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      Adam Levine Shells Out $22.7 Million for a Lush, Century-Old Estate in Montecito

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      The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sent Hollywood celebrities like Katy Perry, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Meghan Markle flocking north to the seaside town of Montecito, joining longtime area residents like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rob Lowe in a slower-paced environment where homeowners have some breathing room, not to mention loads more privacy. The latest high-profile folks to join the herd are Adam Levine and his wife, Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo—records reveal the pair have shelled out a whopping $22.7 million for a century-old estate that spans nearly 5.2 acres, all of them set near the proverbial heart of town.

      Designed in 1923 by venerated architect George Washington Smith, the stately mansion was built for attorney John A. Jameson, one of Montecito’s founding godfathers, if you will. It subsequently passed to a number of non-famous owners and more recently had been on and off the market for years, initially at a $29.5 million ask, before along came Levine.
      Behind tall gates, a long driveway is shaded by mature oaks. The road winds up through the property’s own mini-forest and past its “seemingly endless expanses of manicured lawns,” as per the listing, before arriving at the Mediterranean villa-style main house. Of course, this is a bonafide classic Montecito compound, with at least four separate structures on the property that include a detached five-car garage with additional staff quarters, a two-bedroom guesthouse, and a so-called “garden cottage” with another spare bedroom. Join those with the main mansion’s five bedrooms, and altogether there are nine bedrooms and a total of 11 full baths on the premises.
      The home was designed in 1923 by venerated architect George Washington Smith.  Realtor.com

      The listing gently hints that the main mansion’s interiors, while well-maintained, could use a decorative refresh. Renderings included with online marketing materials suggest the new owners may want to paint the home’s heavy-handed wood trim a bright white, and replace the tile floors with a medium-toned hardwood, as is the current style.
      Still, the wood and other current details look to be in great condition. An arched front door opens into a step-down foyer; beyond lies a grandly scaled living room with a stone fireplace and multiple sets of arched windows and French doors. The chef’s kitchen has handsome—if somewhat old-fashioned—wooden cabinetry, plus expensive stainless appliances and a boxcar-sized island. The huge upstairs master suite has views of the property’s grounds and ocean glimpses via a private terrace, and somewhere in the 12,000-square-foot main house are a movie theater and wine cellar.

      The swimming pool is privately tucked away from the main house.  Realtor.com

      Outside, the fairytale-like grounds provide numerous outlets for chic recreation, including a putting green, a full-size tennis court with viewing pavilion, and a swimming pool that’s privately tucked well away from the main house, discreetly sited behind hedges and lemon trees. Elsewhere are meandering pathways through the trees, a manmade pond/creek, numerous loggias and patios for al fresco entertaining, and gurgling stone fountains.
      Besides his new Montecito vacation digs, Levine once owned a Tudor-style Beverly Hills mansion that was sold in 2019 for $42.5 million to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. (That house is currently back on the market, asking a hefty $53.5 million.) But the Maroon 5 frontman and Prinsloo now primarily bunk up in LA’s posh Pacific Palisades part of town, in a palatial property they bought for $32 million from now-divorced Tinseltowners Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck in 2018.
      Riskin Partners Group at Village Properties repped both sides of the Montecito deal.
      Check out more photos of the property below:
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      Pamela Anderson’s Modernist Malibu Hideaway Lists for $15 Million

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      It may not be the largest house in Malibu, but it’s owned by one of the beach town’s most famous longtime residents, actor and former Playboy model Pamela Anderson, who recently married her former bodyguard Dan Hayhurst and moved to Vancouver, Canada.
      But some might appreciate that Anderson’s four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home is on the modest side for Malibu, especially since the price tag is way below the $50 million mark that many of the area’s villas list for. These 5,500-square-foot digs are listed with Tomer Fridman of thefridmangroup.com for $14.9 million.

      Anderson made a name for herself in the seaside enclave while playing an ocean lifeguard on the popular Baywatch TV series in the 1990s, which was filmed at Malibu’s Zuma Beach, just a short hop up the coast from where she later bought this home. She purchased the place in 2000 for $1.8 million after her fame had led to lookie-loos wandering onto a former property that was on the ocean, hoping for a star sighting. That led to a push for privacy with tall hedges and walls, which this home has, a plus for any buyers who crave the same kind of at-home seclusion.
      The modern kitchen is also warm and cozy.  Photo: Shade Degges

      Located in the gated and much-coveted Malibu Colony community, the house backs up to a scenic lagoon with many egrets and other seabirds. Anderson replaced the original structure with the main house and added a one-bedroom guest cottage. Between them sits a terrace with a pool. The home was sustainably built with teak imported from non-conflict areas. It has its own irrigated vegetable gardens and solar power.
      Anderson told The Wall Street Journal that she was inspired by modernist architecture with its wide-open spaces and glass walls when building the home. Glass pocket doors and teak pivot doors open the house to the outdoors. Inside, the sleek white kitchen with its stone countertops is warmed by wood floors. The primary bedroom suite has its own balcony and a sauna. There’s also a rooftop with beautiful views. She says she put an additional $8 million into designing and building the home.
      A floating staircase leads from the great room to the second level.  Photo: The Luxury Level

      Listing broker Tomer Fridman told Robb Report, “The most dramatic and compelling aspect of the house is the design and its organic nature.” He’s most drawn to “the indoor-outdoor combination” and its “flow toward the guest house, which anchors he backyard and adds to the bold aesthetic.”

      Anderson is already living back in her native Canada, renovating a place that belonged to her grandmother.
      The primary bedroom.  Photo: The Luxury Level

      The sauna.  Photo: Shade Degges

      The soaking tub in the primary suite.  Photo: Shade Degges

      The firepit and hot tub.  Photo: The Luxury Level

      The roofdeck.  Photo: The Luxury Level

      The street view of the home.  Photo: The Luxury Level More

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      Eddie Murphy’s Zamunda Palace in ‘Coming 2 America’ Actually Belongs to Rapper Rick Ross

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      If you were one of the millions that enjoyed Eddie Murphy’s Coming 2 America over the weekend, you’ll likely recall Prince Akeem’s luxurious Zamunda Palace. The fantastical abode looked like it’d been fabricated with some good old-fashioned movie magic, but, in reality, it’s actually the home of one of rap’s most formidable talents. That’s right, the mega-mansion belongs to the big boss Rick Ross.

      Production designer Jefferson Sage and his team scouted myriad locations before selecting the rapper’s pad to serve as home to the royal family in the long-awaited sequel to the ‘88 classic Coming To America. Fitting, since the Ross residence is nothing short of palatial.

      Located in Fayetteville, Ga., the estate spans some 235 acres and was previously owned by boxer Evander Holyfield. At its center is a 45,000-square-foot manse that boasts some 12 bedrooms and is, quite literally, fit for royalty.
      Teyana Taylor and Wesley Snipes star inside Zamunda Palace.  Quantrell D. Colbert/Amazon Studios

      The crew co-opted five key areas of the home to bring Zamunda to life. This included the grandiose foyer with a double-winding staircase, two stately rooms that feature 18-foot ceilings and oversized windows, plus a generous dining room that can accommodate up to 100 guests (or, in the case of the film, roughly 50 royal subjects). The decadent main bedroom, meanwhile, was actually Ross’s own.
      As for the exterior, the team relied on visual effects to enhance the façade and imbue it with fairytale-like accents. Of course, the original structure is nothing to sneeze at.
      Speaking to Variety, Ross said that Coming to America may be his all-time favorite movie and he was elated to see Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) and his royal aid slash bestie Semmi (Arsenio Hall) in his home. It also helps the rapper scored a few unexpected-yet-welcome perks.
      “They changed the wallpaper in the dining room so I asked them to keep it up there,” Ross told the outlet. “They also created that huge dining room table for a dining scene that seats 50-60 people, and they left that for me as a gift. It’s humungous.”
      Eddie Murphy returns as Prince Akeem Joffer in “Coming 2 America.”  Courtesy of Amazon Studios

      It may not be the last time we see Ross’s Georgia mansion on the big screen, either. During an Instagram Live video, the rapper shared that the home he purchased for approximately $5.8 million in 2014 was paying for itself thanks to movies, production inquiries and visits. (In 2018, Architectural Digest showed how the home transformed for the Set of 2018’s Superfly.) No doubt the newest exposure won’t hurt.

      Indeed, Coming 2 America reportedly achieved the biggest opening weekend of films that premiered on streaming services in the past year, according to Amazon and rating firm Screen Engine/ASI. While the exact number of viewers has not been disclosed, Coming 2 America has been named the most-watched streaming movie on a given weekend during the pandemic. That’s a good thing, too, considering Amazon forked out $125 million for the film back in October.
      If you were one of the few that didn’t watch it over the weekend, Coming 2 America is streaming now on Prime Video. More

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      Magician Lance Burton Selling Mountaintop Nevada Home For $4.5 Million (PHOTOS)

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      Exterior

      LOCATION: 1280 Scooter Street, Henderson, Nevada
      SQUARE FOOTAGE: 11,591
      BEDROOMS & BATHROOMS: 6 bedrooms & 6 bathrooms
      PRICE: $4,499,900
      Magician Lance Burton is selling his mountaintop home in Henderson, Nevada for $4,499,900. Located at 1280 Scooter Street, the castle-like home was built in 2006 and is situated on 10 acres of land.

      It features approximately 11,591 square feet of living space with 6 bedrooms, 5 full and 1 half bathrooms, 2-story great room, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen, library, home theater, indoor spa, 4-car garage and more.
      Outdoor features include a gated entrance with guardhouse, balcony and expansive motor court.
      It is listed at $4,499,900. More

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      Jimmy Fallon’s Tony Manhattan Triplex Hits the Market for $15 Million

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      Late-night chat show host Jimmy Fallon and film producer Nancy Juvoven, Drew Barrymore’s partner at Flower Films, spent a decade buying and combining four apartments on the top three floors of an elegant and prestigious 19th-century cooperative apartment house in New York City’s tony Gramercy Park neighborhood.
      The first of the four units was purchased in 2004, around the time the low-key but high-powered pair coupled up. Another was acquired in 2010, and two more were snapped up in two separate 2014 transactions. All together the Juvoven-Fallons coughed up $4.925 million for the four units that together, according to listings held by Jeremy V. Stein and Debbie Korb at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty—Downtown Manhattan Brokerage, sprawl across approximately 4,950-square-feet with six bedrooms and five bathrooms.

      Not counting carry costs and real estate fees, not to mention the unquestionably considerable expense of joining the four units into one family-sized triplex penthouse, the couple is set to more than triple their money on the fabulously quirky spread that’s popped up for sale at $15 million.
      The 4,950-square-feet abode is located in the Gramercy Park neighborhood.  Yale Wagner/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Comprehensively updated with modern-day creature comforts, the vast residence respects its architectural pedigree with carefully restored original window frames, as well as original wood floors that are enhanced by what marketing materials describe as “a curated collection of treasured vintage and antique finds from around the world.”
      A frothy confection of red brick and intricately ornamented red terra-cotta designed by little-celebrated architect George W. DaCunha, and built in 1883, the Queen Anne-style apartment house lords over the southeast corner of private Gramercy Park. Only those fortunate to live in the few dozen townhouses and apartment buildings that ring the serene and manicured green space are provided one of the roughly 400 keys that open the annually changed locks that secure the gates of the two-acre idyll. The Juvoven-Fallons’ penthouse transfers with a key to the park, and, in a city that relishes rarity and exclusivity, a key to Gramercy Park, one of just two private parks in New York City, is certainly one of its most coveted privileges.
      Corinthian columns flank the main entrance of the idiosyncratically turreted full-service building that, besides Fallon and Juvoven, has been home to a fair number of Hollywood heavy hitters including James Cagney and Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West in the original Wizard of Oz.

      The sunny, west-facing eat-in kitchen incorporates top-end culinary equipment.  Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Even by New York standards, the sprawling apartment has an unconventional layout, and decorative eclecticism reigns in the not-so-formal formal living room. A gigantic Tiffany-blue tufted sectional sofa sits on a geometric green rug, and painstakingly applied skewed wood cladding is fearlessly paired with vintage floral wallpaper from the 1940s. A discreet in-ceiling projector means the cozy room does double duty a professional screening room.
      Multicolor satellite-style light fixtures and six vermillion stools at the island snack bar punch up the huge and sunny, west-facing eat-in kitchen that incorporates top-end culinary equipment, bespoke cabinetry with designer hardware and a gas fireplace with an original mantelpiece and vintage tiles.
      A cushioned window seat offers a bird’s eye view over the park and surrounding skyline. The casual family space also includes a huge pantry stocked with canned beans, a remarkable amount of Spagehettios and a 7-11’s worth of snacks and sodas. The pantry once served as a sound studio and is still fully soundproofed.
      Beneath the staircase lies a children’s playroom.  Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      A bookcase nipped under the handsomely crafted and mural-showcasing staircase swings opens to reveal a hidden, whimsically wallpapered children’s playroom complete with an arched fireplace. A secret hatch opens to the kitchen’s pantry, and a handy-dandy intercom makes a link to a second playroom on the triplex’s top floor.
      The middle level has the least amount of square footage of the apartment’s three floors but nonetheless comfortably packs in a guest bedroom and bathroom, a small gym and a 500-plus-square-foot lodge-like saloon and family room. The walls are emblazoned with plaid wallpaper and a deer antler chandelier hangs from the exposed wood coffered ceiling. A huge semi-circular wet bar showcases a series of custom-made backlit stained glass panels set in to an antique bar cabinet, and a small sign hung on the massive stone fireplace reads “WEEKEND UPDATE,” a not-so-subtle nod to Fallon’s long-ago days as co-anchor of the iconic parody news segment on Saturday Night Live.

      There are two guest bedrooms and a huge combination laundry room/bath tucked away down a long, meandering corridor at the back of the main floor. The larger of the bedrooms has a fireplace and east-facing windows that flood the room with morning light, while the smaller is less-than-ideally windowless yet still (and thankfully) filled with light that streams through a giant skylight.
      The bar comes complete with a “Weekend Update” sign.  Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Two more guest or family bedrooms, a shared hall bath, a second playroom and a second laundry room share the top floor with the deluxe primary suite. Occupying a spacious wing of its own with two walk-in closets and a fireplace, the suite comprises a skylight topped bedroom with custom-built massage bed and a sitting room designed to look like the inside of a tree, giving new meaning to the idea of an urban tree house. The commodious main bathroom includes a steam shower plus a separate room with a jetted tub for soaking in solitude.
      The floor plan reveals the triplex’s unusual layout, with its zigzagging hallways, far-flung bedrooms and unconventionally shaped rooms.
      Like many New Yorkers with the means to do so, Fallon and Juvoven also have a home in the Hamptons. Bought nearly ten years ago for $5.5 million, and picturesquely set on 2.2 beautifully landscaped acres in sleepy (yet powefully swank) Amagansett, the nearly 8,300-square-foot farmhouse stands three stories tall with weathered cedar shingles accented with gingerbread fretwork around the two-story porch. The grounds additionally include a detached garage, a huge barn, a swimming pool and a couple of guest cottages. The family has spent much of the last year quarantined on the expansive estate that is just as whimsically outfitted as their city digs.
      Check out more photos below:
      Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Evan Joseph/Sotheby’s International Realty

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      Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet’s Former Venice Beach Compound Lists for $7.8 Million

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      Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet met at a New Edition concert in the 1980s and married in November of 1987. Then, just before Christmas of that year, they purchased a two-lot artist’s compound in LA’s Venice Beach. Zoë Kravitz spent her earliest years in the house. While the marriage lasted only six years, they hung on to the property until 2000. The current owners are another artistically minded couple who have been using the on-site artist’s space as a painting atelier. Now the 5,424-square-foot home and studio are up for grabs again for $7,795,000.

      The creative vibe that infuses the four-bedroom, three-bath residence has been there since the early ’80s. Before Bonet and Kravitz lived there, it was owned by sculptor Guy Dill, renown for his massive and monolithic sculptures that can be found in museums such as the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian, among scores of others around the world. The main home, a midcentury bungalow style, was built in 1949. Dill commissioned LA architect Steven Ehrlich to design an adjacent modern artist’s studio in 1980, which remains mostly in its original design, with a handful of renovations in the last few years. Ehrlich went on to become an architectural star and a founding partner of Ehrlich Yanai Chaney Rhee, a preeminent firm known internationally for its contemporary vision.
      The two-story artist’s studio and loft  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      In 2019, the interior of the house was redone with a focus on new flooring, bathrooms and kitchen, featuring new high-end touches such as Grohe fixtures, a Sub-Zero fridge and a Wolf range and double oven. The two-level studio, with its soaring 30-foot ceilings, was renovated in 2014. At that time, an apartment dubbed the Treehouse was built, along with an additional bathroom and a second home office added to the original office in the loft, and more square footage was added to both the house and the studio. There’s also a large deck off of the office loft and apartment on the studio’s second floor, with a view to the Pacific.
      The home leans green, as it’s powered by solar panels and has a whole-house water-purification system. Outside, the landscaping is lush, incorporating plants and trees from around the world that thrive in the LA sun and coastal breezes. Accessible through a private gate, the property is extremely secluded; you’d never know that a distinguished bungalow and huge artist’s studio reside behind that wall. It’s also just a short walk to Venice’s famous shopping and dining district on Abbot Kinney.

      The renovated kitchen in the main house  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      While Kravitz and Bonet no longer share real estate, they remain friends. Kravitz has reportedly bonded with Bonet’s current husband, Aquaman actor Jason Momoa, and their two children, making one big, happy, blended family. As Kravitz has become embedded in the design world, he’s gone on to invest in real estate around the world, from a Beverly Hills mansion to a residence in Brazil and another in Paris, where Zoë Kravitz was married in 2019.
      Benjamin Leeds broker Anastasia Bowen holds the listing for the Venice Beach bungalow.
      The media room  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The living room  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      One of four bedrooms in the home.  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      All new flooring was added in 2019.  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The office loft above the studio  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The second office space  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The apartment above the art studio  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The games room  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The roof-deck has a view of the ocean.  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The patio looking out to the studio, with its spiral staircase  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      Lush plantings from around the world grace the gardens.  Photo: Anthony Barcelo

      The bungalow-style home  Photo: Anthony Barcelo More

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      Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi List Their Sprawling Beverly Hills Estate for $53.5 Million

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      Buckle up, buttercups, because they’re at it again … officially. Last year rumors ran rampant in Platinum Triangle real estate circles that veteran daytime chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and Arrested Development actor Portia de Rossi, two of showbiz’s most prolific buyers and sellers of high-end homes, were willing to discreetly show their 1933 English Tudor mansion in Beverly Hills to prequalified buyers undeterred by an asking price widely whispered to have been in the neighborhood of $58 million.

      Apparently there were no takers at that by-every-standard prodigious price because the elegantly proportioned and newly rehabbed manse is now on the open market with Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency with a considerably lower but still jaw-dropping $53.5 million price tag. Not counting carrying costs, improvement expenses and real estate fees, the house-flipping Hollywood power couple hopes to haul in an eight-figure profit on the deluxe estate they picked up not quite two years ago for $42.5 million from Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine and fashion model Behati Prinsloo.
      Set behind gates on just over an acre of park-like grounds, the sprawling manse has had an illustrious string of owners over the last couple of decades. In 2008 tennis icon Pete Sampras sold the estate for not quite $17 million — more than twice the $8.3 million he paid in 2002 — to “Will & Grace” co-creator Max Mutchnick and entertainment attorney Erik Hyman. The whole shebang was subjected to a sophisticated overhaul and photographed for Elle Décor before it was sold on to Levine and Prinsloo in a 2018 off-market deal valued at a tad more than $33.9 million. So the scuttlebutt goes, Levine and Prinsloo almost immediately caught an incurable case of real estate fickle. They quickly arranged a profitable off-market deal and sold to DeGeneres and de Rossi, for $42.5 million, in favor of an even more expansive compound in Pacific Palisades that they picked up for nearly $32 million from divorced Tinseltowners Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.
      Listings indicate the lavish house was comprehensively renovated by DeGeneres and de Rossi and unsurprisingly incorporates state-of-the-art security, lighting and A/V systems. Between the three-story main house and detached guesthouse that is nipped away behind the kitchen and service wing atop the three-car garage with a huge private terrace overlooking the park-like grounds, there are a total of five bedrooms and nine bathrooms throughout its more than 10,300 square feet.

      Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s Beverly Hills mansion 

      A double-gated drive curves up to the front of the imposing, ivy-encrusted residence where an elevated porch and steel-trimmed leaded glass door lead to a fully paneled double-height foyer painted an eye-searing bright white that is, thankfully, offset by dark-brown reclaimed wood floorboards laid in an ever-classy chevron pattern.
      Realtor.com

      The living room stretches to fifty feet long and, like the foyer, employs bright white walls as a neutral backdrop for the home’s collection of artworks and designer furnishings. Steel-trimmed windows on opposite walls off the ballroom-sized space ensure plenty of light at all hours of the day, and the simple fireplace overmounted by a recessed flat-screen TV makes the room functional for both formal and casual entertaining.
      Realtor.com

      The capacious dining hall, also painted white, features unusually minimalistic lighting and includes a large niche with wet bar, while a more intimately scaled libray/office features jet-black paneled walls and an angled fireplace trimmed in copper.
      Realtor.com

      The family kitchen is spacious, modern and expensively up to date with bespoke flat-fronted wood cabinetry, a commercial-grade walk-in fridge and an industrial-sized range surrounded in shimmery stainless steel. A casual adjoining dining area overlooks the motor court.
      Realtor.com

      A wide doorway allows for a relaxed relationship between the family kitchen and a cozily scaled TV lounge that flows through another wide doorway into a sunroom wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows.
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      Extensive service quarters behind the kitchen connect to the garage and include a separate, stainless-steel catering kitchen accented by white tile backsplashes.
      Realtor.com

      Tucked down on the lower level, where it opens to the stone patio that surrounds the pool, a plush screening room is done up in a monochromatic steel-grey color scheme and offers a sumptuous, deep-cushioned sectional sofa, plus a separate concession area complete with lounge and powder room.
      Realtor.com

      Guest bedrooms are all en suite, and the primary suite privately occupies an entire wing of the upper level with two enviably big dressing rooms, a huge terrace and a spa-worthy bathroom. Brass and glass doors connect the main bath’s dressing area to a huge circular shower and bathing space housed in a whitewashed brick turret that overlooks the backyard.

      Realtor.com

      A picturesquely lighted stone plaza outside the kitchen and sunroom includes an outdoor kitchen complete with pizza oven and a tree-shaded fire pit carved from a solid block of stone.
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      A graveled outdoor dining area framed by a quartet of carefully pruned, lollipop-like trees overlooks a lower patio with a classic Old Hollywood style oval-shaped swimming pool.
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      Thick hedges and mature plantings help to obscure the sunken tennis court that boasts lights for night-time matches and a raised pavilion for spectators. The grounds additionally include a tree-shaded glade with rolling lawns and lush gardens.
      Realtor.com

      DeGeneres and de Rossi are world famous for their frequent buying and selling of ultra-expensive real estate — often in and around the Montecito area, as well as in the more expensive zip codes across Los Angeles — and they rarely hang on to a home for more than a year or two. So, it’s not at all a surprise to property gossips that the perennially itchy-footed couple have chosen to sell their pristine Beverly Hills estate so soon after they bought it. It’s just what they do.
      Last year alone they made a heady handful of deals. They sold a historic Tudor home in the heart of Montecito to Ariana Grande for $6.75 million, nearly twice the $3.6 million they paid less than five months earlier; they flipped a $29 million Tuscan-style estate at a $2 million profit after less than a month of ownership; and they sold an ultra-luxe Bali-inspired compound for $33.3 million, a small fortune above the $27 million they paid not quite two years prior. Along the way they made a not-so-clandestine $49 million off-market deal to acquire a vast Montecito estate from Saturday Night Live alum turned multimedia host and conservative political commentator Dennis Miller, though few think they’ll hang on to it for long. We shall see. Stay tuned. More

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      Home of the Week: Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s Private Island in the Bahamas Lists for $35 Million

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      We’re not in Nashville anymore. Gin-clear turquoise water lapping on sugar-white sandy beaches. Palm trees gently swaying in the breeze. Clocks firmly set to “island time.” Only the sound of squawking parrots disturbs the tranquility.
      When country music power couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw went looking for a slice of paradise to chill on in 2003, they found it in the heart of the Exuma island chain in the Bahamas.

      At the time, L’île d’Anges—or Angels’s Island— was a 20-acre chunk of uninhabited and undeveloped rock. Nine long years later, they had transformed it into a laid-back, easy-going family escape.

      The “best place in the world” is how the duo describes the island. “Every time we land the plane and walk on to the beach up to the house, we turn to each other and say “This is the best place in the world,” McGraw told Architectural Digest for a 2017 cover story.
      What you’ll see from the sea plane as you fly in.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Now, 17 years after snapping up L’île d’Anges, the two have decided to sell, listing it with international brokers Knight Frank with a $35 million asking. Potential buyers should take flip-flops for viewings.
      “It really is heaven on earth,” listing broker Edward de Mallet Morgan tells Robb Report. “Flying in by seaplane, seeing the color of the water and then having your toes in the sand is just the start of the tropical-living lifestyle that L’île d’Anges offers.
      The front entrance and lookout tower.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      “While there are a number of islands in the Bahamas for sale, it’s rare to have one totally turn key. The owners have kept it as their own five-star resort, ready at the drop of a hat for them to arrive.”
      The 6,500-square-foot main house sits high in the center of the island, just steps from sandy beaches on either side. Architecturally, it comprises eight separate pavilions, each connected by a series of breezy, open-air tiled walkways.
      Designed by Tennessee-based architects Bobby McAlpine and partner Greg Tankersley—they worked on the Hill-McGraw’s homes in Nashville and Franklin, Tenn.—the pair created a home designed for indoor-outdoor living.
      The pool terrace.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      As Hill told AD:” We wanted to feel connected to the outside. When the breeze comes through the room, it’s just life changing. It really is! It’s something for the soul.”

      That means full, side-to-side-opening glass windows in each of the four bedrooms and a massive full-width, glass-paneled, roll-up door in the main living area, with jaw-dropping views across the pool to the sea.
      The tucked-away primary suite opens to the elements on two sides and features soaring ceilings with dramatic cross-hatched beams. A huge private patio comes with its own outdoor soaking tub.
      The kitchen opens to the dining area.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      One especially cool feature of the home is its overflow accommodations. During the long, difficult build process, two large, yurt-style tents were erected on a beachside teak deck. The couple stayed here during site visits and decided to keep them.
      “Kids love them, as do the adults. Water is literally lapping at the front door,” explains Knight Frank’s Morgan. “And they’re pretty serious structures having gone through a couple of hurricanes.”
      The spacious chef’s kitchen is meant for entertaining.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      For outdoor fun, the island features 1.3 miles of ocean frontage—perfect for kayak or snorkeling adventures—while a private dock accommodates a few fishing boats and jetskis. Want to look for pirates of the Caribbean? The home’s Moroccan-style observation bell tower provides 360-degree views.
      Because L’île d’Anges has to be totally self-sufficient, the northern end the island is dedicated to generators and water desalination facilities. They’re serviced by a small staff who live on the island full time in three stylish cottages. Fuel and provisions come in by barge.
      The living room.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Of course, if you run out of Dom Perignon on any given visit, you could try calling your neighbor, magician David Copperfield, who owns Musha Cay, a quick speedboat ride away.
      As for getting to L’île d’Anges—also known less glamorously as Goat Cay—it’s a 90-minute flight from Miami to Exuma International or a 60-minute seaplane ride from Nassau.
      “The beauty of L’île d’Anges is that it’s available today and livable today,” says Morgan. “Many people dream of an island but don’t want to spend the next 10 years developing it.” Take a video tour of the island here. 

      The cozy family room.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The primary bedroom suite.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The primary suite has its own private patio with soaking tub.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The compound consists of eight living pavilions.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      It doesn’t get more private than this.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Inside one of the guest yurts.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The yurts sit right at the water’s edge.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Another of the estate’s pavilions.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The perfect place to toast the sunset.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      The home surrounds the outdoor space.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Angel’s Island.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

      Your jet skis await.  Photo: Brett Davis/Knight Frank

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