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    Kendrick Lamar Just Dropped $8.6 Million on 3-Floor Penthouse in Brooklyn

    There’s nothing humble about Kendrick Lamar’s new home. 

    The Swimming Pools rapper has just splashed out a cool $8.6 million for a three-floor penthouse in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights triplex, which was originally listed for $8.9 million, is positioned atop Pierhouse, a 10-story apartment building that, per The New York Post, counts Ed Sheeran, Matt Damon, and Amy Schumer among its A-list residents. The Post also revealed that the hip-hop hitmaker was previously shopping around the Quay Tower in Brooklyn Heights and Olympia in Dumbo before deciding on 90 Furman Street.  

    When it comes to Kung-Fu Kenny’s 3,140-square-foot pied-à-terre, the property features four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and a whopping 2,000 square feet of outdoor space spread over two levels, including a private rooftop that overlooks the East River, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and lower Manhattan. Some of the standout features of the townhouse-style condo are its soaring 18-foot ceilings, reclaimed heartwood pine floors, and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows.  

    Kendrick Lamar just nabbed a triplex penthouse at a celeb-loved apartment building in Brooklyn.

    Elsewhere, the kitchen is decked out with top-of-the-line Gaggenau appliances, swanky Calacatta Tucci marble counters, and solid American walnut cabinets. Of course, the 17-time Grammy Award-winner will have access to all of the development’s amenities too. These include 24-hour concierge services, a fitness center, and a meditation studio. Residents of Pierhouse are also able to enjoy a slate of perks, such as a rooftop swimming pool and bar, provided by the adjacent 1 Hotel.  

    The rapper’s new pad has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the East River and lower Manhattan skyline.

    King Kendrick’s latest New York City purchase joins the celebrated musician’s robust real estate portfolio. Most recently, in 2022, he dropped a hefty $15.9 million on a house in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles. The 8,000-square-foot estate was originally built in the 1950s by architect Edward Fickett—who was also a consultant to President Dwight D. Eisenhower—and features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and enviable extras like a swimming pool, a 4K movie theater, a gym, and a wine cellar.  

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning singer/songwriter snagged a $9.7 million mansion in Manhattan Beach in 2019, and the year before, he ponied up $2.6 million for an investment property in Calabasas. His first purchase, however, was a modest four-bedroom abode that he bought in Eastvale in 2014.

    Click here to see all the photos of Kendrick Lamar’s Brooklyn penthouse.  More

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    Sally Jessy Raphael Lists 43-Room Upstate New York Mansion for $6.5 Million

    Former radio host and Emmy-winning tabloid chat show dynamo Sally Jessy Raphael, whose eponymous daytime talkfest, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show (later shortened to just Sally), ran from 1983 to 2002, has decided to part with her longtime country estate in New York’s historic Dutchess County. The 25.5-acre spread in Pawling, about 70 miles north of midtown Manhattan, is available for $6.5 million via Harriet Norris of Douglas Elliman.

    Raphael, famous for her acerbic wit and her collection of bold, bright red eyeglass frames, and her late husband of 57 years, Karl Sodlerland, who passed away in 2020, purchased the sprawling property back in 1997 for a bit more than $1.7 million. It had previously been in the same family for nine generations. In addition to the Elizabethan-style Tudor manor house, the property, known as Elmwood Farm, comprises two caretaker homes, a carriage house with chauffeur’s quarters, a yoga studio, and a 12,000-square-foot stable. 

    The grand oak staircase features hand-carved wooden animals atop the newel posts.

    The main house, an impressive edifice built in 1860 and situated at the end of a long driveway amid towering trees, measures about 15,000 square feet with a whopping 17 bedrooms and nine bathrooms, plus four more powder rooms. There are 10 fireplaces dispersed across the mansion’s 43 rooms. The exterior features a three-story turret, a four-story tower, Gothic spires, and numerous high-pitched gables with carved timber fascia. 

    The 19th-century mansion could use a bit of spit and polish but still oozes with old-world craftsmanship and the fanciful, OTT elegance and gracious proportions of a bygone era. Lavish embellishments abound, including harlequin leaded and stained-glass windows, elaborate hand-carved woodwork, and hand-painted plaster ceiling accents. A separate wing on the second floor features hand-painted storybook murals.

    The fireside dining room will comfortably accommodate more than 18 for a sit-down meal.

    The grand oak staircase in the foyer, where portraits of Raphael and Soderland hang facing each other, is enhanced by dozens of newel posts topped by hand-carved animals; stacks of books and an eclectic array of comfy furniture take the stuffiness out of the stately, wood-paneled living room; and a classic Fortuny chandelier hangs from the red ceiling in the baronial dining room.

    Elsewhere, there’s a huge kitchen with marble counters and an industrial stove, a marble-floored music room, a small chapel, a solarium with floor-to-ceiling arched windows, and a cozy den with a groin-vaulted ceiling. Bedrooms are ample, each large enough to accommodate a roomy seating area, and each decorated in its own scheme.

    The estate includes a 12,000-square-foot stabling block.

    The back of the house overlooks a large, somewhat overgrown formal garden, and flanking the carriage house is a swimming pool and a tennis court, both in need of some TLC. A vast lawn stretches from the house to the equestrian facilities, which include a fenced pasture and a picturesque stabling block that wraps around a central courtyard. It, too, could use some fixing up.

    Tax records indicate Raphael, now in her late 80s, still owns a townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that she acquired from Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman in 1993. It had previously (and very briefly) been owned by billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz.

    Click here for more photos of Sally Jessy Raphael’s Upstate New York home. More

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    In the South of France, a Former Home of Charles de Gaulle Charges Onto the Market

    A hillside estate along the Côte d’Azur that was once home to Charles de Gaulle has hit the market for $30 million. The decorated military officer and statesman, who served as President of France from 1959-69 and died in 1970, occupied the property in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, between Nice and Monaco, shortly after WWII. Indeed, as the story goes, he wrote his famous speech about the liberation of France while staying here.

    The 1.2-acre spread sits behind imposing gates in the rocky foothills that rise above the charming seaside commune. Indeed, the house is just a block from the wealthy resort village’s main square, Place du General de Gaulle. Though he’d likely recognize the estate’s various Tudor-style outbuildings, it’s unlikely de Gaulle would recognize the main residence today, as it’s been transformed into a glass-walled contemporary villa that is now for sale with an asking price of $30 million. The property is represented by Andrea Wohl Lucas at Douglas Elliman.

    With its contemporary updates, it’s unlikely de Gaulle would recognize the Tudor home today.

    Just inside the gates, there’s a carriage house and a parking area. A cobblestone drive sweeps up the hill, through professionally lighted and landscaped grounds, to the front of the approximately 11,000-square-foot residence. An elevator services all three floors of the home, which has nine ensuite bedrooms and a total of 11 bathrooms.

    Glass towers, one of which houses a floating staircase, flank the glass front door. There are wood floors and floor-to-ceiling picture windows in a trio of reception rooms, including an enormous living room that overlooks the pool and a spacious formal dining room with built-in cabinets for linen and tableware storage. According to listings, there are two state-of-the-art kitchens on the main floor.

    Curtain walls of glass overlooking the mosaic-tile pool fill the house with natural light.

    All nine of the bedrooms are on the upper two floors, each with extensive storage, a dressing room, and a private bath. The principal suite spans nearly 1,000 square feet and includes two dressing rooms and a large bathroom, while a penthouse-level guest bedroom is housed within an all-glass aerie that opens to a private terrace with gorgeous coastline views.

    There’s a large terrace for relaxing and entertaining, a mosaic-tiled zero-edge swimming pool for cooling off, and meandering, impeccably maintained grounds that have a stunning lighting program. In addition to the main house, the property includes caretaker’s accommodations and several studios for guests or household staff. 

    Click here for more photos of 20 Avenue Déroulède. More

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    Mary Berry’s Former U.K. Home Where She Filmed Her Cooking Show Just Listed for $4.3 Million

    If you ever watched Mary Berry Cooks and wondered what it would be like to make a meal on the powder blue AGA range in the beloved chef and food writer’s cozy country kitchen, well, now you can.

    The former Buckinghamshire residence of the OG Great British Bake Off judge has hit the market with Savills, asking £3.5 million (or about $4.3 million). Better known as Watercroft, Berry purchased the property back in 1988 alongside her husband, Paul Hunnings. Together, the couple lived at Watercroft for about 30 years before they handed the place over to its current owners in 2019. Interestingly enough, it’s also where the beloved Queen of Cakes shot many episodes of her eponymous TV shows. 

    The spacious kitchen still has the powder blue AGA range featured in many of Berry’s televised cooking shows.

    Savills

    Altogether, the property offers about 9,000 square feet of space between the six-bedroom Queen Anne-style main house, detached two-bedroom guest cottage, coach house, and multiple outbuildings. Across the four-acre grounds, you’ll also find a tennis court, formal gardens, and a natural pond.  

    “Watercroft exudes character and charm with some wonderful period and historical features,” says Ben Dommett, head of Savills Beaconsfield, in a press statement. “Being the former home of a well-known food writer, chef, baker, and TV presenter, the kitchen is naturally kitted out with the very best appliances and fittings, including a rather famous AGA, along with a refrigerated larder.” 

    The Grade II-listed residence presides over four acres.

    Other than the kitchen, the main house comprises three reception rooms, including a wood-paneled dining room with an open fireplace and concealed cupboards. Additionally, there’s a drawing room with bow windows, a family room, and an office. 

    And don’t be surprised if Berry comes knocking on the door. “Since we’ve been here, Mary appears quite often if there’s something going on in the village,” seller Lucy Patten tells The Times. “She’ll come over and have a cup of tea. When we moved in, she hosted a party to introduce us to all of the neighbors. They are all very friendly.” 

    On your marks, get set, bid! 

    Click here to see all the photos of Mary Berry’s former home. 

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    This Cozy Montecito Cottage Once Owned by Larry David Can Be Yours for $7.5 Million

    In the fall of 2021, “Curbed Your Enthusiasm” creator and star Larry David plunked down $5.7 million for a historic home in the Hedgerow neighborhood in the celeb-packed seaside community of Montecito, California, that he lickety-split sold just eight months later for $6.9 million. 

    Like David, the buyer appears to have also caught a case of the real estate fickle because the property popped up for sale earlier this year for $8 million and has since had the asking price reduced to $7.5 million. The listing is held by Tyler Kallenbach at Compass.

    Designed and built in 1929 in a French Normandy style by celebrated high-society architect George Washington Smith—a departure from the Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes for which he is most widely known—the stately if modestly proportioned home measures less than 2,900 square feet with four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms.

    The $7.5 million cottage faces a slender, hedge-lined lane.

    Blake Bronstad Photography

    Situated just a mile from the coastal village’s downtown district, the entrance to the home is along a narrow one-way lane. Vintage character abounds outside and inside, and beyond the simple, unassuming slate-blue front door, interiors bend toward elegant and cozy rather than grand. Bespoke finishes and expert craftsmanship work together with delicately patterned wallpaper and floral-patterned curtains to create a sophisticated yet comfortable and casual environment.

    The living room’s soaring, wood-beamed ceiling is anchored by a stone fireplace; chunky exposed wood adds rusticity to the adjacent dining room; and a spacious butler’s pantry connects the dining room to the kitchen. Guest bedrooms are ample, and guest baths are updated with vintage charm, while the primary bedroom offers a fitted dressing room and an unexpectedly large bathroom with a chrome-sided soaking tub.

    The updated kitchen is complemented by a spacious butler’s pantry.

    Blake Bronstad Photography

    The back of the house is encrusted in vines, and the one-fifth-acre spread’s various gardens include brick terraces and pathways, a built-in potting bench, numerous citrus trees, and a metal tea house.

    Tax records indicate the seller has already purchased another larger and no less charming house in the same neighborhood, while David went on to buy another, substantially larger Montecito home last year for $7.6 million. He also maintains residences in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades and on Martha’s Vineyard.

    Click here for more photos of 175 Miramar Avenue.

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    Jennifer Aniston Lived at This L.A. Compound While Filming ‘Friends.’ Now It Can Be Yours for $2.5 Million.

    A Los Angeles compound where Jennifer Aniston lived while shooting the Emmy Award-winning sitcom Friends is on the market, and honestly, we couldn’t be any more excited. 

    Originally built in 1936, the storied Laurel Canyon estate has played host to a fair share of prominent Hollywood figures over the years. Most notably, the hilltop spread was the long-time residence of actor-producer Beach Dickerson and later, author and celebrity matchmaker—to put it politely!—Scotty Bowers. Following Bowers’s passing in 2019, husband-and-wife houseflippers Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays took ownership and put the place through a massive renovation. Interestingly enough, Beach willed the Kew Drive dwelling to Bernsen, who was also his godson. 

    The quirky, celeb-pedigreed compound perched atop Laurel Canyon was just listed for $2.59 million.

    Sergii Dolgyi

    Dubbed “The Crown Jewel,” the city-view compound features a total of four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Occupying less than 6,000 square feet, the lot comprises multiple structures—a main house, an A-Frame guest cottage, a pool house, and a bungalow nestled into the hillside below the pool. The latter is nicknamed “El Nido de Nestor” after its former tenant, Oscar-winning Spanish cinematographer Nestor Almendros.  

    “What sets this property apart is its unassuming charm; it’s been dubbed the Crown Jewel of Laurel Canyon, yet it maintains the laid-back, funky vibe that draws buyers to this neighborhood,” says Compass agent Wendy Moore in a press statement. “Truly, it’s a one-of-a-kind gem.” 

    The circa-1930s home has a long ownership history and counts Friends star Jennifer Aniston as a former resident.

    Sergii Dolgyi

    Inside, the two-bed main pad has a lot going on design-wise and is almost as quirky as the Friends apartment itself. The space sports walls of glass in the living/dining room and black-and-white checkerboard flooring in the simply updated kitchen. Outside the living/dining room, brick and concrete terracing surround the swimming pool and spa.

    The city-view compound includes an A-frame guest house with a loft-style bedroom.

    Sergii Dolgyi

    From the photos, the pool house looks as if it doubles as a gym, while the one-bed “El Nido de Nestor”bungalow is currently set up as an office or a studio. Elsewhere, the rustic wood-clad A-frame guest cottage is decked out with its own kitchenette and a lofted bedroom.  

    According to property records, the abode last sold in 2020 for $2 million. Now, it’ll cost you just shy of $2.6 million to acquire The Crown Jewel. 

    Click here to see more photos of Jennifer Aniston’s former home. 

    Sergii Dolgyi More

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    Rihanna’s Lavish London Mansion Just Sold for a Record $33.4 Million

    A London mansion rented by Barbadian superstar Rihanna has just been sold for £27.5 million, or roughly $33.4 million. 

    According to Savills and Aston Chase, who were the appointed agents, the Diamonds singer’s 6,332 square-foot former rental on swanky St. John’s Wood Park was snapped up by a family from overseas for a record-breaking £3,500 (or about $4,250) per square foot. The Fenty Beauty founder lived at the palatial pad for about two and a half years when she was based in the U.K. between 2018 and 2020, reported The London Evening Standard. At the time, the multihyphenate billionaire mogul was leasing the place for a whopping £18,000 (or $21,870) per week.  

    “This sale is indicative of the surge in demand from Chinese buyers for super-prime homes in London,” explains Mark Pollack, co-founding director of Aston Chase, in a press statement. “As a result of an inability to travel during the pandemic many wealthy Chinese and Hong Kong residents are prioritizing a ‘Plan B’ in the eventuality of another unforeseen event leading to the Chinese government restricting movement.” 

    A London home once rented by Rihanna just sold for $33.4 million.

    Aston Chase/Tony Murray Photography

    The white stucco mansion, designed by renowned architect John Shaw Junior and built in 1844 by local builder William Holme Twentyman, first belonged to De Beers diamond tycoon Daniel Francis. The fully refurbished five-story home contains eight bedrooms, multiple reception rooms, a library, and an open-plan kitchen. An impressive 21-foot terrace that overlooks a sprawling rear garden. 

    A notable perk is the dwelling’s private gym, which features a weight room and exercise studio. While it’s not clear whether the new owner intends to expand the abode’s current wellness offerings, the property includes approved plans for an additional health spa with a swimming pool, a sauna, a steam room, and massage facilities. 

    The St. John’s Wood Park property features a fully equipped gym and approved plans for an extensive wellness complex.

    Aston Chase/Tony Murray Photography

    “Savills is delighted to have introduced the buyer and successfully sold this famous house on St John’s Wood Park in one of the biggest deals in St John’s Wood in 2023,” added Stephen Lindsay with Savills. “This is an extremely special house, the only one of royal architect John Shaw’s original villas on St John’s Wood Park to have survived into the 21st century. The substantial price achieved firmly underlines the value and quality of this unique trophy home and the enduring appeal of St John’s Wood with buyers from both the UK and from around the world.”

    Click here to see all the photos of Rihanna’s former London rental.

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    Robin Williams’s Italian Renaissance-Style San Francisco Mansion Can Be Yours for $25 Million

    The same year Robin Williams starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 movie, Hook, he shelled out a cool $3.2 million for an Italian Renaissance-style estate in San Francisco‘s exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood. Now, the former home of the late actor/comedian and his then-wife, Marsha Garces Williams, is on the market for a whopping $25 million. 

    The 20-room villa was originally built by architect Earle B. Bertz in 1926 for Oliver J. Olson, president of the Olson-Mahony Lumber Company. Positioned on a sprawling 17,149-square-foot corner lot on El Camino Del Mar, the elegant home has views that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and Marin Headlands.  

    The former San Francisco home of late actor and comedian Robin Williams is for sale.

    Open Homes

    The couple, who tied the knot in 1989, divorced two decades later in 2010. Marsha has owned the house ever since. Before they split, they put the palatial six-bed, eight-bath property through a massive reno. “Marsha and Robin Williams took the house down to the studs and rebuilt it in the early nineties, updating all the major systems,” explained Compass agent, Steven Mavromihalis, in a press statement. “They expanded the home to its current 10,598 square feet on three levels. However, they took great pains to preserve the rare and valuable building materials used in 1926, which are simply no longer available in the construction of modern homes.” 

    The estate was renovated in the late 1990s by Robin and his then-wife, Marsha Garces Williams.

    Open Homes

    Inside, you’ll find tons of period details like ornate moldings, wide plank hardwood flooring, built-in cabinetry, and exposed beams. Leaning into the character of the original design, the house is adorned with carved archways, marble columns, patterned terra cotta tiles, and wrought iron. Of course, there are quite a few surprises, too, including a movie theater with a drop-down projector, a Prohibition-era bar that’s hidden behind wood wall paneling, and a secret passageway that connects the children’s bedrooms. “It is everything you imagine Robin Williams to be,” Mavromihalis told The Wall Street Journal.  

    Views extend over the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands.

    Open Homes

    Elsewhere, a chef’s kitchen is decked out with a La Cornue Range and custom cabinets by U.K.-based Smallbone Design Studio. The primary suite—which has killer views, by the way—has a similar contemporary feel and actually features a Japanese-inspired bathroom with built-in vanities, a platform tub, and walk-in shower. Additionally, there’s a one-bed guest apartment on the garden level of the home with its own separate entrance, along with a gym, a Finnish sauna, and a wine cellar.  

    Now that the Williamses three kids are grown, Marsha is selling and downsizing. “It’s a beautiful, happy house,” she told the WSJ. “We had many, many fantastic years of fun and play and joy there.”

    Click here to see all the photos of Robin Williams’s San Francisco home.  

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