LuxuryRealEstate

Sotheby's First Home Auction in 20 Years

On May 31 antiques lovers and voyeurs can step inside Virginia billionaire-cum-winemaker Patricia Kluge's 45-room estate in Albermarle County, Va., for a peek at what could be theirs. Kluge's grand estate, Albermarle House, is on the market and she plans to sell off its contents during a two-day auction conducted by Sotheby's on June 8 and 9. Those who buy an auction catalog are welcome to the preview the auction items on-site in May.

"Albemarle House, [Kluge's] collaboration with designer David Easton, rejuvenated high-style country living in the United States in the English tradition, which had declined since the early 20th century," says Sotheby's Worldwide head of French, Continental and English furniture, Alistair Clarke.

Sotheby's will auction Kluge's entire collection within the house, much of which came from top dealers in the U.K. and private collections around the world, including Chinese paintings and works of art, books, sporting guns, jewels, lighting and decorative objects as well as designer gowns by Christian Lacroix and Givenchy. The Kluges' gilded life will be on the auction block.

The home itself is for sale, too. Kluge hasn't had any luck selling the 300-acre estate, which she originally listed for $100 million in October 2009. It's a wonder why she hasn't been more patient with the mansion and its 23,538-square-feet, eight-bedrooms and 13 baths. She recently reduced the price to $48 million after less than a year.

Gallery: Patricia Kluge's Albemarle House

Tags: albemarle house, albemarle virginia, AlbemarleHouse, AlbemarleVirginia, antiques, kluge estates, KlugeEstates, luxury real estate, luxury real estate auction, LuxuryRealEstate, LuxuryRealEstateAuction, patricia kluge, sothebys, Sothebys International Realty, SothebysInternationalRealty

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Larry Hagman's Heaven, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

It takes a certain kind of guy to name his home Heaven. Maybe the kind of guy who walks around town in a cowboy hat and is famous for being one of television's most notorious villains. As Hagman tells it in a video (after the jump) it was love at first sight for him and his wife Maj when they saw the hilltop estate in Ojai, California. They bought the property in 1991 and built the Mediterranean-style house with nine bedrooms the following year.

The home is designed for entertaining, there is a guest house and an open but covered space fits more than 200 guests with a lap pool and retractable roof. Hagman may have played an oil tycoon on television but the home is equipped with a huge solar polar system which sliced his electric bill to pennies and enabled him to sell back electricity to the town. The home also has its own helipad.

The property is designed to take advantage of views of the Pacific ocean, Channel Islands, mountains and valley and sliding glass walls offering unobstructed views. This home hit the market last November for $11 million but as the Wall Street Journal reports it is now listed at $9.5 million.

Gallery: Larry Hagman's Heaven

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French Countryside Style In Montecito, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

If you love the charming look of the French countryside but aren't ready to move abroad, this estate in Montecito, California offers a chance to experience a more European style while safely ensconced in the land of blue skies and celebrity neighbors. The garden is surrounded by a 45-acre nature preserve and 45 acre estate for added privacy and the house belongs to the association of Ennisbrook which means that the owners have access to amenities that include clubhouses, pools and tennis courts.

The house is only ten years old but was designed with an eye toward creating a slice of the French countryside. The two acre property includes a large single-level main house, a separate guest house and garage that create a courtyard. The main house and guest house have high ceilings, lime washed walls and handmade tile floors updated with one comfort you usually won't find in Provence, radiant heat. The gourmet kitchen has an attached loggia for indoor-outdoor living. Listing pictures reveal a magical landscape with bridges, ponds, cottages and what appears to be a rather fancy aviary. Another thing that sets this one apart is vines. Vines crawl the outside of the structures which isn't that unusual but in this case it looks like the vines have come inside sprawling across the ceiling in . The effect is charming but you still might want to bring your pruning shears or have a gardener on staff. This home is listed at $7.5 million with Sotheby's.

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Tags: california, california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, ennisbrook, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, montecito, southern california real estate, SouthernCaliforniaRealEstate

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132 East 62nd Street, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Back in October we first heard that Suzanne Sheik, a jewelry designer and mother of singer Duncan Sheik, had put her New York City townhouse on the market for $17.5 million. Now the home has had a $2 million price chop so I decided to check it out as an estate of the day. Sheik bought the 7,000-square-foot townhouse at 132 East 62nd Street from the estate of late socialite Phyllis Cerf Wagner for $8.5 million in 2007.

The home is a 20-foot-wide residence spanning five stories. In the last couple of years it has gone through a major restoration adding state of the art appliances and updating the home with a modern but elegant look. The townhouse was built in 1871 by architect John Sexton and is part of the Upper East Side Historic District. The listing says that the bookshelves still hold literary treasures signed and annotated by authors such as: Faulkner Mailer, Capote, and Didion many of whom visited the house when Phyllis Cerf Wagner was in residence as did other famous guests like Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra (the home currently features an abstract oil painting by Frank Sinatra).

The main entrance opens to a foyer with carrera marble floors and glazed walls while the service entrance has wood floors, a mud room and leads into the pantry. The ground floor includes a chef's kitchen and a living/dining area that opens to a serene garden with water wall. The original staircase has been reinforced and leads to a floor with a drawing room, den and a street facing library/dining room. The third floor is given over to a master suite that includes a dressing room and a paneled study with a fireplace. The fourth floor offers two bedrooms, kitchenette and laundry and the fifth floor has three more bedrooms and a sitting room. Some of the furniture and fine art is available for purchase separately. This home is now listed with Stribling at $15.5 million.

Gallery: 132 East 62nd Street

Tags: duncan sheik, DuncanSheik, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, new york city real estate, NewYorkCityRealEstate, suzanne shiek, SuzanneShiek

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Scarlett Johansson Lists Her House At A Loss

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

It might be tempting to think that Scarlett Johansson has it all. She's gorgeous, has a big career, a funny and handsome Hollywood husband in Ryan Reynolds and the world is at her feet. One thing our heroine won't have it seems is a profit on her Los Angeles home. The Real Estalker reveals that while Miss Scarlett bought her home in the Outpost Estates area of Los Angeles for an even $7 million in 2007 she seems willing to take a deep loss on the home. The home is now listed at just $4.995 million with Brett Lawyer of Sotheby's.

The home is a Spanish style estate built in 1931. The gated home has been restored and updated with upgrades that include solar electric. The first floor has rooms that open to a giant center atrium with a glass ceiling and tiled floor. The home's charms include a chef's kitchen with a colorful "period-style" kitchen featuring retro-styled appliances. The home also includes a media room, gym or maids room with full bath, extensive basement areas. It's a gorgeous colorful home with Southern California details like arched windows, beamed ceilings and wood floors. It also has the requisite lap pool and spa with a tranquil hillside view. Hard to say why she's moving on and willing to take such a big price hit but someone should be willing to snap up the home in this celeb-friendly neighborhood, which has been home to Charlize Theron, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, Orlando Bloom, Ben Stiller and director David Lynch.

Gallery: Scarlett Johansson in Los Angeles

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, scarlett johansson, ScarlettJohansson

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Diandra Douglas in Montecito, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate belongs to Diandra Douglas, the former wife of Michael Douglas. The former Mrs. Douglas owns an enviable spread in Montecito, the ultra-pricey enclave that is home to Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and others. The Tuscan villa is on over seven acres which is actually divided into two lots. It is rumored that she got a $45 million settlement in the divorce as well as the home that is our estate of the day.

The Real Estalker says that the home was purchased way back in 1979 by the Douglases for just $275,000. This is way before Montecito became the fashionable area it is today. The 1920s Mediterranean has large iron gates and a motor court leading up to the grand home. The home has been recently updated and has a 75' pool, guesthouse, tennis court, Japanese water garden and green lawns from which to take in the ocean views. Tile floors, dark wood beams, vaulted ceilings and arched French doors all add to the feeling of classic Californian Mediterranean style. The pool/guest house offers another living room and kitchen. The home is listed at $29 million, hugely expensive but par for the course in Montecito.

Gallery: Diandra Douglas in Montecito

Tags: california, california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, diandra douglas, DiandraDouglas, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, michael douglas, MichaelDouglas, montecito

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Montreal Penthouse, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate is an incredible place to view the beautiful city of Montreal.This huge 9,000 square foot penthouse also has 16 000 sq ft of terraces with fountains, barbecues, wet-bars and exterior shower for enjoying when the weather is a bit more favorable. The incredibly tricked-out penthouse in the Héritage du Vieux Port building has ten fireplaces, specialized lighting and electronics systems, a glass staircase and elevator. It is essentially a five-story townhouse atop the building with a private elevator. Designed for entertaining, it has a media room, multiple kitchens, a wall of water water feature, library, dining room and four bedrooms. It is listed at $6,542,145.

Gallery: Monteal Penthouse

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Deepwater, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Deepwater is a stately Bermudian home designed by architect JF Brennan and inspired by the work of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, Deepwater is on nearly three acres and has outdoor space that includes gardens, a pool, bocce and tennis courts and a four-bedroom guest and staff cottage. The main house has four bedroom suites, a large kitchen, media room, game room and a wine room. Plenty of outdoor entertaining space offers views over Harrington Sound. This home is listed at $25 million.

Gallery: Deepwater

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Clipperways, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This home is on Winslow Homer Road and faces a scene that could have inspired one of the great artist's paintings. Clipperways is a grand shingled home on the water perched on Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Maine. This home was built over one hundred years ago and reflects traditional New England style. It has six bedrooms and large rooms for entertaining, kept cozy with stone fireplaces and hardwood floors. The traditional kitchen has beadboard details and a large pantry. Porches run along the front of the house offering ample space to take in the ever-changing ocean views. This home is listed at $5.5 million.

Gallery: Clipperways

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Benchmark Drive, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Log cabin extreme, chalet deluxe? What exactly would you call this huge home in Mountain Village, Colorado? The ultimate ski-home is located on nearly six park-like acres. It has seven bedrooms in over 10,000 square feet of space. It is a mix of modern American extravagance with a touch of European style. One of the most striking features is a huge, circular wooden staircase that dominates the massive open space that includes the kitchen, dining room and family recreation areas. This home also has one of the poshest mudrooms I've ever seen. You'll be taking off your skis and boots in style. This one is listed at $22 million.

Gallery: Benchmark Drive

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Bankers Buying in London: Luxury Home Prices on the Rise

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

After 17 months of misery, luxury home prices in London are finally up on an annual basis. Banking and hedge fund industry professionals are spending money again, largely because they're being paid again. Homes with values of above $1.6 million appreciated 1.6 percent in November compared to the same month last year. This was the first annual increase since June 2008. Nonetheless, prices remain 15 percent lower than the March 2008 peak. From October to November, prices grew 1.2 percent.

Liam Baily, head of residential research at Knight Frank, told Bloomberg News, "Anecdotal evidence from across our offices suggests that City money is becoming more apparent as we get closer to the end-of-year bonus season," continuing, "Demand from senior management is driving the market." Bonuses could wind up growing by 50 percent this year to 6 billion pounds in London's largest financial districts, and professionals in this industry are responsible for half the city's demand for luxury homes.

For homes at prices of more than $16 million, the price increases are even better: 1.9 percent from October to November this year. Residences in Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge got the biggest boosts.

This has led to a bit of optimism. Luxury real estate could reach May 2008 levels by 2012, up to two years earlier than expected.

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Tags: bank, banker, bankers, banking, banking sector, BankingSector, Chelsea, hedge fund, Hedge Fund Managers, Hedge funds, HedgeFund, HedgeFundManagers, HedgeFunds, kensington, knightsbridge, london, London England, LondonEngland, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, real estate, RealEstate, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

San Marino Island, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Today's estate is as much fun to look at for the art itself as for the home. This home on San Marino island in Miami Beach was built in 1930 but has been glammed up and reinvented. I don't see the word eclectic used in a listing too often but it suits this six-bedroom home. The home is on 13,000 square feet with 80 feet of water frontage and has views of the Miami skyline over its infinity pool, jacuzzi and dock. In addition to having a taste for contemporary art the current owner must have a taste for Bali. The master suite is entirely outfitted in teak from there, giving the room a very exotic feel. This home is listed at $5.495 million.

Gallery: San Marino Island

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Villa Pelican, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate in pricey Montecito, California could actually, even at the high price of $18.8 million practically be considered a deal. After all this beachside home was once listed at $34 million (I also spotted an old listing for $24.75 million). The home has views of the Santa Barbara coastline, mountains and Channel islands all from the privacy of a gated enclave. The property has a historic renovated Monterey Colonial main house with eight bedrooms and a three-car garage as well as a beach cabana, guest house and a fenced in beach area. A second parcel is also available for an additional cost and is home to a pool, patios, fountains and has permits for building a new four bedroom home. The main home is an odd mix, for the most part it has the casual look of a beach house but some rooms have a more formal and luxurious look. You can't beat the location, Fernald Cove is one of the most desired areas in this celebrity-filled town.

Gallery: Villa Pelican

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James Patterson In Palm Beach, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

If you'd like to be an author with a nice house, write thrillers. The best author houses I've seen belong to the thriller writers. Today's home in Palm Beach Florida belongs to James B. Patterson. According to the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column Patterson calls his beautiful home with frontage on the intracoastal waterway the house that Alex Cross built, referring to his popular psychologist main character. Patterson used a wood-paneled office with a water view (outfitted with plenty of Patterson books in the listing pictures) as his writing studio. The turquoise and white kitchen currently decorated with a collection of gleaming copper pots has the type of farmhouse style appeal one doesn't usually see in lavish Palm Beach homes. Outside there is a terrace surrounding a heated pool with spa ,built-in barbecue and a dock with boat lift. This home is listed at $14.95 million.

Patterson is moving his family to an even bigger home, a two-acre Palm Beach estate, with a 20,505-square-foot main house which he picked up for $17.45 million over the summer.

Gallery: James Patterson in Palm Beach

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Buffehr Creek Road, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is another reader submission, a beautiful vacation retreat in Vail, Colorado. The home was completed in 2007 and is located within a short distance of the ski lifts of Vail Village. It also offers immediate access to the Town of Vail's extensive hiking trail system. The home itself is a five-bedroom house that was constructed using state-of-the-art mechanics including radiant heat and a second humidified forced air heating system and air conditioning.

This home features custom rockwork inside and out, granite counter tops throughout the home, stainless appliances and more. A rec room has a full wet bar and a water feature. A heated drive, entry and rear deck area keeps you safe from icy walkways. The home also has an elevator, climate-controlled wine room, media room and a private patio with a hot tub, gas log fire pit and an outside shower. The home is offered fully furnished and the asking price is $5.995 million.

Gallery: Buffehr Creek Road