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      in Luxury

      Enjoy the High Life at This Charles Gwathmey-Designed Pied-à-Terre Atop NYC’s Iconic Sherry-Netherland Hotel

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      Always wanted to sit back and relax in a professionally coiffed abode overlooking some of the best scenery New York City has to offer—one holding court in a rarefied prewar building with access to ritzy amenities like room service from the famed Harry Cipriani restaurant, for instance?

      Well, if you happen to have an extra $4.45 million lying around and are eager to spend it, this luxe four-room apartment on the 20th floor of one of Gotham’s first branded hotel residences just might be the ideal spot to settle down in unique style. After all, The Sherry-Netherland Hotel has been described as “more than a place to live, it is a way of living.”

      Records show the co-op premises have long been occupied by billionaire financier Gary Winnick and his wife, artist and author Karen Winnick, who happen to be the very same couple currently shopping around their legendary Casa Encantada estate in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles for a whopping $250 million.

      An entrance hallway introduces some of architect Charles Gwathmey’s signature high modernist style.

      Sam Czvitkovits

      Tailored to suit their personal tastes in the late 1990s by revered high modernist architect Charles Gwathmey, the unit lies on the 20th floor of the exclusive 38-story Schultze & Weaver-designed structure. Developed in 1927 by Louis Sherry and Lucius Boomer, the Fifth Avenue stalwart has been resided in through the years by A-listers the likes of David Bowie, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, George Burns, Jack Warner and Francis Ford Coppola.

      Billed in the listing as “offering an unparalleled level of attention to detail,” the property features two bedrooms and two baths in 2,000 square feet of elegant art-deco living space accented with rich hardwood floors, high ceilings, custom millwork, exotic wood finishes, ample built-ins and designer lighting throughout.

      The spacious primary bedroom boasts a dressing room and an onyx-clad bath.

      Sam Czvitkovits

      Highlights include an entrance hallway that flows to a wet bar-equipped living room displaying a dining solarium that opens to a wraparound terrace facing Fifth Avenue and Central Park, and a galley-style kitchen outfitted with stainless Viking appliances and a curving banquette for casual meals. A spacious primary bedroom boasts a dressing room and an onyx-clad bath, and elsewhere is another en-suite bedroom with bespoke wood paneling that’s been converted into an office space.

      The new owner also will have access to a wealth of building amenities courtesy of a substantial $21,616 monthly HOA charge, including a 24-hour doorman and concierge, along with room and housekeeping services, a fitness center and valet parking.

      In addition to their NYC apartment, the Winnicks also maintain the aforementioned Casa Encantada estate, formerly owned by the late hotelier Conrad Hilton and billionaire retired Dole Food Products chairman David Murdock. The couple purchased the 1930s property for $94 million back in 2000.

      The listing is held by Shawn Elliott and John Carbone of Nest Seekers International.

      Click here for more photos of Gary Winnick’s New York City pied-à-terre.

      Sam Czvitkovits More

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      in Luxury

      Alfred Hitchcock’s Former L.A. Home Has Been Sold for $8.8 Million to a Dutch Media Mogul

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      When English filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock moved to Los Angeles to conquer Hollywood in 1939—he made “Rebecca” the following year, which earned him the first of his five Oscar nominations—he and his wife, Alma, and daughter, Pat, initially made their home in a spacious rented apartment on Wilshire Boulevard. 

      Several years later, after acquiring a 200-acre getaway near Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the family set down permanent roots in Los Angeles with the purchase of an English-Country-inspired home just up from the West Gate entrance to the tony Bel Air neighborhood.

      The Bel Air home, where the “Psycho” filmmaker lived until his death at age 80 in 1980, came up for sale earlier this year for $8.25 million, and though out of step with current decorative trends, the immaculately maintained home drew multiple offers that drove the recorded sale price up to just over $8.8 million.

      Tax records show the home had long been owned by a local businessman who made his fortune in the lumber and building supply industries and list the buyer as a foreign corporate entity linked to Dutch media mogul Reinout Oerlemans, founder of the TV production company Eyeworks.

      The loggia overlooks the swimming pool and lushly planted grounds.

      Mary E. Nichols

      Originally created by Carlton Burgess, who also designed and built Jack Benny’s Beverly Hills home, Hitchcock’s former sanctuary was extensively renovated and expanded in 1983. Concealed behind a dense wall of trees and vegetation and situated on almost two-thirds of an acre, the primarily single-story home measures somewhat more than 7,500 square feet and has two (and potentially four) bedrooms and five bathrooms.

      Beyond the fountained front entry, the living room features an oversized fireplace and vaulted wood-beamed ceilings; the dining room overlooks flowering gardens; and the eat-in kitchen showcases hand-painted tiles and blue Brazilian granite counters. There are two substantial bedroom suites, one for guests with a white marble bath and the other for the homeowner with dual dressing areas and baths.

      There are two more rooms that can be converted to additional bedrooms, according to marketing material, as well as a “hidden upstairs office/guest room with plumbing in place” to add another bathroom.

      The grounds offer a gated entry, mature trees and flowering gardens, a spacious courtyard, and a huge loggia with an outdoor fireplace alongside a turquoise swimming pool. There’s also garaging for three cars and parking for many more, as well as a couple of storage buildings.

      Snapdragons add color to the edge of the swimming pool.

      Mary E. Nichols

      Steeped in Hollywood lore and ready for its next close-up, the property was listed with Ginger Glass at Compass, while Oerlemans was represented in the transaction by Rayni Williams and Branden Williams at The Beverly Hills Estates.

      If their former homes in Los Angeles are any indication, Oerlemans and his wife Danielle will likely embark on an extensive re-make of the property. The couple previously owned a spectacular, 33,000-square-foot Bel Air mansion—perhaps not coincidentally, it’s directly across the 15th fairway from their new property—that they sold in 2021 for $70 million to The Weeknd, who used the home as the set for his HBO series “The Idol.”

      Click here for all the photos of Alfred Hitchcock’s former home at 10957 Bellagio Road.

      Mary E. Nichols More

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      in Luxury

      Rockstar Energy’s Founder Sells His Sprawling L.A. Estate for $25 Million

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      After more than three years of it bouncing on and off the market, energy drink mogul Russ Weiner has finally succeeded in unloading his Beverly Park mansion, one of two lavish estates he owns in the famously expensive and star-studded gated community. The 1.2-acre property sold for exactly $25 million to local businessman Tony Safoian, the CEO of Google Cloud-focused technology consultancy SADA Systems, and his longtime wife Lana.

      Built in 1999 for a now-deceased Russian businessman and designed by noted architect Richard Landry, the Tuscan-style manor sits behind gates and tall hedges. With 10,575 square feet of main house living space, plus a detached guesthouse, the resort-like place has more than enough room for grand galas and events.

      Weiner, 53, bought the house in 2015 for $18.6 million. With brief interruptions, the essentially unchanged property has been on the market since early 2020, with asking prices ranging from a high of $35 million to a low of $27.9 million. When Safoian finally came calling, the house was listed at $30 million.

      In addition to eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, interior highlights include an enormous foyer with dual staircases, limestone flooring throughout, a gym with an attached sauna and massage room, a chef’s kitchen with commercial-grade appliances and a mahogany library that includes a walk-in safe. Upstairs, the master retreat is itself the size of a small house, and packs in a spa-style bathroom, dual closets, a private office, private balcony and a “hidden” spiral staircase leading down into the library, per the listing.

      Outdoors, the grounds include two expansive lawns, one made of AstroTurf and the other containing real grass. There are also pathways traced by manicured boxwood, bright bunches of bougainvillea and olive trees. And al fresco entertaining is made easy with a loggia-covered dining area and a poolside outdoor kitchen with an outdoor fireplace, wet bar and built-in BBQ center.

      Safoian, 45, cofounded SADA Systems in 2000. In 2021, the North Hollywood-based tech company surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time; last year, it inked a $2.5 billion partnership deal with Google. Since 2015, Safoian has owned and occupied a two-story house in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood.

      As for Weiner, he now primarily resides in Florida but still owns a mansion in Park City, Utah, in addition to another Beverly Park home he’s owned since 2007 and an investment property in the Hollywood Hills.

      Beverly Park, long famed as the most expensive gated community in Los Angeles, boasts a number of high-profile residents behind its heavily guarded gates. While turnover has been heavy in recent years, Hollywood figures such as Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Sofia Vergara, Adele, The Rock and Rod Stewart still call the enclave home. More

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      in Luxury

      Restoration Hardware’s CEO Snaps Up an Oceanfront Malibu Mansion for $26 Million

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      Gary Friedman recently said the “housing market is collapsing” at 2008 levels, but that hasn’t stopped the famously candid and longtime RH chief executive from dipping his toe into the choppy real estate waters. In a deal that closed last week, Friedman paid $26.7 million for an oceanfront mansion in Malibu.

      The 66-year-old billionaire and his wife Bella Hunter actually scored a deal on their new vacation home, which sits on prestigious Carbon Beach — the long strip of sand also home to fellow billionaires such as Larry Ellison, Michael Milken and film producer Arnon Milchan. The new Friedman residence was originally offered a year ago at $40 million, though the price tag was slashed down to $30 million before the buyers came calling.

      The 0.36-acre lot and its 80 feet of beach frontage last sold in 1994 for just $1 million. The buyer, local philanthropist Mel Rosenthal, subsequently custom-built the current house. Completed in 1997, the boxy contemporary structure is clad in pale yellow stucco and features a gated motorcourt with garage parking for three cars.

      Inside, highlights include disappearing walls of glass that drink in the unstoppable ocean views, plus Portuguese limestone floors, a huge atrium skylight, a chef’s kitchen with granite countertops, a laundry room with a dog-washing station, an elevator and long gallery walls “suitable for a museum-quality art collection,” per the listing.

      Also on tap are five bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms and one that currently functions as an at-home gym. The 5,600-square-foot house also offers an upstairs master suite with a fireplace, bespoke closet, private balcony and a private office with a sink and beverage refrigerator.

      Out back, an oceanfront deck spans the full width of the house and sports ceramic tile floors, ample space for al fresco entertaining and a built-in barbecue center and hot tub. And while landscaping is sparse, typical of oceanfront Malibu properties, the front courtyard does offer several mature palm trees and lushly filled planters that lend the place a distinctly tropical vibe.

      With only one brief interruption, Friedman has been a top executive of the company formerly known as Restoration Hardware since 2001 and has a personal net worth of $1.8 billion, per Forbes. In addition to his new beachfront retreat, he also maintains a $37 million mansion in the mountains above Beverly Hills. Last year, the San Francisco native has sold a half-built Los Angeles estate for $24 million to an anonymous buyer. More

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      in Vacation Homes

      How a Man-Made Lake in Alabama Became a Hotspot for Luxury Homebuyers

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      When dreaming of owning a waterfront home or weekend getaway, it’s typically the West Coast and the Eastern Seaboard that come to mind. But it turns out there’s a new shoreline that homebuyers are flocking to, and it’s in Alabama.  

      Lake Martin, a 40,000-acre man-made body of water about an hour’s drive east of Montgomery, has long generated interest from high-net-worth buyers. However, over the last handful of years, the quaint towns and planned developments surrounding the lake have seen an influx of out-of-town buyers swooping in to scoop up what’s now considered some of the most sought-after real estate on the Gulf Coast, The Wall Street Journal reported.

      Steve Arnberg, vice president of real estate sales at Russell Lands, reported a significant increase in home prices in just the last five years. Specifically in Alexander City, Dadeville, and Tallassee, in addition to residential neighborhoods like The Ridge, Willow Point, The Heritage, and StillWaters. A new Russell Lands development dubbed Wicker Point Golf Club is set to open in September, with lots seeing bids in excess of $1 million. 

      In July, the annual average sales price for a single-family home clocked in at roughly $1.3 million. To put things into perspective, that’s around a 95 percent spike from just four years prior, when residences along Lake Martin’s 800-mile shoreline were going for $668,000. 

      Among the area’s recent buyers is Bruce Pearl, head coach of Auburn University’s men’s basketball team, who picked up a property in an upscale resort-style development known as The Ridge in 2019. Pearl shelled out a cool $900,000 for his waterfront lot and estimated he put in about $3 million into building his 8,000-square-foot lakeside mansion. “There’s just no way you’d expect, in the middle of Alabama, to have this amazing lake, these incredible golf courses, and these multimillion-dollar homes,” Pearl told the WSJ.

      One of the most expensive pads currently on the Lake Martin market, listed for just shy of $6 million, is a six-bedroom, seven-bath home in Alexander City. Built in 2016, the home sits on over an acre of land in the North Ridge neighborhood and comes with a pier that juts out into the lake, a boat slip and lift, and a three-car garage. You’ll also find a massive outdoor pavilion with a kitchen, a state-of-the-art wine cellar, and three fireplaces.  

      “You just can’t help but enjoy yourself here,” remarked Robert Cobb, a member of the Willow Point community. “It’s so peaceful and serene.” For vacationers who want to make Lake Martin their next home away from home, its central location provides access to many of the area’s popular attractions. Come summertime, jet skiing, cliff jumping, horseback riding, and pulling off at dock-and-dine restaurants are a few ways residents like to spend their days.  More

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      in Vacation Homes

      This Modern Villa on a Private Island in Fiji Runs $7,800 Per Night

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      The hardest part of planning a vacation can be deciding where to stay. But when you’ve rented your own full-service villa in the South Pacific, all you need to choose is who you’re gonna bring. 

      Reef House, on privately owned Vomo Island in Fiji, is available to rent out for up to 10 of your closest friends and fam. The secluded pad, which sits on roughly 330 feet of powdery beachfront, has five bedrooms and just about every creature comfort you can imagine, from an 80-foot infinity pool to a personal butler.  

      The Reef House on Fiji’s Vomo Island is available for rent for up to 10 people.

      Mark Snyder/VOMO Island Fiji

      Overlooking the Yasawa Islands, Vomo Island has just 34 residences spread across its 225 acres. Reef House just so happens to be the biggest and the newest. For $7,862 a night, you and your guests will have all your meals and non-alcoholic bevvies covered, plus complimentary Wi-Fi and laundry service, access to non-motorized water sports, and use of the island resort’s tennis court, gym, and golf course. Did we mention the property is only accessible via helicopter or seaplane? 

      The five-bedroom home is the biggest residence on the resort.

      Mark Snyder/VOMO Island Fiji

      Nestled on just shy of two acres and designed by Mark Richi, managing director of the award-winning firm Architecture Building Culture, the home has a contemporary vibe to it. Internally, the abode feels casual and serene thanks to an abundance of neutral tones and natural materials, like the off-white limestone that was imported from Portugal. There’s also blonde Victorian ash wood paneling, and off-white painted plaster walls. Dark-tinted windows help mitigate the sun’s heat and glare.  

      The heart of the dwelling comprises one long, low-slung structure that houses the living room, dining area, and open-plan kitchen. Full-height glass walls in the living room and dining spaces slide open to a spacious loggia, creating a continuous space that serves as a single alfresco poolside hangout.

      The primary suite has its own wing with an outdoor terrace and hot tub.

      Mark Snyder/VOMO Island Fiji

      At one end of the great room, you’ll find two pavilions that hold four suites, each with separate entries, ensuite bathrooms, and walk-in closets. And over on the eastern side, the primary suite is a free-standing pavilion complete with an ensuite bath and an outdoor lounge. Another of the estate’s more notable features is the hot tub, which is equipped with a system that makes the water cooler if it’s too sweltering to soak comfortably.

      If and when you do decide to rejoin the group, kick back on any of the many sundecks or take a dip in the charcoal-tiled pool.  

      Click here to see all the photos of the Reef House.  

      Mark Snyder/VOMO Island Fiji More

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      in Luxury

      Halsey Buys the Beatles Sound Engineer’s Magical Los Angeles Hideaway

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      Halsey recently put her extravagant estate near Calabasas up for sale, asking $12 million. Previously owned by One Direction’s Liam Payne and sprawling across some five contiguous acres, that property has since sold for $11.6 million to an anonymous buyer.

      The “Without Me” singer appears to have radically altered her living situation; records confirm she’s paid $2.5 million to buy a small but stunning bungalow in L.A.’s musician-loved Laurel Canyon neighborhood. Nestled into the base of a rugged hill, the 1929 cottage was recently updated and heavily revised by Lauren Caris Cohan, a filmmaker and chief creative officer for the fashion brand Reformation. Before that, the 1,117-square-foot residence was long owned by music industry legend Geoff Emerick.

      Emerick, best known as an audio engineer for The Beatles, helped produce some of the most iconic albums in rock history — “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Abbey Road.” And Emerick’s talents proved immensely popular with other industry folk, as he later worked with Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, The Zombies, and Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles group Wings.

      Walled, gated and set high above the street, the Laurel Canyon home is admirably private. A quaint stone-and-brick staircase leads to a hand-carved front door; inside, the two-bedroom structure includes a surprisingly large living room with a soaring ceiling, original oak hardwood floors, intricate iron detailing and an original wood-burning fireplace.

      Mixed in with all those vintage features are plenty of modern amenities, too. Most notably, the kitchen offers new Italian terracotta floors, top-of-the-line Bertazzoni appliances and brass fixtures. Elsewhere are two bathrooms, both slathered in Japanese ceramic tile, and a spacious rooftop deck with built-in seating and a gas fireplace.

      Out back, the half-acre lot is shaded by mature trees and is visually spruced up by a Mediterranean-style garden awash in lavender and bougainvillea. Those lush pantings surround multiple terraced patios ideal for al fresco entertaining, a petite plunge pool and even an outdoor shower.

      Halsey, 28, is new to the Laurel Canyon area but not to the Hollywood Hills. From 2017-2020, she lived in the nearby Beachwood Canyon neighborhood, where she owned an updated midcentury home situated almost directly below the famed Hollywood Sign. More

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      in Luxury

      Reclusive French Entertainer Claudine Longet Lists $60 Million Aspen Estate

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      Over the summer, a 5.4-acre estate within the private Red Mountain Ranch enclave just north of downtown Aspen, Colo., came to market with an $80 million price tag. Had it sold for anywhere near the sky-high asking price, it would have easily surpassed the current record—$72.5 million—for the most expensive home ever sold in the wealthy and notoriously pricy Rocky Mountain retreat. Alas, with no takers ready to break that real estate record, the price has since tumbled by about 25% to its current (and still eye-popping!) $59.5 million. 

      Described in marketing material as “Aspen’s last great property,” the unpretentious estate “offers privacy, luxury, and stunning views from Aspen Mountain to Mount Sopris.” In addition to the main house, which disperses three bedrooms and three bathrooms over about 3,500 square feet, there’s an almost 1,400-square-foot studio/guesthouse with another bedroom and bath, plus a detached two-car garage.

      The main house sits just above a small private pond.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Capped by a green metal roof, the wood-clad two-story main house spills out to a huge deck and a flagstone patio perched above a boulder-strewn lawn that rolls down to and surrounds a postcard-ready private pond with the Rocky Mountains as its dramatic backdrop. The guesthouse, which also has a deck with stunning mountain views, is privately squirreled away from the main house amid a forest of mature cottonwood and aspen trees. 

      Gorgeous and alluring at every time of year, with a slender stream that meanders through it, the picturesque property has the potential to be split into several lots, according to listings held by Lex Tarumianz of Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty and Brian Hazen at Coldwell Banker Mason Morse.

      A stream meanders through the estate’s rolling landscape.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty

      Tax records show the property is owned by French entertainer Claudine Longet, now in her 80s. Longet skyrocketed to showbiz stardom in the early 1960s when she married crooner Andy “Mr. Christmas” Williams. During her time in the showbiz limelight, she released numerous albums and appeared in many TV programs and movies, including opposite Peter Sellers in Blake Edwards’s 1968 box-office hit The Party. (She also sang the dreamy song Nothing to Lose in the film.)

      Sometime after she and Williams split up in 1970, Longet moved to Aspen, where she’s lived a quiet life among the world’s snow skiing glitterati since she was convicted in 1977 on a negligent homicide charge in connection to the accidental shooting death of her then boyfriend, former Olympic skier Spider Sabich. She later married local Aspen attorney Ron Austin, who represented her at her trial. The couple has long maintained a home in Hawaii as well.

      Click here for all the photos of 209 East Reds Road.

      Mountain Home Photo/Sotheby’s International Realty More