More stories

  • in

    Tom Ford Snaps Up a Posh London Mansion for $104 Million

    Tom Ford is making headlines again, this time in the real estate arena, where he’s known as a regular buyer and seller of extraordinary homes.

    The billionaire fashion designer, who sold his eponymous label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion, has now broken a record for the priciest home sale in the U.K. this year after snapping up a London residence for a staggering £80 million ($104 million), The Times reported. The trophy dwelling, which is “believed to be a white stucco-fronted mansion,” is located in the city’s affluent Chelsea neighborhood near Hyde Park and the River Thames. However, further details regarding Ford’s new digs are still largely under wraps—other than it was last purchased for £16 million ($20 million) about two decades ago. 

    According to the British newspaper, the deal comes not long after Ford, the former creative director of Gucci, offloaded another of his residences, this one in tony Regent’s Park, for an impressive eight figures, and this latest transaction brings the value of his vast property portfolio to an eye-watering £270 million (or $351.6 million). One of Ford’s most notable holdings is Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home in the Hamptons, which he scooped up last summer for $52 million. The palatial East Hampton estate, known as Lasata, sits on a sprawling seven acres of land and features an eight-bedroom main residence, a guest house, a caretaker’s cottage, and a three-car garage. The Texas native bought the place from media producer David Zander, and before that, the big spread belonged to fashion designer and retail executive Reed Krakoff and his interior designer wife Delphine (who are currently selling another historic estate in New Canaan, Connecticut).

    So far, London has experienced a bit of a slump in the luxury real estate market in 2024 with a decline in high-end deals. It was previously reported that only 149 homes valued at £10 million (roughly $13.2 million) or more have traded hands in the past 12 months, compared with 192 in the prior period. In terms of who’s doing the buying, wealthy expats have been snapping up the city’s high-end properties thanks to favorable exchange rates. In fact, Knight Frank found that the percentage of U.S. buyers purchasing homes in London rose to 6.1 percent in the first six months of this year from 3.3 percent in the second part of 2023. 

    “There are obvious risks at the moment, but the super-prime market is still functioning, just at a reduced level,” Paddy Dring, global head of prime sales at Knight Frank, said in a statement. “It’s sometimes easy to forget just how attractive London is on the global stage.”

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

    Read More More

  • in

    A Celebrity Hairstylist Trims Her Real Estate Portfolio, Listing a $3 Million Home in the Hamptons

    Renowned celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger, who founded her eponymous salons in Los Angeles and New York City and travels the globe styling her A-list celebrity clientele, is a household name in the world of fashion and beauty. A pioneer in the hair industry, Hershberger’s client roster includes Miley Cyrus, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Joan Jett, among others, who pay upwards of $800 for a haircut. 

    It seems that hair isn’t the creative stylist’s only passion, as her international real estate portfolio attests. Many of her rental properties and luxury homes from London to L.A. to the Hamptons have been featured in various publications over the years, and the latest to hit the market is a midcentury-modern-inspired house in East Hampton, New York. Listed for a smidge under $3 million, the Masthead Lane home, called The Butterfly House, was built in 1976 and has been lovingly restored and renovated over the years. 

    The sleek living room is anchored by a minimalist fireplace.

    Sally Hershberger

    Far more humble and relaxed than many of the palatial multi-million-dollar Hamptons properties swimming in excess and opulence, Hershberger’s hideaway is a fine example of modest living and contemporary design. Situated on one acre in the northern part of East Hampton and just a brief walk to the beaches set along Gardiners Bay, Butterfly House spans 2,000 square feet with two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and one powder room. The house gets its name from its inwardly sloped rooflines, which resemble butterfly wings. Built into the hillside, the home has a wraparound terrace on the upper level and a set of stairs over a lush hillside that leads to a path down to the pool and ample lawn space for garden parties and badminton games. 

    The interiors feature clean lines, open spaces, and soaring ceilings and are crafted with natural materials, including exposed wood and vast walls of glass. The loft-like main living and entertaining space is on the upper floor to take advantage of light, air, and views. The open-plan kitchen has custom wood cabinetry and a large skylight that adds additional natural light; nearby is a dining table that faces the terrace; and the sleek living area has a monolithic minimalist fireplace with a raised hearth. The wood ceilings are punctuated with blackened wood beams and slant upwards as you get towards the edges of the home. A wraparound deck overlooking the backyard and swimming pool can be accessed from many points on this level.

    The updated kitchen is simple and functional with white-oak cabinetry..

    Sally Hershberger

    The lower level is dedicated to sleeping quarters, with two spacious bedrooms and two full bathrooms. There’s also a mostly subterranean basement area with laundry facilities, as well as a single-car garage. Down a set of stairs and a winding pathway is the 46-foot-long pool, which has an elevated deck for sun loungers. Shrouded in privacy, thanks to towering specimen trees and landscaping that includes indigenous grasses and rolling lawns, the home feels like its own private countryside paradise in the middle of one of the most exclusive beach towns on the planet. 

    The property is listed by Kathy Konzet of Sotheby’s International Realty—Bridgehampton Brokerage. 

    Click here for more photos of The Butterfly House.

    Harris Allen More