HousingWatch

Penelope Cruz Lists Los Angeles Home for $3.7M

Coryn Brown — 2010-06-17T10:38:00 00:00

Oscar-winning Spaniard Penelope Cruz has put her three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom Los Angeles home on the market for $3.695 million. The actress listed the property for lease at $14,500 a month in 2008 and still has the Sunset Strip-area spread listed as an available venue for location shoots.

The Real Estalker suspects that this isn't Cruz's full-time pad and that would explain the bland, sample-home interiors in every room that can be seen in snapshots taken by the actress' broker at Sotheby's Realty. Still, charm abounds in the sterile space. The design and architecture gives us many reasons to have real estate envy.The Los Angeles Times calls the house "Balinese modern," and the foreign design inspiration is a huge selling point for this property. Its majestic entryway (pictured), a stately, carved-wood door, is an architectural detail you're more likely to see in Stonetown, Zanzibar than on the Sunset Strip. It leads into an open courtyard with a fountain, and a set of beautiful glass doors leads you into the home's interior.

Inside, the house capitalizes on an open plan, where all of the rooms, including a gourmet kitchen with granite counter tops, are spread across 3,334 square feet of bamboo flooring. Another thoughtful architectural detail is the small blocks of windows positioned just below the ceiling, and the glass doors and windows that appear to line almost every inch of the back of the house.

The several glazed doors mean easy access to the backyard and its kidney-shaped pool. But if the pool doesn't excite you (it's modestly-sized compared to those at other celebrity homes), there's also a king-sized poster bed on the back lawn.

Who knows how much time Cruz and her fellow-thespian beau, Javier Bardem, have actually spent in this house? We're just content to know that the fiery actress slept and, no doubt, hosted parties here at some point during her ownership. And, according to The Real Estalker, she picked a good 'hood to do it in. Writer/producer Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") is said to live nearby.

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Eleanor Roosevelt's $14M NYC Townhouse Perfect for Bush Twin

Coryn Brown — 2010-06-08T16:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cities

Eleanor Roosevelt's four-bedroom Upper East Side townhouse is on the market for a stately $14.5 million. The former first lady lived between 1956 and 1958 in the building on 62nd Street, which is flanked by Second and Third avenues. For that price tag, we would hope to at least have an eagle's view of the Manhattan skyline, but alas it seems that Roosevelt preferred to stare out at other grandiose homes: according to Streeteasy.com, townhouse prices on the Upper East Side this year average $10 million.

Note to former first daughter and New York apartment-hunter Barbara Bush: Let Eleanor Roosevelt school you on how to lodge like a former White House resident.
The one and only lesson: space. Probably the most remarkable part of this townhouse is, in fact, the five stories it contains. The master bedroom suite makes up the full third floor and features a master bedroom and bathroom, with a wood-burning fireplace. Another fireplace-equipped bedroom swathes the fourth floor, along with a marble bathroom and large seating area.

Even the townhouse's outdoor space features an excess of square footage. At ground level is a lush, 700-square-foot garden that boasts a working fountain and an Edward Scissorhand jungle of perfectly-pruned shrubs. And a 950-square-foot garden overlays the rooftop, plenty of space to house the Bush twin recently spied house-hunting in the West Village (and who may be considering a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom West Village co-op on Jane street for $975,000, says The Daily News.)

Other perks included in this townhouse are the grand spiral staircase, a marble foyer, central air conditioning, four more wood-burning fireplaces throughout the home, and a terrace on the second floor.

Less exciting, however, is the chef's kitchen on the second floor. Not in it's build, but in the blue-and-white wall-mounted dishes, blue-and-white wallpaper on the ceiling, blue-and-white matching valances on the kitchen windows. Granny-chic flavor abounds in other areas too, like the musty hunter-green accents sprinkled seemingly everywhere -- on marble floors, floor-to-ceiling drapes and upholstered furniture.

But what the historic abode lacks in design it makes up for in space, and if you can afford to live here, chances are you can afford to hire designer Kelly Wearstler or someone equally as apt to pump some of this decade into the aesthetic.

See more homes for sale in New York, N.Y. at AOL Real Estate.

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New York Butler's $8.4 Million Inheritance Includes 2 Dakota Apartments

Coryn Brown — 2010-05-18T11:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Cities

Last week, a butler wrestled a rooftop farm in Queens for media dominance and won. That butler was Indra Tamang, the Nepalese man who served actress Ruth Ford for 30 years, and who upon Ford's death inherited approximately $8.4 million worth of her estate: including a collection of Russian surrealist art.and two cushy apartments at The Dakota -- the landmark co-op building on west 72nd Street (left).

NBC New York and Gothamist both quoted the The Wall Street Journal, which broke the rags-to-riches story and revealed more layers than Del Posto's lasagna. Key plotlines, by way of the Journal:

Tamang, who left a mud house in Nepal at 22 years old to work in America, received his U.S.citizenship last year -- 20 years after first applying.
Ford snubbed her estranged daughter, Shelley Scott, and two grandkids, in favor of Tamang.
Scott contested the will, received a "modest settlement," and now has nothing but nice things to say about the butler.
Still, some brokers say that Tamang may be not allowed to live in the three-bedroom apartment or studio he inherited at The Dakota as the co-op board may not give approval for a former worker to reside in the building.

Opting for a media rivalry spin (and referencing the most recent tension between the Journal and The New York Times), The Village Voice chose to highlight the former Times reporter who broke the story for the Journal. Says the Voice, "Josh Barbanel put in some 30 years laboring in The Times' salt mines before being cast off last December. He was recruited by the Journal for the new section and we can only hope that his story this morning is making a few Times editors lose their appetite over their Grape-Nuts."

Days later, the Journal reported that the co-op board at The Dakota would indeed consider Tamang's application for residence if he applied. But as CBS pointed out, with such a sizable inheritance comes hefty tax liabilities. In the end, Tamang decided to put the larger unit on the market for $4.5 million.

See homes for sale in New York, New York at AOL Real Estate.

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Sting Sells Central Park Duplex

Coryn Brown — 2010-04-30T08:00:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Cities

Sting's 88 Central Park West lair went into contract after being on and off the market since 2006. The duplex is listed with Halstead Property at $19 million and includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, 23 closets and 6,600 square feet. The former Police frontman originally bought the pad from Billy Joel in the '80s, after Joel converted two apartments into the current two-story co-op.

Listed as newly renovated, the co-op features some touches that only true rock-star types could dream up (or find sexy). Who's down for an all-red master bedroom?

Gawker was kind enough to remind us of Sting and his wife's rumored affinity for tantric sex. This, of course, would easily explain the bedroom's crimson walls, red and gold embroidered fabric ceiling and the inclusion of an erotic set of Helmut Newton prints.
Then again, Sting's daughter, Coco Sumner told the Daily News in 2009 that her father's naughty reputation was just a joke (which ended up spreading like West Nile virus). And certainly this could explain why the rest of the duplex is all classic and cush and family-chic. What sex doctor buys his kinky nurse a place with an eat-in country kitchen that boasts wood cabinets, coral walls and a prep kitchen with a butler's pantry? Who knows these days!

What we are certain of is that this place is rich in detail. It includes "french doors with original glass Transoms, a grand staircase, over-sized windows, 11-foot ceilings and pristine parquet floors with mahogany inlay," says the listing. We'd also like to mention the marble bath, a sprawling library, private elevator and stunning views of Central Park.

This building is popular among high-profile co-op buyers. Also known as The Brentmore, 88 Central Park West has reportedly been the home of Robert De Niro and wife Grace Hightower. The duo is said to have be moving up to a 15-room duplex in the beaux-arts building for $20.9 million.

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Designer Kelly Wearstler Lists Malibu Beach House for $21.9M

Coryn Brown — 2010-04-26T12:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Design, Cities

Interior designer Kelly Wearstler and her property-developer husband Brad Korzen put their hyper-neutral Malibu beach front pad on the market for $21.9 million. The approximately 6,000 square foot property (which the Wearstler/Korzen duo shares with three other families) features six bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths and is located on the Pacific Coast Highway, on a 72-foot stretch of prime Carbon Beach.

The pair (and friends) bought the home from Janet Jackson in 2004 for $8.5 million and made a full renovation in 2009. That means somebody will be making a hefty profit should the house sell at asking price (even after the cost of improvements.) But for those well-heeled buyers with a lust for Wearstler's design philosophy, a rolling sea as their front yard and neutrals, neutrals everywhere -- this price tag might work.
And by Wearstler's design philosophy, we mean her flair for optical surprise: bedroom walls and floors covered in spacey-geometric doodling; 1960s French chandeliers that invoke beached seaweed; a custom vanity that appears to have levitating properties; a staircase boasting chunky steps that alternate in size.

The property, which was featured in Metropolitan Home in 2009, also features a chef's kitchen with Douglas-fir wood cabinetry and Calcutta Gold finishes throughout the home. Muted pastel Cippolino marble covers the walls and floor in what looks like the bathroom of the master bedroom suite.

According to The Real Estalker, this is the second California home that Wearstler and her husband have put on the market in 2010. Rumors swirl that in February the pair quietly listed their Beverly Hills fun-house for a whopping $50 million (making the Malibu beach property a deal...ish). The Beverly Hills estate, featured in Vogue's October 2009 issue, shows Wearstler's signature aesthetic on LSD-trip-level. Think red-graffiti-art wallpaper in the foyer, a seat in the shape of a gold hand, busts and heads and nude sculptures on the dining room table. Also think lush Moroccan rugs, Parisian ladder-back chairs and vintage 19th-century chandeliers.

Meanwhile, fans of Wearstler who can't buy her digs can experience her designs in the interiors of Beverly-Hills-based luxury hotels like Maison 140 and the Avalon, as well as Viceroy properties in Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami and a new one in Anguilla.

See more homes for sale in Malibu Beach, Calif.
See more homes for sale in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Advice for Kelsey Grammer's NYC Condo Hunt

Coryn Brown — 2010-02-17T11:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Cities

Kelsey Grammer needs a home. The "Frasier" star -- who's moving to New York City for his Broadway musical debut this spring in "La Cage Aux Folles" -- has been spied around Central Park West, along with wife Camille Donatacci, in what may have been a quest for a new address. Rehearsals for the musical begin in March, which puts the couple in need of a speedy uprooting. In a recent Twitter post, Grammer confirmed. "I am moving to NY...quite exciting...long day hunting for apartments."

Seizing this opportunity to play celebrity realtor, we've summoned the help of two top Manhattan brokers to select a few (stunning) Upper West Side properties sumptuous enough for the sitcom vet, his wife and his Tony-winning reveries.

"There are two types of celebrities," explains Arabella Greene Buckworth, senior vice president at Brown Harris Stevens who deals regularly with high-profile home buyers.

"There are those who absolutely must have a heightened level of security, they must have quick and easy access to private stairs and elevators. Then there is the type of celebrity who is usually acknowledged in a genial manner and whose privacy is for the most part respected - especially here in Manhattan. Kelsey Grammer strikes me as someone who would prefer to lead as normal a life as possible, which starts with being able to walk in and out of a building's front door."

For the Broadway-bound actor, Buckworth recommends prewar apartment houses replete with unsurpassed details, as is the case with 15 Central Park West. Buckworth's pick -- a $12.9 million, 2,500 square foot condo -- features two bedrooms, two baths, 10-foot ceilings and a jaw-dropping view of Central Park. Here, tenants have access to a fitness center and a 20-person screening room.

"This also happens to be a condominium filled with avatars of finance and the arts. Kelsey might find it refreshing to discover that he is doing some discreet head-turning himself."

For something closer to Broadway and big on drama, Buckworth recommends The Osborne -- a lavish Beaux-Arts building on West 57th street. Her pick is a $6.9 million co-op (left) that boasts 13-foot ceilings, four wood-burning fireplaces, a chef's kitchen with Wolfe appliances and luscious dark-wood accents that throughout the property. One apartment highlight is the massive array of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the double living room.

Janice Chang, executive vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman, has particular experience in closing deals with Broadway headliners. The apartment she recommends for Grammer is located in West 56th street's Park Imperial -- the 70-story condominium tower also known for housing Sean "Diddy" Combs and self-help guru Deepak Chopra. The 2,200-square-foot apartment features three bedrooms, three and a half baths and a cast of envy-invoking floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Central Park and the Hudson River. Building perks include 24-hour concierge service and access to the Imperial Club -- the condominium's fitness, entertainment and business center.

"This is very similar to the apartment we rented Daniel Craig when he was doing 'A Steady Rain' [on Broadway] a few months ago," says Chang. "It's very close to Broadway with spectacular park views."

Chang also recommends the West 67th street Park Millennium where both Regis Philbin and Howard Stern reportedly dwell. Her pick: an $11 million, 3,200 square foot condo that features three bedrooms, his-and-hers marble baths, a walk-in pantry, custom built closets and a largely windowed great room that provides over 40 feet of direct exposure onto Central Park. Tenants in this building enjoy 24-hour concierge service and access to a Reebok Sports Club.

Should Grammer opt to live in one of these apartments, he's sure to be in swank company.

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