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    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Luxury

      A Late Billionaire’s Historic Mansion Gets Drastic $55 Million Price Cut

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      Almost five months after it officially hit the market with an eye-popping $250 million price tag—and just a few short weeks after its longtime owner, billionaire telecom pioneer Gary Winnick, passed away at age 76—the Bel Air trophy estate widely known as “Casa Encantada” (loosely translated to “Enchanted House”) has popped up for sale again, this time with a substantially reduced $195 million ask. Back in 2019, it also was quietly floated as an off-market pocket listing, asking $225 million.

      Originally designed and built way back in the 1930s by architect James Dolena, to the reported tune of around $2 million, for Hilda Boldt Weber—a former New York City hospital nurse who married multimillionaire Cincinnati glass manufacturer Charles Boldt, and then inherited a considerable fortune upon his death in the late 1920s—the dwelling was later sold to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton for a mere $225,000 in 1950.

      The home is fronted by a fountain and neoclassical portico entrance.

      Simon Berlyn

      After Hilton passed away in 1979, retired Dole Food Products chairman David Murdock bought the place for $12.4 million in 1980. He subsequently transferred the estate for $94 million in 2000 to Winnick and his wife, artist and author Karen Winnick, who spent more than two years and tens of millions of dollars extensively restoring the premises in collaboration with noted architect Peter Marino. The $94 million deal, it should be noted, was long a residential record for California but also was a non-standard sale, involving both cash and two large pieces of land.

      Tucked away behind walls and gates, amid an 8.4-acre hilltop parcel that juts out over the Bel Air Country Club golf course, the H-shaped mansion is fronted by a motorcourt bolstered by a bubbling fountain and an opulent neoclassical portico entrance, and features seven bedrooms and 20 baths filtered across 40,000 square feet. There also are plenty of glitzy amenities, including a pool pavilion with a bar and movie theater.

      A wood-clad lounge area is warmed by a fireplace.

      Simon Berlyn

      Inside the primary 60-room residence, a grand double-height entry foyer displaying a sweeping staircase greets and flows to a reception hall resting beneath an 18-foot ceiling. From there, the living space is highlighted by dual living and dining rooms, along with a wet bar-equipped den/card room and handsome walnut-paneled study/office lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. There’s also a 3,500-square-foot master retreat boasting double sitting rooms and baths.

      The property, which has no neighbors on either side, sits atop a subterranean tunnel that connects two holes of the exclusive golf course, and overlooks picturesque city, mountain and ocean views; and the resort-like grounds also host rose, herb and tropical gardens, as well as an 80-foot pool, a desirable north/south tennis court with a viewing pavilion, an additional sport court, and numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      A poolside pavilion comes complete with a movie theater.

      Simon Berlyn

      In addition to the Bel Air estate, which is co-listed by Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency and Drew Fenton of Carolwood Estates, Winnick’s widow still maintains a Charles Gwathmey-designed apartment on the 20th floor of New York City’s iconic Sherry Netherland Hotel that’s currently on the market for just under $4.5 million.

      Click here for more photos of Casa Encantada.

      Simon Berlyn More

    • 125 Shares149 Views

      in Luxury

      Melanie Martinez’s Stylish Los Angeles Retreat Is Up for Grabs

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      Now that she’s upgraded into a sprawling Mediterranean-style property in Topanga Canyon, an unincorporated Los Angeles neighborhood tucked into the remote hills between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, Melanie Martinez has unsurprisingly put her custom-built equestrian spread in the prestigious guard-gated Bell Canyon community due north of Calabasas up for sale.

      Records show the singer, songwriter and producer—who first gained fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2012 at just 16 years old, and subsequently blossomed into a “pop star plucked from the imagination of Dr. Seuss”—doled out $3.1 million over the summer for her new home, which has three bedrooms and four baths in a little more than 3,300 square feet of living space.

      Martinez recently paid $3.1 million for this gated estate in semi-remote Topanga Canyon.

      Google Earth

      Meanwhile, the other place she paid $2.1 million for in an August 2022 bidding war is already up for sale at $2.85 million.

      Resting behind a gated brick driveway, amid a heavily wooded parcel spanning almost an acre, the creamy stucco and wood-trimmed structure was custom built in 1979. Stylishly updated during Martinez’s short tenure, the two-story house features four bedrooms and a matching number of baths in 3,420 square feet of open-concept living space adorned throughout with hardwood floors, high ceilings, arched doorways and detailed woodwork.

      Set behind gates and a private brick driveway, the custom-built home draws heavy inspiration from French Normandy architecture.

      Lacey Wood Photography

      Especially standing out is a portico entryway that opens into an eye-catching foyer displaying a vaulted ceiling and staircase. From there, steps descend to a living room sporting a stone fireplace, wall of windows and wet bar, while a family room boasting a two-way white brick fireplace connects to a “completely reimagined” kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island and top-tier stainless appliances. Elsewhere are an office space and a dining room topped by a wrought-iron chandelier.

      Upstairs, the spacious primary bedroom is showcased by a sitting area, walk-in closet, and spa-like bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and separate shower; and outdoors, the secluded backyard hosts a sundeck-encased pool and spa flanked by a barbecue and kitchen setup with a fireplace, along with a covered terrace ideal for al fresco entertaining. There’s also a barn with three horse stalls, as well as a motorcourt and an attached three-car garage out front.

      The formal living room is highlighted by an exposed-beam ceiling, a bay window and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace incorporating built-in shelving.

      Lacey Wood Photography

      Listed by Steve Clark of Backbeat Homes, the Bell Canyon property also comes with a $280-per-month HOA fee that provides the new owner with access to the community’s clubhouse and fitness center, tennis courts, and hiking, biking and horse trails.

      Now 28, the New York native is signed to Atlantic Records, through which she released her debut single and EP Dollhouse. The eccentric, visually oriented musician followed that up with the studio albums Cry Baby and K-12 (with an accompanying film), and the EP After School. Most recently, Martinez released Portals, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

      Click here for more photos of Melanie Martinez’s Bell Canyon house.

      Lacey Wood Photography More

    • 188 Shares179 Views

      in Vacation Homes

      From Mexico to Sardinia: Here Are the Most Expensive Airbnb Beachfront Rentals Around the World

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      Nothing says vacation like a trip to the beach. But how much would you splash out for a totally over-the-top rental? 

      For those yearning for a luxury weekend by the sea, a new study combed through the most expensive beachfront Airbnb listings in every country and came up with a ranking of the world’s top 10 priciest vacation properties. To put things into perspective, the report found that the average Airbnb rental goes for $137 per night. Naturally, the nightly rate for a billionaire-style villa on the beach is going to cost way more. Let’s get into it.  

      The most expensive beachfront Airbnb is an $18,000-per-night private island in the Bahamas.

      Courtesy of Airbnb

      There are two properties that rank as the most expensive Airbnbs on the planet. For an eye-watering $18,000 a night, you can book a stay at Middle Cay, an idyllic private island in the Bahamas, or live it up at Casa del Oso, a 10-bedroom waterfront mansion in Punta Mita, Mexico.

      In the third spot is Villa Harrah in Glenbrook, Nevada, which ranks as the most expensive rental in the United States. The 20,000-square-foot Lake Tahoe chalet, originally built in 1963 by casino operator William F. Harrah, runs a cool $17,000 per night. In comparison, the next most expensive vacation rental in the U.S. is the $11,000 per night Villa Salt Acres in Stonington, Connecticut, which includes 2,000 feet of pristine coastline with 400 feet of private beach, along with a boat dock, a tennis court, a movie theater, and a wine cellar.  

      Villa Harrah on Lake Tahoe is the priciest beachfront vacation rental in the United States.

      Courtesy of Airbnb

      Coming in at the fourth spot is Mansion Villa at Daios, a sea-facing retreat in Crete. The $16,995-per-night residence on Daios Cove, the most expensive Airbnb in Europe, offers panoramic ocean views, an infinity pool, a sprawling stone terrace, and an indoor spa area that’s replete with a sauna, a massage room, and a gym.

      If you’ve got $16,311 to burn, you can enjoy a stay at Finca J in the medieval Spanish village of Begur, and for $15,000, you can book a stay for up to 24 guests at Villa Punta Aguila inside the swanky Casa de Campo Resort in the Dominican Republic.  

      CieloMar in Costa Rica ranks seventh on the list and goes for $13,265 per night; the villa can accommodate up to 12 guests in six bedrooms. The home is shaped like the bow of a ship and comprises every enviable amenity imaginable, from a volcanic stone-lined infinity pool to a wet bar and a Zen garden.  

      Rounding out the top 10 are Crystal Springs, a $12,500-per-night beachfront compound in Barbados that provides a staggering 12,000 square feet across six buildings serviced by a staff of 14; the $12,000-per-night Pearns Bay House in Antigua, which can accommodate up to a dozen guests; and, for $11,946 per night, there’s Villa Hortensia on the coast of Sardinia. More

    • 175 Shares109 Views

      in Luxury

      A Tech CEO’s Oceanfront Florida Mansion Is Up for Grabs at Nearly $22 Million

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      After barely two years of ownership, Mike Tuchen has decided to hoist his Florida estate on an exclusive Hillsboro Beach barrier island in northeast Broward County back on the market. The San Francisco-based tech executive is asking a smidge under $22 million for the waterfront spread, which rests on almost three-quarters of an acre of land tucked between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway.

      The CEO of Onfido, a global provider of identity and verification services, and his wife Sarasina purchased the property from Russian casino owner Maxim Smolentsev for almost $17 million in spring 2021. Built and designed in 2009 by Everton Development, the stately pink and white-trimmed structure offers five bedrooms and 10 baths spread across nearly 11,000 square feet of chic living space adorned throughout with a mix of marble and dark hardwood floors, decoratively trimmed walls and high wood-beam ceilings.

      The home is located on a barrier island known as “Millionaire’s Mile,” between the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean.

      The Carroll Group

      “This trophy estate represents the pinnacle of coastal living, offering the best of both worlds overlooking a pristine beach on one side and the Intracoastal with a boat dock on the other,” says listing agent Chad Carroll of The Carroll Group at Compass. “The property offers everything one could ever need; from prime location and gated privacy to immaculate design and incredible amenities, the level of luxury is incomparable.”

      Sited in the sought-after “Millionaire’s Mile” community, about 20 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale, the three-story structure boasts numerous amenities, including a club room, golf simulator, bar, wine cellar and gym. There’s also a spacious five-car garage, plus 100 feet of waterfront footage on the Intracoastal sporting a 70-foot dock and 30,000-pound boat lift.

      A cozy fireside club room is the ideal spot for entertaining guests.

      The Carroll Group

      Especially standing out inside is an entry foyer flanked by recessed wall niches. From there, a living room with a fireplace is highlighted by sliding glass doors spilling outside, a formal dining room has a built-in buffet, and a gourmet kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island and top-tier stainless appliances. An adjacent dining area connects to a family room, while a posh upstairs master retreat is tricked out with a sitting room, private balconies, and a luxe bath flaunting a soaking tub and separate rainfall shower.

      Outdoors, the palm-laced grounds are showcased by Italian marble terraces a summer kitchen, and pool and spa abutting a grassy lawn and lounging patio, along with steps leading directly to the beach below.

      A set of steps leads directly to the beach below.

      The Carroll Group

      Per property records, the Tuchens also maintain an ocean-view residence in Pebble Beach, Calif., that they paid $6 million for a little more than six years ago, back in winter 2017.

      Click here for more photos of Mike Tuchen’s Florida house.

      The Carroll Group More

    • 250 Shares99 Views

      in Luxury

      Just Sold for $8.4 Million, Paula Deen’s Former Savannah Estate Has Set a Local Sales Record for a Second Time

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      Hey y’all! When down-home celebrity chef Paula Deen sold Riverbend, her sprawling Savannah, Georgia, estate, in 2020 for a teaspoonful more than $6.8 million, it pegged a record for the highest amount ever paid for a home in the Hostess City of the South.

      Now, the very same 4.62-acre riverfront compound, about 10 miles southeast of Savannah’s historic district and owned by a family from northern California who renamed it Vila Sacadura, has just been sold for $8.4 million, once again making it the most expensive home ever sold in Savannah.

      Listing agent Ridley Stallings of Corcoran Austin Hill Realty commented, “Vila Sacadura is a truly exceptional property, and the sale record is just a reflection of how special this property is, an iconic piece of coastal Savannah.”

      Altogether, the manicured spread has 14 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms across 28,000 square feet of casually luxurious living space divvied up between the main house, two guest cottages, a dock house, and a customized barn/guest house.

      At the end of a long, gated driveway that passes through verdant gardens is the French Caribbean-style main residence.

      Stephen Snyder of Snyder Film Productions

      At more than 14,000 square feet, the French Caribbean-style main residence, which has six bedrooms and six bathrooms, plus a couple of powder rooms, is nothing short of commodious, with a soaring, wood-clad ceiling in the colossal combination living and dining room that helps with the heat and humidity that blanket Savannah during the late summer months. 

      The centerpiece of the home, unsurprisingly, is the vast kitchen that’s outfitted with professional appliances, back-to-back copper sinks in the double-wide island, and a massive pantry for food, tableware, and culinary equipment storage. Elsewhere are a family room and informal dining area that open to outdoor living and entertaining spaces, a cozy wood-paneled den with a saltwater aquarium, and a spacious, river-view primary suite with two fireplaces, one in the sitting area of the bedroom and the other in the lavish bathroom.

      The huge, open-plan kitchen is at the heart of the 14,000-square-foot home.

      Stephen Snyder of Snyder Film Productions

      A deep loggia spans the back of the house, with an outdoor kitchen and plenty of room to eat and relax out of the sun. The loggia looks over the swimming pool, beyond which a tree-shaded lawn rolls down to the estate’s 300 feet of river frontage. At the end of the private dock is a charming dock house complete with a kitchen and a bathrooms

      The gated, cobblestone driveway passes under a vine-draped pergola that connects a twinned pair of one-bedroom, one-bathroom guest cottages before it arrives at the front of the main house, which sits amid lush, sculpted plantings.

      Arched windows in the primary bedroom frame views of the river.

      Near the front of the property is a fully customized, 10,000-square-foot barn that, in addition to garage space and a huge entertainment lounge with a wet bar, has five bedrooms and two bathrooms. There are magnificent live oak trees that drip with Spanish moss across the estate, which also includes groomed gardens and a half-acre stocked pond.

      The buyer was represented by Taavo Roos at Seabolt Realty. Vila Sacadura was listed with Ridley Stallings and Melissa Hall Rowan of Corcoran Austin Hill Realty, the same dynamic duo who represented the buyer in another recent, record-breaking transaction, the $6.167 million sale of a downtown mansion that marked the highest sum ever paid for a private home in Savannah’s historic district.

      Click here for more photos of Savannah’s Vila Sacadura. More

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      in Luxury

      Michelle Pfeiffer Pays $10 Million for a Sophisticated L.A. Estate on the Palisades Riviera

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      It’s no secret that Michelle Pfeiffer and her television producer husband David E. Kelley have a thing for the posh Westside of Los Angeles. The couple has bought and sold a number of homes there over the past few years, frequently at eye-popping prices. Two years ago, they inked a widely publicized deal to sell a Pacific Palisades mansion for $25 million to the ex-wife of a major TikTok investor. And way back in 2005, they sold a palatial Brentwood home for $18 million to its current owner—Disney CEO Bob Iger.

      Now the serial house flippers are at it again; records indicate they’ve ponied up $10.6 million to acquire a house located in a particularly prime pocket of the so-called Pacific Palisades Riviera. The 7,600-square-foot mansion happens to sit right next door to Bill Cosby’s longtime L.A. home, and it’s also sugar-borrowing distance from the lavish estates of Steven Spielberg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Dan Castellaneta.

      Built in 1993, the Mediterranean-inspired mansion last sold in 1995 for $2.8 million to legendary winemaker Al Scheid, who died in the house earlier this year. Kelley and Pfeiffer were eager to secure the keys to their very beige new castle, as they paid some $130,000 over the Scheid family’s initial asking price.

      The flat 0.38-acre lot is defined by the exceptionally tall trees that ring its perimeter; they dominate the front motorcourt, which is double-gated and features an attached three-car garage. Arched double front doors open into a grand formal entryway highlighted by a sweeping staircase. To the right of the foyer lies a fireplace-equipped living room brightened by multi-pane windows.

      Many of the other rooms are pleasingly luxurious ’90s decorative throwbacks, including the family room—with its granite-topped wet bar and burled hardwood floors—and the kitchen, which spills out into “an informal secondary family room,” per the listing. Upstairs are four of the home’s five bedrooms, all of them decked out in wall-to-wall carpeting. The supersized primary suite features a fireplace, dual closets, a sitting area and a private balcony overlooking the grassy yard.

      Out back, a vine-draped loggia hosts an outdoor dining patio, while terracotta tile steps lead down to rectangular swimming pool shaded by manicured hedgerows and multiple palm trees.

      Pfeiffer and Kelley also have ties to this smaller Palisades home, currently for sale at $7.4 million.

      Open House Foto

      Records also indicate that this is not the only Pacific Palisades property Pfeiffer and Kelley currently own. They’ve also got a far smaller and older house elsewhere in the neighborhood, which happens to be currently up for grabs at $7.4 million. The couple quietly bought that 1940s place in late 2021, paying $6.9 million. More

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      in Luxury

      The Manhattan Apartment of Late Fashion Editor Grace Mirabella Sells for Close to Its $2.2 Million Asking Price

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      The Manhattan apartment of late and influential fashion editor Grace Mirabella, on the eighth floor of one of Park Avenue’s most dapper white glove cooperative apartment houses, has been sold for close to its $2.195 million asking price after about six months on the market. 

      Mirabella served as editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine from 1971 to 1988—after Diana Vreeland and before Anna Wintour—where she showcased designs from Halston and Saint Laurent and championed photographers like Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon. As the story goes, she found out from news reports that she was axed from Vogue in 1988. She soon launched her own fashion magazine, Mirabella, which was backed financially by Rupert Murdoch and targeted women in their 30s and 40s. Mirabella left the magazine in 1996, and the publication folded in 2000.

      The low-key editrix purchased the roughly 2,200-square-foot, eighth-floor co-operative unit in 2003, about two years after the death of her husband, Dr. William Cahan, a surgeon and staunch anti-smoking advocate, and the same year that she sold a townhouse on East 62nd Street for $3.5 million. Mirabella lived in the Park Avenue apartment until she died in December of 2021, when she was 92 years old. 

      The 2,200-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment includes a small library with bespoke built-ins.

      Brown Harris Stevens

      Mirabella championed no-nonsense, affordable fashion, but for her two-bedroom Park Avenue pad, she accessorized with a bit more elegance and glamour. The entrance gallery is dressed up with a quartet of fluted columns, a wood floor painted with an elaborate pattern, and a delicate ceiling mural that depicts birds in flight against a cloudy sky. The almost 28-foot-long living room features herringbone parquet and a carved marble fireplace reminiscent of a Parisian chateau, while the original dining room has been divided to accommodate both a dining space and a petite library wrapped in burled wood built-ins.

      There are two ample bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom, while a pint-sized den, less than seven feet wide, has a third ensuite bath. The kitchen has been updated but is a bit out of fashion style-wise.

      Mirabella’s apartment, with maintenance charges of just over $3,800 per month, was co-listed with Martha Kramer of Brown Harris Stevens and Josh Wesoky of Compass. Coldwell Banker Warburg agent Jane Katz represented the buyer.

      480 Park Avenue stands 21 stories tall at the corner of East 58th Street, just two blocks from Central Park. Designed by vaunted architect Emery Roth in 1929, it boasts one of the grandest lobbies in all of Manhattan, according to City Realty. Apartments boast 10-foot ceilings, fireplaces, service entries, and semi-private elevator landings. The distinguished building originally offered residents maid and butler service, as well as a private restaurant, and though those amenities are long gone, residents today are treated to doorman services, a gym, and a landscaped roof terrace.

      Click here for more photos of Grace Mirabella’s Home.

      Brown Harris Stevens More

    • 175 Shares169 Views

      in Luxury

      Rodney Dangerfield’s Widow Relists Snazzy Art Deco Home in L.A. at New Lower Price

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      This property surely deserves more respect! Almost nine months after it first hit the market with a nearly $18 million price tag, Joan Dangerfield’s contemporary art deco residence in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles has lingered on the market with no takers. But now it’s popped up for sale again, this time with freshly staged interiors, updated listing photos, a new agent and substantially reduced $17 million ask.

      The widow of legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who passed away in 2004 due to heart surgery complications, plucked up the premises some 18 years ago for $6.25 million. She recently told The Wall Street Journal, “I stepped 3 feet into the house and I knew it was the place for me…It swept me away.”

      So why hasn’t the estate sold? Though it’s comparably priced with other homes in the area, perhaps one reason is because the full-price offers she has received to date have included complicated contingencies, per WSJ, such as requiring her to provide seller financing. “I figured it would sell in a week, but didn’t quite work out that way,” she has said, adding that it’s been a shock “to just watch it sit there on the market.”

      The two-story structure has been described in previous listings as a “rarified art deco contemporary home.”

      Built in 2004, and designed by John Andrews Group Architects, the two-story white structure features four bedrooms and six baths in around 5,400 square feet of living space boasting floor-to-ceiling walls of glass providing jetliner views stretching from Downtown L.A. to the ocean and Catalina Island.

      Tucked securely away behind lush greenery, on a corner parcel spanning over a quarter-acre of land on the coveted front row of the Bird Streets enclave of L.A., the dwelling is accessed via a gated driveway that empties out at a spacious motorcourt flanked by a two-car garage. A striking art deco-inspired entryway then opens via a glassy front door into a double-height foyer, which displays a circular skylight sporting a dangling chandelier and curving wrought-iron staircase heading up to the primary living area.

      A central living room is accented by a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows framing picturesque vistas.

      From there, a fireside living room is lined with retractable glass doors opening seamlessly to a backyard decked out with an infinity-edge pool and spa nestled alongside a fire-pit and bust of Dangerfield himself, plus a terrazzo-clad patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining; and other highlights include a formal dining room, as well as a sleekly designed gourmet kitchen outfitted with top-tier stainless appliances, a center island and breakfast nook bathed in natural sunlight.

      Sequestered off by itself is a massive primary bedroom suite, which comes complete with a fireplace, “boutique-worthy” closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and an oversized shower. Rounding it all out down below: a plush movie theater and direct access to the attached garage.

      The listing is held by Aaron Kirman of AKG | Christie’s International Real Estate.

      Click here for more photos of Joan Dangerfield’s House. More