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      in Luxury

      Marilyn Monroe Once Stayed in This Windmill in the Hamptons. Now You Can Buy It for $12 Million.

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      Like a lot of artists, literary figures and actors in the 1950s, including Edward Albee, Jackson Pollock and Truman Capote, newlyweds Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller headed to the Hamptons in the summer of 1957.

      The couple reportedly shacked up in a humble cottage at the historic Stony Hill Farm in Amagansett, part of which is nowadays owned by Alec and Hilaria Baldwin. However, so the story goes, to thwart the press, the frequently paparazzi-tracked pair would also stay at another place on nearby Quail Hill, in an old windmill that was invisible from the road and that had been converted into a unique and simply appointed residence. It was only five years later that Monroe died in her home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles that was recently purchased by a neighbor who initially wanted to tear the house down.

      Monroe and Miller’s funky, romantic hideaway in the Hamptons, not quite two miles inland from popular Atlantic Avenue Beach and appropriately known as The Windmill House, has recently popped up for sale for $12 million. The almost 5.5-acre, mostly wooded property offers total privacy thanks to it being bordered on two sides by protected land owned by the Peconic Land Trust.

      The 19th-century windmill was expanded and converted into a rustic residence in the 1950s.

      The windmill sits on the high point of Quail Hill and was built in the mid-1800s. It pumped water for the farm on which it sat for about 100 years, but sometime around 1950, Samuel Rubin, the founder of Fabergé Perfumes, converted the three-story windmill into a rustic guest house. It was around this time that a structure was added to the back of the windmill to house a kitchen, along with a bedroom and a bathroom. 

      The property was acquired in 1967 by Deborah Ann Light, a philanthropic heiress to the Upjohn pharmaceutical fortune (and a Wiccan priestess!), who donated the adjacent 20 acres to the Peconic Land Trust, a Southampton-based land preservation nonprofit organization for which she was a founding member. Tax records indicate the seller has owned the property for at least a dozen years.

      The kitchen has all that is necessary for whipping up simple summer meals.

      Today, the approximately 1,300-square-foot home remains an unpretentious getaway in one of the most exclusive and expensive resort enclaves in the United States. It has a cozy sitting room, a pint-sized kitchen with a tiny built-in table for two, a couple of bedrooms, one of them an octagonal space on the second floor, and a single bathroom. The unfinished third floor, a one-of-a-kind walk-in closet or storage space, still has the windmill’s mechanical equipment; a metal brake holds the blades of the windmill in place.

      Just outside the windmill’s front door is a large brick patio for enjoying sea breezes, and elsewhere there’s a detached two-car garage and a small accessory building that has previously been used as an art studio.

      The original mechanical equipment remains in place; a metal brake keeps the windmill from turning.

      Besides Monroe and Miller, The Windmill House has been a temporary refuge for several decorators and designers over the years, along with English actor Terence Stamp (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) and satirical novelist Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five).

      Listing agent Bobby Rosenbaum of Douglas Elliman has also stayed at The Windmill House over the years and told Robb Report, “You can really sense the awesome power of Mother Nature in the beauty that surrounds this special home, from the aroma of fresh, clean, salty air blowing gently over Quail Hill, to the musical sounds of the gusts of wind that kiss the trees and rustle their branches.”

      Still, this is the Hamptons, the summertime playground of the world’s richest and most famous. And so, the value of this property may not be so much in its literary and show business provenance but rather its potential to build, according to marketing material, a residence of up to 20,000 square feet with distant views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Montauk/Napeague Bay. 

      Click here for more photos of The Windmill House. More

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      Freshly Rehabbed, Architect Ray Kappe’s First Ever House Is Quintessential California Modernism

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      Widely considered one of California’s most influential modernist architects, Ray Kappe’s career spanned decades and inspired countless members of the current generation of architects and designers. And as a pioneer of the distinctive post-and-beam style that would come to define the architectural bent that became SoCal modernism, Kappe infused each of the numerous custom residences he designed with textures and materials he drew from L.A.’s natural landscape.

      That design sensibility that married Kappe’s homes with their natural surroundings is especially displayed in this suburban L.A. home, which happens to be his very first residential project ever completed. Built circa 1954 in the Glendale hills and surrounded by thick groves of native oak trees, the redwood-sided structure is locally known as the Gordon & Hildred Goetschel House after its original owners.

      Kappe’s first project is also the latest project by HabHouse, the L.A. based design firm that has built its reputation upon sensitive rehabilitations of architectural properties. In this instance, HabHouse reinstated or refurbished much of the home’s original detailing and also completely renovated the Kappe-designed swimming pool with modern-day equipment, plaster, tile and new coping. 

      The living room offers a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and walls of glass.

      if the HabHouse name sounds particularly familiar, it’s likely because this same crew was also responsible for a 1950 modernist gem in Brentwood, which recently sold in a bidding war to “Euphoria” actress Hunter Schafer. This property was also in high demand – the Glendale house sold before officially hitting the market, for about $2.6 million in an all-cash deal. Records indicate the buyer is a Salt Lake City-based woman who was once married to a wealthy tech entrepreneur.

      Framed by a wall of unpainted masonry block, the glass-walled pavilion is exquisite in its simplicity. Inside, natural light floods every corner of the hillside home, with the ancient trees casting shadows that stealthily move and grow throughout the day. 

      Other highlights include a fully redone kitchen with a distinctly retro vibe, an attached two-car garage and an 8,400-square-foot lot with backyard views of the Verdugo mountains. Back inside, there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a relatively cozy 1,700 square feet of living space.

      The backyard has mountain views framed by the treetops of ancient oaks.

      Kappe, who died at age 92 in 2019, designed 100 custom residences throughout his lifetime. He also founded the Southern California Institute for Architecture, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top architecture schools.

      Matt Adamo of Christie’s AKG held the listing; Nate Cole of Modern California House and Joseph Kiralla of Sotheby’s International Realty repped the buyer.

      Click here for more photos of 272 Mesa Lila, Glendale. More

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      Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Passed on This L.A. Mansion. Now It Can Be Yours for $30 Million.

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      Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck initiated escrow on a $34.5 million “Hamptons-esque” estate in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles after a lengthy home search. Alas, though most folks thought they had finally found true real estate love, the merger was not in the cards. Instead, the A-list couple wound up pulling out of the real estate deal, before ultimately paying all cash this past spring for a $61 million compound high in the mountains above Beverly Hills.

      Now the place that got away has popped up for sale once again, and it could be yours for a speck under $30 million. Sam Palmer and Blair Chang of The Agency hold the listing.

      A porte-cochère empties out at a motorcourt fronting the two-story home.

      Tucked away behind walls and gates amid a 1-acre parcel in the Benedict Canyon neighborhood, and designed by architect Ken Ungar, the recently built spec mansion features seven bedrooms and 13 baths sprawled across 15,000 square feet of two-level living space crafted by The House of Porter. There also are plenty of amenities, including a study, wet bar-equipped parlor room, movie theater, wine cellar, gym and spa.

      Among the main-level highlights is a formal living room sporting a wood-burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass doors spilling outside. Another fireplace and a bar can be found in the formal dining room, while a cozy family room links to a marble-clad kitchen outfitted with double islands, top-tier stainless appliances, a separate prep kitchen and breakfast nook.

      A study has sliding doors leading out to a covered deck ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      Upstairs, the fireside master retreat comes complete with a sitting room and private balcony overlooking the backyard, as well as dual walk-in closets and baths; and outdoors, the resort-inspired grounds are laced with native sycamore trees and grassy lawns, and host a kitchen and an al fresco dining setup, a fire-pit, and pool and spa. 

      Also holding court on the property is a detached one-bedroom guesthouse with its own living and dining rooms, along with an arched brick porte-cochère that leads to a gravel motorcourt flanked by a six-car garage.

      The backyard is decked out with a full outdoor kitchen and dark-bottom pool.

      Lopez recently sold her lavish Bel Air retreat for $34 million to Taiwanese businessman Walter Wang, president and CEO of L.A.-based JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic and PVC pipe, and his wife Shirley, founder and CEO of Plastpro, a top fiberglass door manufacturer, who already own two properties just a few doors away. Affleck also let his Pacific Palisades bachelor pad go back in October 2022 for $28.5 million

      Between them, the couple also owns an 87-acre Georgia estate that’s currently on the market for $8.9 million, as well as a New York City penthouse, mansion in the Hamptons and petite cottage in L.A.’s Encino neighborhood.

      Click here for more photos of 14330 West Sunset. More

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

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      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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      Diane Sawyer’s Coastal New England Oasis Sells for Close to Asking

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      Once again Diane Sawyer is associated with breaking news—but this time, the latest juicy tidbit is centered around her own New England home. Barely two months after the TV broadcast journalist’s longtime residence known as “Chip Chop” first hit the market, the sprawling seaside compound has already traded hands for a smidge under the $24 million asking price, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

      Records show the speedy buyer is David Malm, managing partner of Webster Equity Partners, who paid $23.9 million for the 20-acre estate resting in the coastal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard. Per WSJ, the investor now lays claim to $100 million worth of luxury homes on the Massachusetts island and neighboring Nantucket, including a historic house on Edgartown’s inner harbor he paid $15 million for earlier this year.

      Designed in the late 1930s by Neoclassical architect Eric Gugler and ultimately completed in the mid-1940s, the property was purchased by the news anchor and her late film director husband Mike Nichols in the mid-1990s for $5.3 million. The couple subsequently undertook an extensive restoration in conjunction with Tate Builders, which included adding dormers, and replicating antique windows and doors.

      Originally built for stage actress Katharine Cornell, and designed by Neoclassical architect Eric Gugler, the New England-style home is topped with 10 chimneys.

      Nestled on two separate parcels of land tucked between Vineyard Sound and Lake Tashmoo, and boasting a combined mile of private shoreline, the seaside spread features a wood-shingled, New England-style main house boasting three bedrooms in nearly 5,000 square feet of living space.

      Numerous additional structures include a two-bedroom caretaker’s cottage and a pair of modern beach cottages affectionately referred to as “The Shacks” because of the fishing shacks they replaced, plus two more detached guest bedroom suites known as the Pond and Ocean pavilions. There’s also a swimming pool and Har-Tru tennis court on the premises.

      Several ancillary structures are scattered across the 20-acre property.

      The 77-year-old anchor known for programs such as ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20, previously told WSJ she is selling this “magic place” because “the rhythms of summer have changed” as her family has grown, and “there is less free time for long visits to the island.”

      The listing was held by Mark Jenkins of Wallace and Co. Sotheby’s International Realty; Malm was repped by Tom Wallace of Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Click here for more photos of Diane Sawyer’s New England compound. More

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      in Luxury

      ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Screenwriter Scores Hilltop L.A. Home With Panoramic Views

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      Perched atop a knoll high above L.A.’s trendy and expensive Silver Lake neighborhood, this stylish Spanish Colonial Revival-esque home may appear to be a classic 1920s example, but it was actually built in the early 2000s. Although initially designed as a Tuscan-style villa, the roughly 4,000 square foot house underwent a dramatic refresh circa 2020 by its second owner, filmmaker/musician Robert Schwartzman, a member of Hollywood’s famed Coppola family.

      Schwartzman and his wife Zooey bought the house in 2019, paying $2.3 million, but their modifications caused the property’s value to soar. Over the summer, they flipped the place for a hefty $4.3 million to Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Peter Craig and his third wife, educator Cristina Esposito. 

      But it’s not hard to see the home’s attraction. Set high up and far back on its relatively generous 9,300-square-foot lot, the house lies completely out of sight from public view, shielded behind a detached two-car garage and a dense canopy of oak and eucalyptus trees. Behind a locked gate, several short flights of stairs lead up to a flat patio with a grassy lawn and dozens of native plantings.

      The formal dining room harkens back to the glory days of Old Hollywood, albeit with some chicly modern-day wallpaper.

      Inside the double-height foyer, the home’s Old Hollywood feel is especially pronounced – there are intricate iron details and terracotta tile floors that blend surprisingly well with the dark brown hardwood floors found on the staircase and throughout the rest of the home. From the foyer, an arched passageway leads directly under the staircase to the great room, which packs in a fireplace, casual dining space and an open kitchen with premium appliances and two islands, plus several sets of French doors leading to various outdoor patios.

      Other stylish home highlights include a bonus room/studio and a wine cellar, plus a formal dining room that connects via an arched doorway to a fountain-equipped terrace. All three of the residence’s bedrooms lie upstairs, where two guest rooms share a single bathroom; the primary bedroom features a sumptuous bath, two walk-in closets and a private, covered balcony with stunning city lights views.

      The house gets the full benefit of L.A.’s famous sunsets.

      Those vistas continue throughout the backyard, where various patios and terraces drink in unobstructed sightlines of Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign and the Downtown L.A. skyline. And while the property does not currently sport a swimming pool, the watery beauty of Silver Lake Reservoir is just a short jog away.

      Craig, 53, is the eldest son of Oscar-winning actress Sally Field. Originally a novelist, he made his screenwriting debut with the 2010 crime thriller The Town , which garnered critical acclaim. In 2022, he co-wrote the screenplays for both The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick, both major box office successes; the latter project earned him an Academy Award nomination.

      Click here for more photos of Peter Craig’s Silver Lake house. More

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

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      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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      Designer Rachel Ashwell’s Dreamy Shabby Chic House Is Up for Grabs in L.A.

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      If you’re a fan of the Shabby Chic aesthetic, then this particular listing is sure to set your heart aflutter. Owned by none other than Rachel Ashwell—the British-born mastermind behind the iconic decorating brand—the charming abode is now on the market in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles for the first time in 16 years, complete a practical amount of space, relaxed atmosphere, comfortable beauty, and naturally, plenty of white paint.

      The 64-year-old who originally coined the design term in the late 1980s—and went on to launch an eponymously named home furnishings company—is asking a tad under $7 million for the English country-style villa, which she purchased for $4.15 million back in October 2007.

      The home is sited on a large flat lot replete with fragrant beds of lavender, roses and herbs.

      Sited near the Santa Monica coastline, and just steps from Brentwood Country Mart, the creamy stucco and pale blue-shuttered structure was built way back in the early 1930s. Since updated and beautifully decked out by Ashwell in her signature style, the dwelling features four bedrooms and three baths in a little more than 12,500 square feet of open-concept living space adorned throughout with hardwood floors, vintage light fixtures, half-painted walls, and a mix of wood-paneled and glossy painted ceilings.

      Nestled amid a flat parcel of land spanning over a quarter of an acre, the two-story home is fronted by a pathway that leads through a trellised gate before emptying out at a covered porch, with a gated driveway tucked off to the side. Once inside, an entrance hall flows to a formal living room warmed by a brick fireplace boasting a wood-beam mantle, and a combined family room and dining area connects to a galley-style kitchen outfitted with a diagonal tile backsplash, open shelving, a farmhouse sink and newer stainless appliances.

      The classically updated kitchen sports a farmhouse sink and top-tier Viking range.

      Elsewhere on the main level is an office space and en-suite bedroom with its own entrance; and three additional bedrooms upstairs include two that share a bath, as well as a serene primary suite equipped with dual balconies, a wallpapered dressing area, and spa-like bath spotlighted by a pedestal sink, built-in soaking tub and walk-in shower.

      In addition to picturesque gardens and towering trees, the private grounds also host a grassy lawn surrounding a heated saline pool and spa, plus numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also a separate structure dubbed “The Barn,” which is actually a converted two-car garage with a full bath that could easily be used as an artist studio, office or a guesthouse.

      The listing is held by Juliette Hohnen of Douglas Elliman.

      Click here for more photos of Rachel Ashwell’s Brentwood house. More