SantaBarbara

Chopin to Auction World's Largest Bottle of Vodka, Signed by Celebs

Chopin, the small-batch ultra-premium potato vodka from Poland named in honor of the famed composer, has created the world's largest bottle of vodka to be signed by celebs and auctioned off for charity. The 200-liter behemoth, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Polish composer's birth, was just unveiled at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) where Sandra Bullock (above) was the first to affix her signature. Bullock won the Festival's American Riviera Award, presented by Chopin and established to recognize an actor who has had a strong influence on American cinema. Past recipients include Mickey Rourke, Tommy Lee Jones and Forest Whitaker. The signed 200-liter bottle will now tour the U.S. and then be auctioned off with proceeds going to The GRAMMY Foundation's Music Preservation Project. The lucky winner will get to have one hell of a party.

Tags: Chopin, Frederic Chopin, FredericChopin, Poland, Sandra Bullock, SandraBullock, Santa Barbara, SantaBarbara, vodka

Randy Quaid Arrested In Hotel Bill Nonpayment

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Crimes and Misdemeanors

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have run afoul of the law over an unpaid hotel bill. The couple were arrested in West Texas for allegedly failing to pay $10,000 for a luxury stay at a hotel in Santa Barbara, California. The AP reports that the pair was released from a West Texas jail after posting $20,000 bail each late Thursday. Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told The Associated Press that he drove the actor to a bank to obtain the bail money. The felony warrant for Quaid and his wife was for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy. Quaid is a native Texan and the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid. He's best known for roles in movies including "Independence Day" and "Kingpin."

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Tags: evi quaid, EviQuaid, randy quaid, RandyQuaid, santa barbara, SantaBarbara

Ten Biggest Real Estate Price Drops

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The most expensive real estate in the country has taken some pretty major price cuts over the past year or two. In the past, mega-mansions with huge pricetags would often sit on the market a year or two without a price cut with owners secure in the knowledge that the right buyers would eventually come along. These are uncertain times and there are some very motivated sellers testing their luck in the real estate waters. Our list of top ten reductions of U.S. properties we've covered in the past starts at a $10 million cut and it only gets higher from there.

10)The Sloane Mansion, was $64 million, now $54 million
Price Cut=$10 million
The Henry T. Sloane mansion on East 68th Street in New York City is located just steps away from Fifth Avenue on the East Side. The building has 18,500 square feet total spread out over five stories and there are 15 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, seven fireplaces, a ballroom and a rooftop garden. The mansion was designed by architect Charles Pierrepont H. Gilbert for Sloane, the heir to a furniture empire, in 1905. The home is classic Beaux-Arts style and five of the rooms have all their original details intact including wood-paneled ballroom with original oil-painted murals. It has been on the market for over a year but may need to go lower than $54 million in this economy.

Tags: dunellen hall, DunellenHall, estates, hamptons, new york city, NewYorkCity, palm springs, PalmSprings, park city, ParkCity, price cuts, price drops, PriceCuts, PriceDrops, san francisco, SanFrancisco, santa barbara, SantaBarbara, suzanne somers, SuzanneSomers, utah

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Classic Rocker David Crosby Puts Yacht Up for Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Classic rocker David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash fame has put his beloved wooden sailing yacht on the market after 40 years. Crosby is asking $1 million for the classic 59-ft. Alden 356-B Centerboard Schooner, named Mayan. Crosby, who had an affluent upbringing in California and learned to sail at age 11, composed several songs aboard the yacht which he lived on for long spells. The Mayan is pictured on the cover of the 1977 Crosby, Stills & Nash album CSN, and references to her can be found in songs such as "Wooden Ships," "The Lee Shore" and "Through My Sails."

Crosby originally purchased the yacht in 1968 and spent over $600,000 on a refit in 2005, including new electronics, and she has been upgraded annually. The Mayan, which is located in Santa Barbara, is described as "a very powerful design that takes the weather very well." The cabin layout is very traditional but easily sleeps eight in three staterooms plus a large saloon double berth. Stars like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have sailed on her. Click here to see a photo gallery of the yacht.

Tags: California, celebrity, classic rock, ClassicRock, David Crosby, DavidCrosby, Neil Young, NeilYoung, rock star, RockStar, sailing, sailing yacht, SailingYacht, Santa Barbara, SantaBarbara, wooden boat, WoodenBoat, yacht

Dream Homes of Coastal California

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books

A luxe new coffee table book called Dream Homes: Coastal California (Panache Partners, $34.95) showcases over 40 of the region's finest architects, designers and builders. Focusing on Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties, it features 250 photographs of breathtaking designs such as the Villa Beaumont pictured above, an Italian-Renaissance country villa in Santa Barbara by Sorrell Design based on the work of the great 16th-century architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. From multimillion dollar classical revival mansions to modernist beach dwellings, no expense has been spared in realizing clients' dreams (hence the title). See the gallery for a tour.

Gallery: Dream Homes: Coastal California

Pacific Ocean beach house by Gray & Gray

Beaux-Arts estate by Harrison Design Assoc.

Tags: Architecture, California, Coastal California, CoastalCalifornia, Dream home, DreamHome, Monterey, Santa Barbara, SantaBarbara

Channel Drive, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home has an admirable spot in Santa Barbara, California along Channel Drive. It overlooks Butterfly Beach with views to the Channel Islands and up along the sweep of the coast. It is located in a great neighborhood with easy beach access. The home itself is a bit of a question mark. Built in 1951, it's got a modernist style but it seems a bit dated. The home has three bedrooms which are positioned for ocean views. There are cool details here, the gated property is entered through a large courtyard containing a two-car garageand the approach to the house is via wide pebbled stairs that appear to float above a reflecting pool lined with blue mosaic tiles, and bordered by plantings. The living and dining areas offer floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrapped around two sides of the building with clerestory windows for added light. The entire site has been arranged for maximum privacy so there is no need for window shades. The living room is linked to a sunken dining area with a large black circular chimney hood descending from the ceiling and hanging above a circular raised fire pit. The home sits on less than a half and acre and is listed at $35 million. Even for this area that's a lot for a house that I suspect might end up being a teardown. What say you, update and expand or scrap it and start over?

Gallery: Channel Drive

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Tags: california, estate of the day, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, santa barbara, SantaBarbara

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Earleton Cottage, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I know I don't need to school you on Montecito, California, the pricey enclave near Santa Barbara which is home to so many celeb getaway homes and some of the steepest prices in the state. Today's home is a freshly renovated turn-of-the-century carriage house that was part of the Earleton Lodge estate, built in 1907. The carriage house is cottage cute with a board and batten exterior and pitched roof. Inside it has been beautifully decorated by interior designer, John Roberts. It's absolutely charming with rooms straight out of the Crate and Barrel catalog. No pool but you do get some great outdoor entertaining spaces with sun lounges and an outdoor fireplace and there are ocean views from the upper floor. But for a four-bedroom home on less than an acre, $12 million is a bit steep (Zillow's zestimate has it at $4,876,582). Bigger pics of all that fantastic interior design are in the gallery.

Gallery: Eartleton Cottage

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Tags: california real estate, estate of the day, montecito, santa barbara, SantaBarbara

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Interchange Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The new Hayman & Hill Interchange wine from Cellar Door intrigues me because it has a bumper crop of white varietals. Interchange is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Malvasia Bianca, Semillon and Gewürztraminer grapes. The grapes are meant to represent the diverse terrain of Santa Barbara county. The wine is described as having a floral nose and a tropical palate with just a hint of oak.

Hayman & Hill is named for its winemakers, David Hayman and Dennis Hill. David Hayman has seventeen years of strong international winemaking experience and is Blackstone Winery's Senior Vice President of Operation. Dennis Hill has over twenty five years of winemaking experience with many leading Sonoma wineries and is the Chief Winemaker for the Blackstone Winery. The Interchange wine is priced at $13.99.

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Tags: california wine, CaliforniaWine, hayman hill, HaymanHill, interchange wine, santa barbara, SantaBarbara, white wine

Montjoie, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate is one of those Santa Barbara beauties that was created in the 1920s. Behold Montjoie, an estate created in 1928 by architect Edwin Hill Clark for James Ward Thorne, the heir to Montgomery Ward. The mansion is a two story home with over 10,000 square feet of space. It has Renaissance and Beaux Art details and much of the home's original glory has remained intact. The home's classic look has made it a popular location for weddings in recent years.

Details of the eight-bedroom house include a formal living room, dining room and kitchen. The library is a 17th century, walnut-paneled curved room which was imported from an abbey in Tuscany. The master suite is in its own separate wing and has his and her bathrooms and a large office. The home sits on two acres with views to the city, ocean and mountains. It is listed at $8.95 million. After the jump, California not casual.

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Tags: california, estate of the day, real estate, santa barbara, SantaBarbara

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Pariso Verde, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Yesterday we checked out a Stanford White home now check out a home designed by another famed American architect from the past, Betram Grosvenor Goodhue. Pariso Verde,located in Montecito, California has a very different type of appeal. It relies heavily on Spanish design. The home was recently expanded and remodeled. The 7,600-square-foot home captures the feel of Goodhue's orignal design but with an unpgraded gloss of modern luxury. The real history lies outside the home in the garden landscapes conceived by Lockwood de Forest which includes water features, stone pathways and columns. It is listed at $25 million. After the jump, these grounds were made for walking.

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Tags: architecture, california, estate of the day, montecito, real estate, santa barbara, SantaBarbara

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Santa Barbara Contemporary Home, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This gorgeous home is currently on the cover of Unique Homes and has been features in a wide variety of television shows and magazines. This California beauty is a four-bedroom home on six acres in Santa Barbara. This is not the home for those who find angular design offensive. There's not a curve in sight. Instead it is a dramatic play of rectangles and squares in stone and slate that give this home its stunning good looks. The architect Richard Landry has created a home that has a variety of water features and has a wide open floor plan that is broken into different functional areas for formal and informal living situations. There is a gourmet kitchen with multiple sinks and dishwashers as well as a wine cellar. The master bedroom has a black granite bathroom and a private terrace which includes a spiral staircase to the lower gardens. The owners built the home, which was designed in 1993. It is listed at $8.85 million.

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Tags: architecture, luxury real estate, santa barbara, SantaBarbara