Luxury Lifestyle, Design & Architecture blog

Trophy homes were not adversely affected even when the global economy went into a downturn. Now with the real estate market looking up more such homes are coming on the market. A potential record breaker is the opulent 20,000 square foot mansion that boasts of sweeping views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. The asking price has been set at $114 million. The six level house has been wrapped in a bow for Christmas. The interiors of the mansion have been inspired by Palace of Versailles, the castles of Italy and even a media room based on the owner’s favorite movie-theater in Queens, New York. All the 19 rooms in the mansion including seven bedrooms have been decorated with the finest European imported materials.  The Mansion Was originally Built in 1883 Apart from the 20,000 square feet of living space the mansion boasts of 2,500 square feet of outdoor space in the form of a three-tiered rooftop deck. The mansion also features a saltwater pool with spa in the b...

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is selling off his Malibu beach front property for $18.9 million – a price cut of $4.1 million. The home is located in one of the most exclusive areas in the nation. DiCaprio bought the 2,600+ square foot house in 2002 for $6 million. It has been completely remodeled, and features seven baths, seven bedrooms, two kitchens, a gym and expansive frontage on the ocean. DiCaprio is reportedly selling the home because he spends most of his time in New York.

  Miami’s luxury real estate market remains upbeat and has witnessed the second $30 million transaction in less than a month. A waterfront estate on La Gorce Island called the Castello del Sol was purchased for $30 million on Monday. The property is a fine example of classic Miami opulence. It has been developed like a resort and boasts of all luxury amenities including a lagoon style pool overlooking the bay. It is a gated Mediterranean style compound that is now the third most expensive single family home in the Miami Dade County. The two properties that were priced higher were sold last year and are located on the nearby Indian Creek Island. The Estate Boasts of 349 Feet of Biscayne Bay Frontage The other real estate deal in the region that crossed the $30 million mark was the sale of two side by side penthouse condos in the up-and-coming Residences at Miami Beach Edition. The prestigious deal worth $34 million was concluded earlier this year. Castello del Sol is spread ove...

Christian Candy, the real estate mogul has put the penthouse at the Plaza Hotel back on the market for an asking price of $59 million. The Monaco based Christian and his brother Nick is well known real estate developers who specialize in high-design luxury residences.  They were in the news for redesigning the ultra luxurious and exclusive One Hyde Park in London. The triplex penthouse on the Plaza was bought by them last year for only $25.9 million. They have renovated the entire property and brought in some significant upgrades. It is a one of a kind property that is difficult to replicate anywhere else and with the massive upgrades is comparable to any luxurious residence in the city or elsewhere. The Penthouse is Spread on the Top 3 Floors of the Building The penthouse boasts of 6,319 square feet of interior living space and 229 square feet of exterior living space. The penthouse is spread over the 19th, 20th and the 21st floors of the building. There is an elevator ...

America’s most expensive home is now for sale and has a new record. Copper Beech Farm in Greenwich Conn is coming to the market with an asking price of $190 million dollars. The tony town with it's abundance of wealthy Wall Street residents has been nicknamed "the hedge fund capital of the countr y". The listed estate is one of the 46 most architecturally significant historic abodes highlighted by a 1986 coffee table book about the town. The old record which was held by Crespi Kicks estate in Dallas Texas for $135 million was overtaken by over 30% by the new listing. David Ogilvy & Associates who are affiliated with Christie’s International Real Estate are handling the listing exclusively. The Estate Built in 1904 is Spread Over 50 Acres The Cooper Beech Farm is a unique property that was built in 1896. Harriet Lauder Greenway bought the estate in 1904 and lived in it for 75 years. John Rudey, the timber tycoon purchased it quietly 31 years ago in an off-market d...

Back in 2006 when property prices were on the rise and economic optimism was in the air, investor J. Christopher Flowers purchased a luxury mansion in Manhattan for $53 million. The property in question was the Harkness Mansion , a mega-mansion that stands on 4 East 75th Street . Back then, the $53 million that Flowers paid for the building was a record-breaking sum that grabbed real estate headlines across New York. But the real estate market is no longer in a happy state. It is still struggling to shake off the negative impact of the global economic recession. So even the most expensive mega-mansion in Manhattan was sold at a big loss. According to reports, this mega-mansion Flowers has agreed to sell the property at $36.5 million. That would be a total loss of $16.5 million, given that Flowers spent $4 million just gutting the place. Apparently, Flowers has been trying to sell the 20,000-square-foot townhouse for a while now. Initially, he was willing to sell the New York ...

Long Island City is not really the place where you would look for luxury apartments. The area does not have a proper supermarket and sleazy clubs and establishments co-exist making it a not very appealing place to live. Greenpoint’s Pencil Factory reduced the price to $500-per-square-foot range. You could now get a 1,050-square-foot 2BR, 2BA condo in LIC’s L Haus for $520,000. There is also another apartment which comes with a rover view and that costs $605,000. Rooftop cabanas and washer/dryers for everyone are some of the other features in the complex. Now, not many people seem to be excited about spending more than half a million for these apartments and some commenters have gone ahead and said that the prices are not reduced, but are in fact a rip off. Moreover, there is no information about from what price the rate has been reduced to $500-per-square-foot range. Nevertheless, it would be quite stupid to buy such small apartments in a noisy area for such huge...

Maryland is seeing some serious action on the luxury estate front. You can see a lot of luxury houses for sale. Luxury homes have become part of luxury for sale and luxury auctions. Auction homes are coming forward with property auctions with several instances of luxury vacation homes on the block. In the series of Maryland homes on sale is an all-glass waterfront home located in Pasadena. The property was originally listed for $7.9 million and is now headed for the auction block. Concierge Auctions who are handling the auctions said that it will be an absolute format auction which means that there would be no reserve price and irrespective of the amount, the highest bidder will get the home. The luxury house for sale is located in the distinctive Chesapeake Bay area and is a single family residence. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a real estate broker, is collaborating with the auctioneers to facilitate the sale of the luxury real estate. Betsy Stettinius, the listing ag...

Villa Belvedere , a large and luxurious estate on the San Francisco Bay is being offered for a private auction sale. Its original list price of $45 million makes it the most expensive home in San Francisco. The current record is held by a Broadway Street home which was listed for sale in mid 2012. But the Villa Belvedere scores over the home in several parameters. The Villa has been built on a gated and lavishly landscaped lot measuring 1.14 acres. The residence, which has been built on three levels, provides 15,000 square feet of living space. Part of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Another portion of the proceeds has been earmarked for a charity of the buyer’s choice. The Home Offers Breathtaking Views of the Bay and the City. The reserve price for the luxurious estate has been fixed at $25 million and the bids will start from there. The location of the villa is such that it offers unobstructed and breathtaking views ...

Liliane Bettencourt who is best known as the L’Oréal heiress ranks high amongst the billionaires of the world with a net worth of $23.5 billion. She is a businesswoman, socialite and a philanthropist. She has been in the news recently for selling her private D’Arros Island in the Seychelles to an offshore company affiliated with Swiss-based Save Our Seas Foundation. The deal is reported to be worth$60 million plus $10.5 million for stamp duty and other taxes. The island has been taken over with the intention of turning the land into a nature reserve. Mrs. Bettencourt has been under investigation by the French Tax authorities who have ordered her to pay $133 million in taxes for undeclared accounts in Switzerland, Singapore and ownership of D’Arros Island. She Had Bought the Island in 1997 for $18 Million She had been at the center of a corruption investigation involving former French President Nicholas Sarkozy and that’s how her other assets came to light. The 89 year old heiress ...

Leyn Peninusla in Wales is known for its gothic castles and brooding hills. The landscape in this part of Britain is so forebodingly beautiful that it would bring out the poet in you. You might have already thought of owning some kind of property in these parts of the world, but mostly they are unattainable or rarely does someone even put it up for sale. Talhenbont Hall is an amazing manor house that is located in a secluded part of the peninsula. It was built in the year 1607 and was used as a garrison for Cromwell’s army. The estate covers a total area of 75 acres and is one of the best properties that your money could buy you. Along with the manor, you could expect to savour the beauty of original oak-panelled rooms, superb fireplaces and a coat of arms. There are 6 bedrooms, 4 attic rooms and 5 self catering cottages for the servants. This should be one of the best manors that I have ever come across and if you are fond of the Welsh landscape, you sure are going to love this p...

An Elizabethan coaching inn called Shakespeare House in a small village in Buckinghamshire County has been listed for sale with an asking price of £1.375 million, or $2.13 million. The inn dates back to the year 1534 and has taken on Shakespeare’s name as he is said to have penned part of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It was John Aubrey in his collection of biographies linked Shakespeare to the inn and said that he drew inspiration for the comedy while in the village. According to local lore Shakespeare appears on the window of the top floor on April 23 which is supposed to be the day of both his birth and death. Nick Underwood, the current owner reveals that the inn had later turned into a farmhouse with 150 acres of land. The farm was later sold off in pieces and two American families owned it in the 20th century. Underwood with Roy Elsbury bought the property nine years ago and undertook some structural work but every section was recreated in the original style and form. Despite...

Recent trends indicate that beach huts are commanding very good price in the real estate market and one such cozy wooden hut has hit the market with an asking price of $2.5 million. It must be a record for a beach hut. The red wooden hut is located in the Hawaiian countryside. The nearby small town is called Laupahoehoe which has a population of only 581. The small little cozy hut measuring only 484 square feet hopes to attract international buyers. Sotheby’s is handling the sale and have pitched the beach hut as a slice of paradise. It provides fascinating views of the pacific and the Laupahoehoe countryside. The Hut Comes With 20 Acres of Lush Hawaiian Countryside The steep price tag becomes somewhat justifiable because the hut comes with 20 acres of lush Hawaiian countryside. It is an ideal hideaway if you want to get away from your hectic lifestyle and switch off completely for a break. The tiny home has its own private access road and rocky beach. The residents can fish, snor...

The Sherry-Netherland is renowned for offering more than a place of residence; it’s a way of living. Life at the Sherry, a cooperative residential hotel in New York City, has always been an expression of privilege since it opened back in 1927. Now, an ultra-affluent individual can enjoy the Sherry’s surpassed lifestyle, as a full-floor residence, a co-op spanning the 18th floor of the iconic Sherry-Netherland hotel has hit the market with a bang for $95 million.  Gilbert Haroche, the owner of this luxurious co-op has listed it for an astronomical price tag, considering the fact that New York has been brimmed with massively-priced listings, and most expensive sales, including the duplex penthouse and full-floor apartment at One 57 New York sold for $90 million and $50 million respectively, besides the Christopher Jeffries' Ritz-Carlton penthouse which got listed for $77.5 million. Location:   Sherry Netherland 18th floor apartment The Sherry Net...

Luxury Real Estate | Duke Semans Mansion Sold for $44 Million One of my favorite mansions in the world, the Duke Semans mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, was just sold for $44 million.  The classic beaux arts style mansion was acquired by Carlos Slim, who is ranked the richest man in the world after building a telecommunications empire in Mexico.  The seller is the legendary New York real estate mogul Tamir Sapir, who started as a cab driver and ended up on the Forbes list himself from Russian oil and real estate investments. Tamir Sapir bought the mansion in 2006 from the descendants of tobacco magnate Benjamin N. Duke, who had it built in 1901.  Sapir paid $40 million, which set the New York City record for private real estate at the time.  He originally listed the property at $50 million, according to The Wall Street Journal , after working with Paula Del Nunzio of brown Harris Stevens, who is known for selling most of the highest value to...

The luxury island is fast rising up the ranks on the must-buy lists of the superrich. The most recent little tidbit that we gathered has to do with a Venice lagoon island that is currently up for sale. Named Santo Spirito, this scenic little island is currently listed at a price of 20 million euros ($28 million). When you think about it, that is not that high a price for an entire island. The Venice lagoon island was so far in the possession of holding company Poveglia Ltd. However, the Italy-based real estate investors have decided to sell Santo Spirito, and have roped in brokerage firm Colliers International to help them do just that. Santo Spirito is a 6.2-acre island, and it is a mere ten minutes away from St. Marks Square if you travel by boat. One of the prime attractions on this little island property is a ruined 12th century convent. The latter occupies 38,000 square foot of area on the island. The ruined convent could turn out to be an interesting tourist att...

The first week of trading has seen a drop in the valuation of Facebook stock compared to the IPO prices. However, the IPO has created an estimated 1,000 young ultra rich techies. The price fixed for the IPO pushed the valuation of Facebook to $104 billion. The early insiders and investors in the social network suddenly turned into millionaires and even some billionaires .  Their new found wealth has brought them into the market and the real estate sector could be a direct beneficiary. According to reports an unnamed West Coast based Facebook tycoon has shown interest in buying the TriBeCa’s 144 Duane Street property, an e xpensive Manhattan estate. It is a sprawling townhouse which hat hit the market with an original asking price of $45 million and bucking the trend the listing price was revised upwards to $49.5 million. The property dates back to 1862 but is rather well preserved for its age. The limestone building with a total of 23,000 square feet of space has un...