with natural wood cabinetry and an expansive island. Two bedrooms include an upstairs primary suite, which boasts an ocean-view balcony, a seating nook, walk-in closet, and bath equipped with dual vanities and a soaking tub.

    Outdoors, the garden-laced grounds host a boardwalk spanning a pond, along with an infinity pool and hot tub bordered by a grassy lawn; and topping it all off are the aforementioned ancillary accommodations, which consist of a three-bedroom guesthouse with its own kitchen and living area, plus a one-bedroom apartment resting atop the detached three-car garage. There’s plenty of Polynesian artwork left behind by a previous owner that’s reportedly part of the sale, too. 

    The 52-year-old Florida native, who told WSJ he is wrapping up what may be his final year as a pro surfer, also operates numerous business ventures ranging from a private surfing ranch to a sustainable footwear brand, and coming soon, a skin care and sunblock line. In addition to his for-sale compound, Slater and his longtime partner Kalani Miller also maintain a primary residence he calls a “small beach shack” on Hawaii‘s Banzai Pipeline reef break, plus homes in Florida, California and Australia.

    The listing is held by Paul Stukin of Deep Blue HI, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate | Southern California.

    Click here for more photos of Kelly Slater’s Hawaii house.

    Christoff Molesworth/Pacific Shoots More

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    Justin Bieber Quietly Spent $16 Million on a California Desert Retreat

    Although records reveal the transaction was actually inked last year, it’s only now become public knowledge that it was Justin Bieber and his wife, prominent model and socialite Hailey Rhode Bieber, were the buyers who shelled out $16.6 million for an extravagant estate behind the guarded gates of The Madison Club, arguably the most celebrity-beloved enclave in California‘s desert resort-themed Coachella Valley.

    Sited on one of the most desirable streets in the community, Bieber’s west-facing new vacation home is surrounded by homes containing other very famous faces. Directly next door is an ultra-contemporary mansion owned by Kris Jenner, and just two doors away is an even larger house that was custom-built for Kylie Jenner. Other high-profile Madison Club residents include Tim Cook, Adele, Kourtney Kardashian, Scooter Braun and Nike’s Phil Knight. With HOA dues of $1,652 per month, residents have full access to the golf community’s exclusive amenities—a clubhouse, five-star dining, spa facilities, a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, and much more.

    Originally constructed in the late 2000s, the French-influenced mansion was given a multimillion-dollar contemporary remodel in recent years.

    Google Earth

    Built in 2009, the house last sold in April 2019 for $6.3 million to Beverly Hills-based investor Alon Abady, who very lucratively flipped the place to Bieber just four years later for well over double what he had paid.

    Because the house was never listed on the open market, details are scant and photos few. But it’s clear from aerial views that Abady gave the originally French-influenced manor a glossy, contemporary renovation during his four years of ownership. Perhaps most notably, he replaced the original outdoor swimming pool with a giant, practically Olympic-length infinity pool that runs nearly the the entire width of the backyard. There’s also a sports court, AstroTurf lawns, a backyard fire-pit, a detached guesthouse, a four-car garage and two separate motorcourts with parking for well over a dozen cars.

    Perhaps the property’s most striking amenity is the backyard infinity pool, which frames views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

    Google Earth

    According to tax records, the sprawling single-story residence encompasses seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in nearly 10,000 square feet of living space. The 1.02-acre lot is gated and hedged for privacy, naturally, and features a driveway flanked by mature Italian cypresses.

    Bieber continues to maintain his primary residence, a $25.8 million mansion in the mountains high above Beverly Hills, in the guard-gated Beverly Park community. Now 30, the former teen pop phenom sold the rights to his pre-2022 music last year for a reported $200 million. More

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    Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Onetime Georgetown Home Hits the Market for $10 Million

    While participating in an interview in the living room of her private apartment at the Embassy residence in Paris back in 1996—shortly before she passed away the following year at age 76—Pamela Churchill Harriman was asked if there was anything she wished she had done differently when it came to her “free-flowing” existence. According to her obituary in The New York Times, her response was, “No … I consider I have had a very fortunate life … I drank deep of the well.”

    And drink deep of the well she did, indeed. At just 19 years old, the British-born socialite wed Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s only son Randolph, then went on to become a confidante and hostess for her new father-in-law after her husband went off to war. She later wound up serving as a top figure in the Democratic Party and U.S. Ambassador to France under President Bill Clinton’s administration; and, in-between, the woman who was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in ’93 managed to marry a trio of the world’s richest and most influential men, including W. Averell Harriman, a former governor of New York, ambassador to the Soviet Union and heir to the Union Pacific Railroad fortune.

    An ornate fireplace serves as the centerpiece of a formal living room.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    It was at the Harriman’s abode tucked away in the historic Georgetown enclave of Washington, D.C., that the political hostess held a wealth of fund-raising receptions and dinners for the Democratic Party, attracting the likes of House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill and Sen. Gary Hart, just to name a couple. Now, almost three decades after her death, the 19th-century residence has popped up for sale, asking a speck under $10 million. The listing is held by Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

    Designed by architect Thomas Franklin Schneider in the early 1890s for local shoe merchant Wolf Nordlinger, the stately red brick structure also was occupied through the years by Nellie Keating, who established an upscale boarding house on the premises, and Carolyne Hudson, who sold the property to Harriman and his former wife Marie in 1970. Pamela Harriman subsequently transferred the home in 1995 for $990,000 to its current owner, who enlisted Solís Betancourt & Sherrill to undertake an extensive renovation and restoration of the place in collaboration with Ivy Construction.

    An updated kitchen boasts a central island and top-tier stainless appliances.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    Today, the historic dwelling features eight bedrooms and a matching number of bathrooms in a little more than 9,300 square feet of multi-story living space adorned throughout with wide-plank hardwood floors, high ceilings, intricate moldings, detailed casement openings, elegant wallpaper and an elevator to all levels. Entry is granted via a grand foyer, which flows to a formal living room warmed by an ornate fireplace and an adjacent fireside music room. A banquet-sized dining room with yet another fireplace leads to a sleekly designed kitchen outfitted with a central island, high-end stainless appliances and a breakfast nook sporting glass-paneled doors spilling out to a deck.

    The roof deck provides sweeping views of the city.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

    Three bedrooms can be found on the second floor, including an inviting primary suite hosting dual fireplaces and walk-in closets, a balcony, and spa-like bath equipped with a large soaking tub and shower. The floor above has two more bedrooms—one with its own bath, and another with access to an oversized turreted playroom—and elsewhere is an office space, a sitting room and roof deck overlooking the skyline, plus a basement housing a staff suite, laundry facilities and storage.

    Rounding it all out are the landscaped grounds, which span less than a quarter-acre, and come complete with mature trees, manicured gardens and numerous terraces. Per the listing, there’s also parking for multiple vehicles.

    Click here for more photos of Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Georgetown house.

    Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty More