A new record has been set in Hong Kong real estate. The 80th floor penthouse of The Arch building in the Kowloon district has sold for $28.8 million making it the most expensive apartment per square foot ever sold in Asia at 41,000 Hong Kong dollars per square foot. In the building no floors start with 4, so you go from the 39th to the 50th floor in this building, there are actually 65 floor total (4 is bad luck in Hong Kong like 13 is here in the U.S.). The new owner gets a private swimming pool, a rooftop terrace and 5,497 square feet of space in this unique complex. The building also includes a fitness area, lounge, and pool areas starting at the 60th floor in the place where the two towers join.
In Tel Aviv, Israel, the G Tower offers Tel Aviv's most expensive apartment, a flat priced at $34-million apartment. The Gindi Group, which developed the G Tower recently announced the selling price for the triplex flat which combines a former duplex and penthouse apartment on the 24th, 25th and 26th floors. The new apartment is located just under the triplex which was purchased by the holder of controlling interest for Bank Hapoalim, Shari Arison, for $13 million.
The tower has 31 floors with 40 apartments. Building amenities include a culture center with a library and bar, a fitness center, swimming pool, conference center, underground parking and tight security. The new apartment has 360 degree views of the city and measures 1,500 square meters (around 15,145 square feet) for a price of over $22,000 per square meter. According to an article on Haaretz.com some real estate agents in Tel Aviv think the price is way too high, especially since a $25 million penthouse in the Sea One Project on Hayarkon Street failed to sell.
A few days ago I mentioned the real estate dealings of Frankie Muniz. Another young star getting his start in the real estate business is Daniel Radcliffe. The Harry Potter star has bought a Manhattan apartment for just under $4.3 million in the 40 Mercer building in SoHo. The property is now listed for rent at $20,000 a month through Halstead. The 1,843 sq ft fifth-floor apartment has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and floor to ceiling windows. Amenities in the building include a swimming pool, steam room and concierge services. The purchase was made by Gilmore Jacobs Ltd., the company set up by Radcliffe's parents when he was just 11. The Sun reports that the company is now worth more around $40 million. Now that he is 18, Radcliffe has control of his own funds but hasn't been seen living too much of an extravagant lifestyle yet.
Today's home brings up the age-old question, when does a woman outgrow the love of pink everything. If you check out fashion designer Betsey Johnson's New York apartment the answer seems to be that you can live in Barbie's dream apartment well into your dotage. The aging designer is preternaturally bouncy and giddy for her age but still perhaps even she has grown weary of her two-bedroom penthouse. The loft in the Gold Coast area of Fifth Avenue is described in the listing as a "lavishly presented confection of fifties Hollywood glamour trimmed in lace, velvet, and gold tassels." Underneath there somewhere is a rather nice apartment with great views and a nice roof deck. It's just hard to see for all the flounce. It is listed at $3.6 million. The listing pics are pretty small but Radar has them bigger.
For another look at Betsey's home decorating style, check out Betseyville, her Mexican getaway home which is available for rent.
When money is no object it's always interesting to see what people choose as far as living arrangements go, and obviously money is no object for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. So what did they choose? According to The New York Post they've landed at The Waldorf Towers in New York City. The 6,000 sq ft luxury apartment includes 6 bedrooms, an enormous kitchen, multiple terraces with sweeping views of the city, room service, maid service, and a 24hr concierge.
And perhaps more valuable to the couple than anything is the fact that the new $100,000 per month pad is close to both the United Nations (where Jolie is a goodwill ambassador) and their son Maddox's private French school.
Unfortunately there are just five pics for this one, but what could be better than a penthouse in Paris with Eiffel Tower views. This penthouse is located in the eighth district of Paris. The duplex apartment is over 4,300 square feet on the seventh and eighth floors. There is also a 1,776-square-foot terrace with complete views of paris. The seventh floor is the family floor with a study, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms plus a master suite. The eighth floor is a massive reception room that leads out onto the balcony. There are also two staff apartments included. The price hasn't been listed.
Today's listing, a New York duplex penthouse on Riverside Drive on Manhattan's Upper West side is actually a double celebrity home. As the Wall Street Journal reported it is currently owned by CNN correspondent, Miles O'Brien but he and his wife bought it from actor Christopher Meloni (of Law and Order, and Oz) and his wife, Sherman Williams-Meloni. The nearly 2,000-square-foot duplex penthouse has three bedrooms and a terrace overlooking the river. The living room has three exposures and is wired for surround sound. The adjoining dining room has oversized windows and access to the water-irrigated terrace. The eat-in kitchen includes granite countertops, Sub Zero refrigerator and a Bosch dishwasher. The master suite is upstairs and there are two other bedrooms each with its own bath. The building has a 24-hour doorman, garage, gym, kid's playroom, storage and a deck. The apartment is listed at $3.495 million. Mr. O'Brien and his wife bought the apartment in 2005 for $3.2 million. After the jump, the living room at sunset.
The world's ultra-rich have a new place to hang their hats. Dubai's Damac Properties have created a new line of luxury apartments that start around $10 million each. The Signature Residences each occupy an entire floor in two of Damac's skyscrapers: Ocean Heights in Dubai Marina and Lotus Heights in Business Bay. The apartments have 360 degree views and are located on the 67th to 75th floors of the towers and each have a private, voice-activated elevator. All apartments come with a maid's room, four parking spaces each and every apartment will have its very own swimming pool, personal gymnasium and steam room.
Those interested in a Beverly HIlls apartment have a new place to check out. Blü, is an 11-story high-rise in Beverly Hills that has 37 apartments with five units per floor. The building has a doorman, concierge service, an onsite fitness center, media room with a coffee bar and a rooftop terrace lounge. The building is located on Wilshire Blvd. within striking distance of local shopping. One and two-bedroom residences are 900 to 1300 square feet and are pre-wired for cable, multiple phone lines and high-speed internet. Move-ins are scheduled for this summer and cost $4,000 to $7,000 per month. Perhaps the boutique hotel style amenities will atrract the young celebs who are more likely to stay in hotels. After the jump, an interior shot of the apartments which include stainless steel appliances, Kohler tubs and in-unit washer and dryers.
Would you live on a road that has the same name as your ex? It doesn't seem to be a problem for Brody Jenner, Bruce Jenner's son and US Weekly's hot Hollywood bachelor of the moment. Jenner has signed up to live at Villa Malibu, an apartment complex on Cavalleri Road. If that name sounds familiar it should, it's rather close to Kristin Cavallari,the Laguna Beach princess he once dated. Jenner is moving into a 2,100-square-foot two bedroom + den home. It has also been announced that model Amber Valletta and her husband, Olympic volleyball player Christian "Chip" McCaw, and son Auden will also be living at Villa Malibu. Amenities at the complex include a concierge, "lifestyle valet", a pool with cabanas, yoga and circuit training classes and a continental breakfast every Sunday. Sounds good but it might be a bit of a downgrade for Jenner who once had stepdaddy David Foster's palatial home at his disposal.
A new tower will be going up in Dubai with a name that is recognizable pretty much worldwide. Gulf News reports that the Rolex Tower will be a 63-story mixed-use tower along Shaikh Zayed Road. The building will have a glass facade and will be the standard layered affair of ground floor retail space, offices and then a topping of 23 floors of residential apartments crowned with a few floors of penthouses. The tower was designed by the famous firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, designers of Burj Dubai and many other notable structures. The cornerstone was laid this week and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.
When celebrities decorate their homes, they tend to go all out with their designs. They have plenty of money on hand to do so, of course, but more importantly, these celebs are looking to make their homes into retreats that can serve as a sanctuary in a world filled with paparazzi. Singer Kanye West's brand-new New Yorkapartment, which is being designed by Claudio Silvestrin, is tranquil and minimalist to an extreme degree, with the sort of layout that only a ridiculous amount of money can buy.
Above, a view of the kitchen is shown. More pictures are after the jump.
The New York Times' writer William L. Hamilton's article "What Money Can't Buy" chronicles these rough-and-tumble times for the city's ultra rich. From Central Park-side real estate to 250mph Bugattis, it seems the recipients of this year's massive Wall Street bonuses may have a tougher time spending their newfound wealth than they may have hoped. Want a new Jeff Koons to grace your foyer? His next dozen pieces are spoken for. John Walker 1805 Reserve? The 45-year vintage (from distilleries that no longer exist) was supposed to be available already but now may never. Trying to get your hands on a "starter" jet – the Eclipse 500 or the Cessna Citation? You may find yourself waiting until 2010. And even if it's not superfluous luxuries you're after, it seems even upper-crust residences are becoming harder to snag; the city's top brokers are noticing that $10 Million dollar apartments are only going to buyers with $100M net worth, as co-op boards are expecting their tenants to be charitable enough to give away what they pay in rent every year. So, sorry Richie Rich, you'll just have to *gasp* wait your turn. Oh, and check out the link for pics of the Bugatti.
When you're at a really posh spa, you feel very removed from the world and, if you're anything like we are, you eventually begin to feel so relaxed that you wish that you never had to return to the real world. In New York in 2008, the Arizona-based Miraval spa will be opening a new complex where you actually don't have to leave. Located at 515 East 72nd Street the project is called Miraval Living and it is the company's first "spadominium," a condo complex where spa-living is a way of life. And for a spa, it's actually a rather intense experience. Each resident will receive a "custom regimen from the hundreds of offered services, from sex therapy to massages to pilates.
Future "spadomiums" are planned in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and Washington.
Way back in November, I wrote about the ultra-pricey apartments of the Tomson Riviera development in Shanghai, China. Now the most expensive apartment on the Chinese mainland has just been sold for over $16 million. They buyer is from Southeast Asia and the over 3,000 square foot apartment is the first sale in the Tomson Riviera development.
When money is no object it's always interesting to see what people choose as far as living arrangements go, and obviously money is no object for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. So what did they choose? According to 
When you're at a really posh spa, you feel very removed from the world and, if you're anything like we are, you eventually begin to feel so relaxed that you wish that you never had to return to the real world. In New York in 2008, the Arizona-based Miraval spa will be opening a new complex where you actually don't have to leave. Located at 515 East 72nd Street the project is called 
