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      in Luxury

      Julia Roberts Just Sold Her Charming San Francisco Home in a Flash

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      Back in the earliest days of 2020, just a month or two before the Covid-19 pandemic threw the entire world into chaos, Julia Roberts paid $8.3 million for a house in San Francisco, long one of her favorite haunts. Sited in the charming Presidio Heights neighborhood, the 1912 Victorian had languished on the market for nearly a full year, and endured a series of price chops before Roberts came calling.

      Nearly four years later, the Oscar-winning actress has sold the classically lovable house – and it appears she had the magic touch. After hitting the market in early October, the place sold in just 18 days for an impressive $11.3 million, about $500,000 under Roberts’ asking price but still $3 million more than she had paid. The all-cash buyer, shielded behind a mysterious LLC with a Silicon Valley address, has not yet been publicly identified.

      Behind gates, a brick walkway leads to the home’s column-ringed entry; inside are five full levels with a total of five bedrooms and five bathrooms in a generous 6,300 square feet of living space. Guests are greeted by a stately foyer with a grand staircase holding court near a light-flooded, fireplace-equipped living room.

      While the 111-year-old house has clearly been extensively modified over the years – and the interiors are distinctly contemporary, albeit in a relaxed and casual manner – the place is livable and unmistakably charming. And interesting or original features abound: the dining room features intricate coffered ceilings, there’s a nifty sunroom in one of the bedrooms, and the robin’s egg blue kitchen has stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, plus premium Sub-Zero appliances and a convenient wet bar.

      Four of the home’s bedrooms are located on the second floor, while the primary suite takes up nearly all of the structure’s top floor. There are also two semi-subterranean lower levels – a primary lower level that includes a media room, mud room and the attached two-car tandem garage, and a “lower lower” level with a big bonus room. 

      Both lower levels have direct access to the backyard garden, which is compact but includes serene olive trees, romantic sitting areas and what appears to be a covered hot tub.

      Roberts, 56, still maintains many other homes. Among them are a penthouse in New York City’s West Village, a sprawling New Mexico ranch and an estate on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. But for many years, her primary residence has been a blufftop mansion on Malibu’s Point Dume. More

    • 213 Shares139 Views

      in Vacation Homes

      This $3 Million Villa in Costa Rica Looks Out Over the Pacific Ocean From Its Treetop Perch 

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      Like other homes that blend in with their natural surroundings, this brand-new villa in the rugged North Pacific region on the West Coast of Costa Rica is discreetly tucked away with just a few other homes in the lush, dense jungles of Guanacaste. 

      The Sunset Villas are a collection of four residences nestled within the 3,000-acre Costa Elena resort community and ocean club near the border with Nicaragua. On the market for $2.95 million, the hilltop pad is perched in the treetops next to the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Altogether, the boxy and modern two-story home has four bedrooms, plus a one-bedroom bungalow, and a total of six bathrooms in more than 5,000 square feet of living space. 

      One of the four Sunset Villas at Costa Elena in Guanacaste is now for sale.

      Canadian studio DesignAgency and El Salvador-based architect Eva Hinds were tapped to design the interiors, which have a modern, tropical vibe. Think polished concrete floors, tons of teak wood, and neutral furnishings coupled with massive floor-to-ceiling windows and oversized glass doors that provide panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. All of the bedrooms are ensuite and have a private balcony, so you can take in the epic sights from a bunch of different vantage points.  

      Elsewhere, the digs are equipped with a gourmet chef’s kitchen with stainless appliances, plus a sprawling outdoor pool deck with daybeds, a grill, and a sleek infinity-edge pool. From here, you can look out over Salinas Bay and catch a glimpse of the Orosi Volcano and Bolaños Island. 

      Each of the five bedrooms has a private terrace.

      Owners of the Sunset Villas will have a concierge service and property management team at their disposal and will be given the option of entering the home into Inspirato’s rental program. You’ll also have access to Costa Elena’s three beach clubs, numerous restaurants, fitness facilities, hiking and biking trails, and a nature preserve. Of course, if you’re looking for a little off-site adventure, the 10 miles of coastline are the perfect place for kit surfing, fishing, snorkeling, and more. 

      At the helm of the master-planned Costa Elena is Nicaraguan native and billionaire Don Carlos Pellas. The Pellas Development Group is best known for its work throughout Central America, including Guacalito de la Isla, also known as Nicaragua’s first five-star resort community, in addition to Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Panama. 

      Click here to see all the photos of Costa Elena’s Sunset Villa. More

    • 75 Shares149 Views

      in Vacation Homes

      Costa Elena Sunset Villa in Photos

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      Published on November 10, 2023

      Costa Elena

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Luxury

      A Lavishly Customized South Florida Mansion With Broadway Ties Returns for an Encore

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      For a couple of years now, Al Tapper has been trying to find someone to assume the stewardship of his extravagant South Florida residence known as “Villa Museo” with no takers. Sited in the tony seaside city of Boca Raton, the 19th century-inspired spread took a brief absence from the open market but has now returned, this time with a reduced asking price of $7 million.

      That’s $2 million less than the noted Broadway playwright and composer originally wanted for the place. But it’s still lots more than the $1.5 million he paid for the property back in spring 2000, before he spent three years and millions of dollars customizing the premises. Currently chock full of about $1 million worth of distinctive antique furnishings procured by the avid art collector mostly from New York’s renowned Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses—all of which can be included in the sale for an additional cost—the ornate abode is being offered by Bonnie Heatzig of Douglas Elliman.

      A soundproof movie theater features stadium seating and recliners, as well as its own ticket booth and snack bar.

      Resting amid a double parcel of land spanning over two-thirds of an acre, within the Coventry subdivision of the exclusive gated Woodfield Country Club community, the waterfront property features a five-bedroom, seven-bath home with a little more than 6,500 square feet of single-level living space adorned throughout with high ceilings, museum-quality lighting, arched windows, carved columns, and walls lined with limestone, mahogany and pecky cypress. There’s also a gym, plus a detached building that houses an art deco-style movie theater sporting stadium seating, a ticket counter and concession stand.

      Other highlights include a formal living room displaying a massive fireplace topped with stone grills, along with a library, formal dining room, and family room and kitchen outfitted with floors culled from a 400-year-old French church. A sumptuous master retreat has “light oak floors that have been stenciled to replicate wood inlays of elaborate parquet floors that were the norm in the late 1800 European manors,” and a carved Louis XVI double bed that has been reconfigured into a king-sized bed.

      For the formal dining room, the owner wanted to recreate the feel of a “fantasy garden.”

      The amenities continue outdoors, where the grounds are laced with walking paths, fruit trees and tropical plants, and host an oversized freeform pool and spa, numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining while overlooking a serene lake, and an attached three-car garage; and topping it all off is a transferrable golf membership at Woodfield Country Club, which includes access to an 18-hole championship golf course that was recently redesigned and renovated by architect Kipp Schulties to the tune of around $8 million.

      A longtime venture capitalist, as well as a film producer, Tapper also reportedly still maintains a New York City penthouse, and Cape Cod home and office in his native state of Massachusetts.

      Click here for more photos of Villa Museo. More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Vacation Homes

      Paradero’s First Branded Residences Are Coming to Todos Santos Next Year

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      Paradero Todos Santos is expanding its hospitality footprint. The eco-minded Baja California resort just unveiled a set of branded residences that will offer the privacy of your very own home away from home with all the perks of a luxury boutique hotel.  

      In addition to its 41 existing hotel suites, there will be 24 lavish residences that are slated to launch in summer 2024. The new accommodations will be largely geared towards family trips or group travel and will range from one- to three-bedroom homes, so there’s plenty of space to spread out.

      The units will be open for guest bookings, which means they’re not available to purchase like a typical branded residence. Instead, they’ll be available like a hotel, with a minimum two-night stay. Nightly rates have yet to be announced, but given their size and flexibility to host larger groups, expect them to run more than a typical suite at the hotel, where high-season rates start at around $600 per night.

      Each Brutalist-style residence will be decked out with a fully equipped kitchen that sports a traditional lava rock Oaxacan oven. Plus, all the homes will feature rooftop terraces (hot tub included!), star-gazing nets, and private pools on the ground floor. Residence guests will also be able to take part in an exclusive offering dubbed “the learning table,” which will include chef-run cooking classes and tastings for the entire group.  

      Paradero originally opened its doors on the Baja California Sur peninsula in Mexico in February 2021 and was founded by Pablo Carmona and Joshua Kremer. The property prides itself on preserving the desert landscape that surrounds it, and the wellness-focused, design-forward retreat allows guests to take part in everything from guided hikes to surfing lessons, yoga, farming tutorials, and curated catamaran sailings around the Sea of Cortez.

      Also making its debut next year will be Cosimo, the residence’s on-site Italian restaurant. The eatery, which is currently in the works, is said to be inspired by Puglia and Sicily and will highlight local produce and purveyors. Other additions to the five-acre property include state-of-the-art facilities geared towards younger children and teens alike, which will offer activities such as skating and bouldering. 

      “This new development represents a meaningful expansion of the existing Paradero Todos Santos brand and will usher in a new era of family-oriented travel through never-before-seen comfort for large groups traveling together,” the resort said in a press statement.  More

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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

    • 150 Shares129 Views

      in Luxury

      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

    • 225 Shares189 Views

      in Luxury

      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