More stories

  • in

    Jessica Simpson Is Putting Her Longtime SoCal Home on the Market for $22 Million

    Back in spring 2013, a little more than a year before she married former NFL player Eric Johnson, Jessica Simpson paid Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne $11.5 million for a nearly 2.5-acre spread in the guard-gated Hidden Hills community. Now the pop star-turned-billion-dollar fashion mogul is ready to part ways with the place she’s owned for just over a decade, asking $22 million.

    The impending sale might be due to a little something she told Bustle earlier this summer. According to the online women’s magazine, Simpson says she’s considering a move to Nashville to reboot her music career.

    The 43-year-old Texas native purchased the opulent digs from the Osbournes for $11.5 million shortly before her 2014 marriage to Johnson, with the couple extensively remodeling and expanding the premises during their tenure. As for the Osbournes, the reality show stars paid nearly $12.4 million for the house in 2007, then subsequently undertook a Martyn Lawrence-Bullard-designed makeover that was featured in the pages of Architectural Digest.

    The expansive home has its share of cozy spots geared specifically toward relaxation.

    Cannon Schmidt/The Salty Shutters

    Built in 2001, the sprawling Cape Cod-inspired structure is tucked away behind a gated driveway accessible via a secluded cul-de-sac, and features eight bedrooms and 13 baths in just over 13,200 square feet of multi-level living space introduced by a double-height foyer displaying a striking spiral staircase flanked by soaring walls of glass.

    From there, a gourmet kitchen is outfitted with top-tier Wolf appliances, a center island, walk-in pantry and an accompanying breakfast nook, and oversized sliding barn doors lead to an adjacent family room resting beneath a vaulted wood-beam ceiling and sporting a fireplace crafted from reclaimed brick.

    The resort-like backyard is entertainment-ready with an al fresco entertaining area that comes complete with a built-in barbecue station.

    Cannon Schmidt/The Salty Shutters

    Elsewhere are a fireside living room, formal dining room, wood-paneled study, recording studio and gym, plus a sumptuous master retreat decked out with a stone fireplace, private balcony, sitting area, dual walk-in closets, and a luxe bath equipped with a soaking tub and steam shower.

    Outdoors the resort-like grounds overlook picturesque city lights and mountain views, and host a grassy lawn, pool with a spa and separate shallow pool, and several spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also a four-car garage and guesthouse with its own kitchenette.

    The listing is held by Bret Harrison of Coldwell Banker Realty.

    Click here for more photos of Jessica Simpson’s Hidden Hills house.

    Cannon Schmidt/The Salty Shutters More

  • in

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Creator Jon Favreau Adds Fourth L.A. House to His Portfolio

    Two years ago, Jon Favreau spent nearly $25 million to buy a palatial house in Laguna Beach. But that doesn’t mean the the prolific Hollywood multi-hyphenate is abandoning his longtime main residence in Los Angeles, where he owns three side-by-side houses in the seaside town of Santa Monica.

    On the contrary, Favreau is again expanding his Santa Monica footprint. Records show he acquired his three current properties from three different sellers in three separate transactions: the first in 2002, the second in 2005 and the third in 2021, for a total outlay of $6.9 million. Now he’s added a fourth residence into the mix, splashing out an additional $6.8 million to buy the property adjoining his current estate.

    The $6.8 million residence was built in 2023 and never officially listed for sale.

    While all three of his first homes are Spanish- or Mediterranean-style structures built decades ago, this fourth one is different. Bulky, boxy and ultra-contemporary, the two-story smart home was completed just this year, and built on speculation. Unfortunately, the house was never on the market, so photos and details are scant. But aerial photos reveal there’s a patio and grassy lawns out back, plus a swimming pool and a detached garage and cabana.

    This latest acquisition gives Favreau a contiguous four-house compound that spans two-thirds of one flat acre, a lot of space for the tightly-packed town of Santa Monica.

    The four-house estate, set on a leafy street in prime Santa Monica.

    Favreau, 56, is perhaps best known today as an actor who’s starred in numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters (Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Iron Man franchise), but he also directed and produced the recent remakes of The Lion King and The Jungle Book, and is the creator of The Mandalorian series on Disney+. The New York City native got his professional start in indie films during the 1990s; notable works included 1996’s Swingers and 2001’s Made. Per various reports, his net worth exceeds $100 million.

    Besides their expanded Santa Monica compound and relatively new Laguna vacation home, Favreau and longtime wife Joya Tillem also maintain a $5 million property in L.A.’s Venice neighborhood, which is reportedly used as offices for Favreau’s Fairview Entertainment production company. More

  • in

    Ashley Benson Sells Her Historic Los Angeles Villa for $8.5 Million

    Barely one month after she put it up for grabs, Ashley Benson’s Los Angeles home has officially sold. The 1930s Los Feliz residence, tucked away within the famously star-studded Laughlin Park gated community, went for $8.5 million — lower than the “Pretty Little Liars” star’s $9.5 million asking price, but far more than the $4.5 million she paid for the place back in 2020.

    Records show the buyers are Scott Parra-Matthews, the longtime CFO of major food wholesaler Vesta Foodservice, and his husband Jairo Parra-Matthews.

    During her ownership, Benson gave the property a big and very thorough remodel. In addition to bathing each room in vibrantly decadent colors, she also ripped out and replaced the entire kitchen, renovated the bathrooms and generally gave the whole place a new and very contemporary lease on life. And even the outdoors didn’t escape the magic Benson touch — the Orange County native added a high wall that surrounds the entire property, installed privacy hedges and even replaced the old swimming pool with a newer and sexier pool, complete with a big raised hot tub. “No money was spared during the recent remodel,” the listing proclaimed.

    Designed nearly a century ago by prolific L.A. architect Arthur Rowland Kelly, best known for also penning the Playboy Mansion, the nearly 5,000-square-foot house was modeled after the Mediterranean-style villas that lace the French and Italian Rivieras. Despite its age, Benson is reportedly only the Laughlin Park home’s fourth-ever owner.

    While plenty of original charm remains, those Benson upgrades are very bespoke. Some of the more unusual amenities include a hair salon, a speakeasy “VIP lounge bar” and a wood-paneled master bedroom with its own kitchenette and boutique-style closet. The master bath features separate greenhouse-like stations for the shower/tub area and the toilet, respectively, and other in-house upgrades include a dropdown projector screen and a state-of-the-art Control4 smart home system.

    The cul-de-sac property is atypical in that is surrounded on three sides by a roadway, meaning that outdoor space is somewhat limited, but there is a big and new stone patio with ample space for al fresco entertaining, plus a grassy patch of lawn. One extra-special feature: per this listing, this house is perched on a knoll at the very highest point of Laughlin Park, meaning it lords over all the neighbors and sports 360-degree views that encompass the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Hills and Downtown L.A. skyline.

    Laughlin Park has long been a favorite haunt of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Current residents include Brie Larson, Natalie Portman, Angelina Jolie, Kristen Stewart, Ellen Pompeo and Will.i.am, though the enclave is perhaps most famous for having been home to Cecil B. DeMille, the American cinema pioneer, for nearly 40 years. More

  • in

    The Former London Home of Late Romance Author Dame Barbara Cartland Just Listed for $44 Million

    The late and famously prolific English author Dame Barbara Cartland, whose 720-plus novels sold upwards of 750 million copies, was the so-called “Queen of Romance,” so don’t be surprised if you fall in love with her sumptuous former London home. Located in Mayfair, one of the most affluent areas of the British capital, the novelist’s lavish five-story mansion is newly listed for a hefty £35 million (or roughly $44.2 million).

    Originally built in 1902 for Liberal politician and stockbroker Sir Cuthbert Quilter, the Edwardian-style abode has played host to its fair share of high-profile residents. The elegant abode was purchased by Cartland in 1936 and is where she raised her daughter, Countess Raine Spencer, better known as the stepmother to Princess Diana. (Despite the connection, Cartland was not invited to Diana’s wedding to Charles in 1981.) In the century-plus since it was erected, the palatial pad also served as the birthplace of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who briefly served as Prime Minister in the mid-1960s.

    The former London townhouse of British novelist Dame Barbara Cartland just listed for $44.2 million

    Christophe Schaillee

    “This remarkable property is widely regarded as the quintessential London mansion. It exudes elegance and sophistication, with its exceptional features and prime location just moments away from Park Lane and Grosvenor Square,” notes the listing, which is held by Michael Holt and Nicole Hay of Compass.

    Designed by acclaimed architect Detmar Blow, the 8,500-square-foot property features a stately red-brick exterior adorned with neo-classical cornices. Inside, soaring and embellished ceilings, stone fireplaces, and a sweeping wooden staircase are among the home’s original period features.

    For all the historic detailing and traditional finery, there are, however, a notable number of modernizations. For example, the basement has been turned into a full-blown spa, where you’ll find an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a designated relaxation zone, and even a bar.

    The lower level has an indoor pool and spa that opens to a patio.

    Christophe Schaillee

    No stranger to entertaining, Cartland made good use of the grandly proportioned principal reception areas on the ground and first floors, which combined can accommodate over 100 guests. Elsewhere, the deluxe digs comprise six bedrooms, including a swanky primary suite that occupies the entire second floor. The space is decked out with a projector over the bed, an enormous walk-in closet, an ensuite bath, and its own private terrace.

    “Undoubtedly, this truly magnificent home stands as the epitome of luxury living in London,” crows the listing. We concur.

    Click here to see all the photos of 28 South Street. 

    Christophe Schaillee More

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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

  • in

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

    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