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      Andie MacDowell Is Selling Her 1920s Storybook Tudor in Los Angeles

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      Though she bought it barely two years ago, actress Andie MacDowell has now decided to turn the page on her classic Storybook Tudor.

      The longtime L’Oréal ambassador and veteran actress has hoisted the property in the Eastside Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake back on the market for a dash under $4 million—or $100,000 less than she paid for the place amid a fierce bidding war back in November 2021.

      Nestled on a compact parcel, and separated from the street out front by a landscaped yard dotted with towering cypress trees, the whitewashed structure was originally built in 1928. Recently remodeled, the two-story house features five bedrooms and four baths in a little more than 3,400 square feet of stylish, neutrally hued living space boasting blonde hardwood floors, gentle curves, high ceilings and lots of natural light.

      Upon entry, a formal living room attracts interest with its Palladian fanlight window and veined-marble fireplace.

      Charmaine David

      Main-level highlights include a spacious formal living room sporting a large Palladian fanlight window and wood-burning fireplace decorated with a stylish veined-marble surround, along with a formal dining room flaunting another large window and a ballon-like chandelier. An updated kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island, a La Cornue range and Miele appliances tucked away behind custom panels, plus backsplashes and countertops matching the marble in the living room fireplace.

      In addition to Miele appliances hidden behind custom panels, the marble-clad kitchen also sports a crave-worthy La Cornue range.

      Charmaine David

      A curving staircase heads upstairs, where there’s a family/media room offering panoramic views of the Silver Lake Reservoir, along with a dreamy primary bedroom suite holding a sitting area, walk-in closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, an oval soaking tub, glass-encased shower and yet more of that beautiful marble that seems to be a running theme throughout.

      Outdoors, the fenced grounds are laced with native California plantings, and host a small pool designed by local landscape firm Terremoto. There’s also a two-car garage with a loft that’s been converted into the ideal space for relaxing and entertaining.

      Designed by local landscape firm Terremoto, the charming grounds include a small pool flanked by an ideal spot for an al fresco meal.

      Charmaine David

      In addition to her for-sale house, the 65-year-old South Carolina native also owns a vacation house in Montana. She sold a two-home compound in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood last year for $2.7 million.

      The listing is held by Natalie Trabin of Compass.

      Click here for more photos of Andie MacDowell’s Silver Lake house. More

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      Paul Anka’s Custom L.A. Home Hits the Market for $10 Million

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      Crank up the tunes and put your head on someone’s shoulder, because Paul Anka is looking to strike a very rich chord with his groovy Thousand Oaks home. And this place certainly has all the proper ingredients to make a real estate hit, including a state-of-the-art recording studio, billiard room, fully renovated eat-in kitchen, detached gym and an infinity pool.

      The heavily upgraded mansion won’t come cheap, of course, saddled as it is with a $10 million price tag. But that’s par for the course at guard-gated Sherwood Country Club, where the house is located — the enclave’s nationally famed Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course is lined with extravagant homes and multi-acre estates. Club members, who include Justin Timberlake, Sylvester Stallone and Tom Selleck, must first fork over a reported $300,000 initiation fee just to join.

      Anka’s estate is situated on “one of Sherwood’s largest privately gated lots,” per the listing, spanning nearly six contiguous acres. A long, gated driveway leads between rows of trees on its way to the nearly 8,000-square-foot house, which is privately tucked out of sight from the street and neighborly prying eyes. A vast motorcourt fronts a four-car garage and boasts ample room for high-end luxury rides including Anka’s Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, visible in listing photographs.

      Anka’s mansion was recently renovated and features ample motorcourt parking.

      Shawn Cordon

      Besides the aforementioned amenities, highlights of the French-inspired residence include an orange living room equipped with a fireplace and line with some of Anka’s numerous plaques, a butler’s pantry with marble countertops and built-in storage, a breakfast nook with views over the surrounding hills, a formal dining room that spills out to an al fresco patio, Astroturf lawns and four ensuite bedrooms. The upstairs master retreat includes a fireplace, showroom closet and opulent bathroom. Perhaps the estate’s most unique feature is a freestanding, glass-walled building that functions as a very lavish at-home gym, and the surrounding grounds are laced by ancient oaks.

      Records indicate the house was built in speculation in 2006; Anka bought it in 2007 for $4 million and likely spent another small fortune on bespoke upgrades in the 16 years since.

      Anka, 82, is perhaps one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. Widely known for crafting mega-hits for the likes of Michael Jackson, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra, the Grammy-winner also took songs like “Diana,” “Lonely Boy” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” to the top on his own, and he wrote the memorable theme music for “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” He’s now a member of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.

      Mary Ann Scott of Beverly and Company holds the listing with Team Nicki and Karen of Compass.

      Click here for more photos of Paul Anka’s Thousand Oaks estate.

      Shawn Cordon More

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      Greta Garbo’s Former Beverly Hills Home Returns to Market for $10 million

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      From the time she arrived in Hollywood in 1925, Greta Garbo bounced around from one rented home to another. So the story goes, in 1937, around the time of the release of George Cukor’s costume drama “Camille,” the Swedish-born actress briefly took up residence in a brand-new Beverly Hills home with her freshly divorced friend (and rumored boyfriend) Leopold Stokowski, the snowy-haired British orchestra conductor who went on to marry designer jeans pioneering American socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, aka Anderson Cooper’s mom. By most accounts, Garbo had moved on to another rented house by the time “Ninotchka” came out in 1939.

      Cleaved to a steep hillside in the coveted Crest Streets neighborhood, a low-key area with winding streets and no through traffic, Garbo’s former home has just been put back on the market with Markus Canter of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties for $10 million. The current asking price is a substantial reduction from the $12 million asked when the property first popped up for sale with another agent affiliated with another brokerage in early 2022.

      The dining area overlooks the step-down living room.

      Joshua Spooner / Courtesy of Markus Canter Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

      Though there are hints and whispers of the home’s original Jazz Age moderne stylings, such as the camber of the front façade that echoes the sweeping curve of the street, the home bears few of its original details since an extensive transformation in the early 2000s by HGTV-featured interior designer Nicole Sassaman. The home last changed hands in 2006, for almost $7.5 million, when Sassaman sold up to its current owner, a Nevada-based corporate concern connected to Russian film producer and tech investor Arcadiy Golubovich.

      There are five (and easily six) bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a powder room, dispersed among the almost 4,700-square-foot home’s three stories. Configured to take advantage of the canyon-framed view of the downtown skyline, there are two fireplaces, one of them in one of the main-floor guest bedrooms, and a trio of balconies, one off the primary bedroom and another outside an ensuite office/bedroom tucked down a private staircase beneath the street-level two-car garage.

      The top-floor primary bedroom spills out to a private terrace with epic views.

      Joshua Spooner / Courtesy of Markus Canter Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

      A petite, infinity-edge swimming pool and a large spa hug the back of the house with endless views over the city. In fact, it’s possible to open one of the sliding glass doors in the living room and step directly into the pool. Below the pool are a pair of grassy terraces, and below that, out of sight and shielded by great plumes of verdant foliage and retractable awnings, is an intimate alfresco lounge.

      Fiercely private, Garbo retired in 1941, at 36 years old and at the peak of her fame, and after be-bopping about for a dozen years, she finally settled in New York City, where she bought a three-bedroom co-operative apartment at the Campanile building in the swanky Beekman Place neighborhood, where she lived until her death in 1990 at 84 years old. Still owned by her family, the elegant fifth-floor apartment was listed last year at $7.25 million, but with no takers, it was removed from the market later in the year.

      Click here for more photos of Greta Garbo’s former home.

      Joshua Spooner / Courtesy of Markus Canter Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties More

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      Marilyn Monroe’s Famed L.A. Home Is Being Torn Down

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      It’s another sad day for fans of historic architecture and Old Hollywood lore alike. As first reported by the New York Post, the house located at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood, a 1920s Spanish hacienda-style structure, may soon be demolished by its new owner.

      Despite its modest scale and unpretentious nature, the 2,600-square-foot bungalow gained worldwide fame in 1962 as the location of Marilyn Monroe’s sudden death. The walled and gated property was also the only house ever owned by the legendary actress, and in the six decades since the half-acre estate has become one of the city’s most famous local landmarks. Blogger Lindsay Blake previously published an in-depth post filled with numerous fascinating tidbits about the property, including how Monroe placed a plaque above the front door which read “Cursom Perificio” in Latin. Translation: “My Journey Ends Here.”

      Monroe’s Brentwood house is a sprawling single-story hacienda.

      Getty Images

      While the home’s exterior architecture remains incredibly alike how it appeared in 1962, the interiors have been significantly altered. Most notably, the kitchen and bathrooms have been modernized, and the estate’s formerly detached guest casita has been merged into the main house. Still, numerous original features — casement windows, terracotta tile floors, wood-beamed ceilings — happily hark back to Golden Age times.

      Out back, a brick patio spills out to a notably large swimming pool; beyond that, a grassy lawn is surrounded by mature trees, tall hedges and a citrus orchard. Out front, bountiful bunches of bougainvillea arch their way across the home’s façade, and there’s a two-car garage.

      The half-acre property sits just a quick jog south of Sunset Boulevard.

      Mercer Vine

      Teardowns have become increasingly commonplace in the area surrounding Monroe’s former home, as soaring property values and record-breaking sales entice developers to build ever bigger and fancier. That this particular property survived intact is a testament to the hacienda’s enduring charm, and to Monroe’s legendary status, of course.

      Back in 2014, Emerald Lake hedge fund manager Dan Lukas and his wife Anne Jarmain paid $7.3 million for the Monroe estate, and have lived at the property in the years since. Six months ago, however, the couple paid $13 million for a larger home in the same neighborhood.

      Mercer Vine

      Last month, Lukas and Jarmain quietly sold the Monroe house to a buyer who has not yet been publicly identified. That person paid nearly $8.4 million for the property, in cash, and almost immediately applied for a demolition permit. The L.A. Department of Building and Safety recently approved the request for a “plan check” of the proposed work, though an official permit has not yet been issued.

      But if similar situations in the recent past are any indicator of this property’s future, it seems likely that the Monroe hacienda will soon be added to a long list of historical real estate treasures that continue to be lost. More

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      Jack Nicholson’s Daughter Is Selling Her Desert Retreat Next Door to a Storied Old West Movie Set

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      Jack Nicholson might have acted in a few Westerns during his lengthy career, but his eldest daughter Jennifer one-upped him a few years back when the former actress and fashion designer plunked down around $525,000 for a 10-acre estate straddling an authentic Old West town in Southern California’s unincorporated community of Pioneertown. Now that contemporary residence is up for grabs, asking $3.7 million.

      Sited amid the Morongo Basin in eastern San Bernardino County’s High Desert region, near the Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneertown originated back in the 1940s when actor Dick Curtis collaborated with fellow actor Roy Rogers and other investors to buy 32,000 acres of land to create an authentic 1800s-themed town. The purpose: to serve as a filming locale and tourist destination, along with a permanent residence for folks working in the entertainment industry, ranchers and desert-lovers alike.

      More than 50 films and TV shows were ultimately shot in Pioneertown during the ’40s and ’50s, including The Cisco Kid and Annie Oakley. And though production worked died down in the ensuing years—and plans for a 40-acre lake, golf course, shopping center and an airport never came to fruition—the spot is still alive and kicking, complete with the Pioneertown Motel, as well as the popular Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, which is known for hosting live music by noted artists ranging from Paul McCartney to Lizzo.

      An expansive wood-paneled dining room has decorative glass doors spilling out to the grounds.

      Ed Tyler

      As for Nicholson’s home, the rustic wood-sided and metal-roof structure was custom-built in 1990, and rests down a driveway guarded by double wood gates. Inside, two bedrooms and three baths are filtered across almost 2,000 square feet of two-level living space boasting high ceilings, clerestory windows, ornate light fixtures and a unique circular stained-glass window, plus passive solar design.

      The centerpiece is a spacious fireside living room, which flows to a wood-clad dining room and kitchen outfitted with stainless appliances. The primary bedroom has a loft, built-in shelves, a walk-in closet, and bath equipped with a clawfoot soaking tub and large shower; and outdoors, the succulent-laced grounds hold a pool flanked by a sundeck, as well as an attached two-car garage and separate storage barn.

      Per the listing, which is held by Frank Sullivan and Jimmy Quill of Coldwell Banker Realty, there’s even a 1,000-year-old Joshua tree on the property.

      Click here for more photos of Jennifer Nicholson’s High Desert house. More

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      Spy Novelist John le Carré’s Cliffside English Cottage Can Be Yours for $3.7 Million

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      Back in the 1960s, English author John le Carré found solace along the U.K.’s Cornish coast, where his longtime home is now up for grabs.

      The late spy novelist, best known for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener, both of which were adapted into films nominated for multiple Oscars, wrote many of his bestseller thrillers at Tregiffian Cottage, where he lived until his death in 2020 at the age of 89. Spectacularly situated on a cliff between the villages of Lamorna and Porthcurno, the two-story stone residence comprises four bedrooms and four bathrooms. And, best of all for espionage aficionados, Carré’s writing room is still intact.

      Late novelist John le Carré’s former home in Cornwall just listed for $3.7 million

      Savills

      Listed for £3 million (or roughly $3.7 million), the residence is actually three original fisherman cottages put together. The author and his wife purchased the estate some 60 years ago and combined it with the surrounding outbuildings to form a spacious and unpretentious 5,000-square-foot family home.  

      “My earliest memories are of playing in the garden at Tregiffian and adventuring along the coastal path to St Loy or Mousehole,” says le Carré’s son, Nick Cornwell, in a press statement. “The whole place is alive with butterflies, rabbits, swallows, foxes, and occasionally badgers. In winter, you bank up a log fire, and listen to the wind around the house, and feel as if you’re in a castle or a lighthouse. The storms are dramatic and beautiful, and when they’re gone, you get that wild horizontal sun. It’s a wonderful place to rest, or work, or just be yourself.” 

      Known as Tregiffian Cottage, the waterfront property sits on three acres atop a cliff

      Savills

      Inside the main dwelling, you’ll find comfortable living and entertaining spaces, an up-to-date eat-in kitchen, and a conservatory, which faces out towards Scilly Isles. Not surprisingly, there’s an impressive library that is decked out with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and showcases a window that’s believed to be part of a World War II fighter plane.

      Among the very le Carré features is a safe room befitting any number of the author’s fictional characters. Elsewhere, the compound also has an indoor swimming pool that’s discreetly tucked away inside one of the chalet-style outbuildings.  

      “In all, a hugely inspiring home,” adds Chris Clifford, who is marketing the property for Savills. 

      Click here to see all the photos of Tregiffian Cottage. 

      Savills More

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

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      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

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

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      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