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The Classicist: Southern Proper's Timeless Style

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Mint juleps, seersucker, stately plantations, belles in summer dresses and those F. Scott Fitzgerald stories where they go around saying "Good mawnin', Sally Carrol" -- all come together in the new spring collection from Southern Proper, a gentleman's outfitter from Atlanta now gaining wider recognition from natty northerners.

Tags: Atlanta, bow ties, croquet, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Georgia, golf, Kentucky Derby, mens clothing, mens style, mint julep, polo, preppy, sailing, southern plantations, Southern Proper, southern+mens+style, southernmensstyle, tennis, the south, ties

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Tom Colicchio Closing Atlanta Restaurants

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

"Top Chef" judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio has announced that he is closing is two restaurants in Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Colicchio will close Craft Atlanta and the more casual Craftbar, in early 2011 (the tentative closing date is Valentine's Day 2011, February 14). Both restaurants are located in the same freestanding structure that faces the Mansion on Peachtree hotel in Buckhead, and has been a part of the hotel complex since the hotel opened under different ownership. As we saw last February, Mansion on Peachtree, was sold in a foreclosure auction for $66.1 million to an affiliate of the lead lender, iStar Financial.

The 42-story hotel/condo project is home to luxury condos and a five-star hotel operated by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. It's a loss for the city, the restaurant holds a four-star rating from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered to be one of the better restaurants in town.

Tags: atlanta, atlanta restaurants, Craft restaurant, craftbar, Tom Colicchio

Rosewood Hotels Looks for Worthy Winners in 30 Under 30 Contest

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Charity

The Rosewood collection of leading luxury hotels and resorts is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a cool new contest rewarding those who share the company's core values. Now through November 1 Rosewood is seeking nominations for 30 Under 30, open to young men and women who demonstrate the following traits: mindful of the community, leadership with integrity, passion of conviction, respect and dedication to preserving our natural environment, creativity and strong sense of life balance. To nominate yourself, a friend or colleague, visit www.rosewoodhotels.com/30under30 and submit a brief 250 word statement detailing the nominee's qualifications along with a resumé if possible. 30 finalists will be chosen from among the nominees, who will be revealed online on December 1st. Rosewood will make a $100 donation on behalf of each finalist to the non-profit organization of their choice. Additionally, they will each enjoy a complimentary dinner for two at the Rosewood hotel or resort of their choice. Finally, Rosewood will select one lucky nominee whose life is truly exemplary to receive a $1,000 donation to the non-profit of their choice and a complimentary three-night stay at any Rosewood hotel or resort.

The exclusive Rosewood portfolio includes Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek (above) and Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas, The Carlyle Hotel in New York, The Mansion on Peachtree in Atlanta, Rosewood Sand Hill, CordeValle and San Ysidro Ranch in California, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, Las Ventanas al Paraíso and Rosewood Mayakobá in Mexico, and a triumvirate of world-class Caribbean properties – Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, Caneel Bay on St. John and Jumby Bay on Antigua. Rosewood also offers Sense, A Rosewood Spa® - featuring treatments reflective of the brand's signature philosophy A Sense of Place® - available exclusively at select properties. Helping to select the best 30 Under 30 will be a panel of judges including Caroline Rose Hunt, Honorary Chairman of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, John Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Stephen Hunt Sands, Chairman of the Board of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Peter Greenberg, CBS News Travel Editor, Jason Binn, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Niche Media, and Pamela Fiori, Editor-at-Large of Town & Country.

Gallery: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort

Tags: Atlanta, Carlyle Hotel, charity, contest, Dallas, hotel, luxury hotels, resort, Rosewood, Rosewood Hotels

W Hotel in Atlanta Heads Back To The Lender

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The W Atlanta-Downtown hotel and condos project went back to its lender this week. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the hotel tower, which was developed by Barry Real Estate Cos. was foreclosed upon by the senior lender, a joint venture between the FDIC and Square Mile Capital Management. Barry Real Estate had ceded its ownership stake to Capri Capital Partners, the hotel's mezzanine lender, in order to avoid foreclosure. The original lead lender, Silverton Bank, had failed in May 2009 and was taken over by the FDIC. In May, the FDIC auctioned the servicing rights to the loan to Square Mile and so both are part of the latest move. The hotel, which opened last year is doing brisk business. The hotel's general manager reports that several conventions have filled the hotel to capacity for 12 nights in October. This month the hotel is offering a Breast Cancer Awareness month package that includes 2 ThinksPink cocktail, free valet parking and a $10 donation to the Young Survival Coalition with rates starting at $219.

Other W hotels have had similar problems. The W Boston has been fighting foreclosure for months. The W Union Square in New York City was in foreclosure for months but was recently purchased. The W San Diego was foreclosed on over the summer and is now owned by its lender.

Tags: atlanta, hotel foreclosure, hotels in trouble, w hotel

Final Auction Of Dean Gardens Interiors To Be Held This Weekend

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The saga of Dean Gardens just goes on and on. Last month I mentioned that the legendary Georgia home, which has been sold to Tyler Perry and will be torn down, is being sold off piece by piece. There was a massive luxury yard sale in August but apparently there is much, much more to be sold off. The Four Seasons Gallery in Atlanta is holding a public auction of the contents of Dean Gardens on September 12. There is a preview scheduled on September 11. This will be the last chance to see the home before its date with the wrecking ball. The auction spans furnishings including bookcases, tables, chairs and more as well as architectural elements such as stained glass windows, marble columns, fireplaces, fountains, chandeliers, basically everything but the walls. If you can't make it down to Atlanta, you can bid online through LiveAuctioneers.com. Estimates range from $500 to $50,000, the high estimate on the Carlos Maria Mariani painting shown at right which originally cost $90,000 when bought from the Lowe Gallery in Atlanta.

Tags: atlanta, dean gardens, georgia real estate

Everything Must Go In Massive Dean Gardens Yard Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

You may have gone to a yard sale over the weekend but it was likely nothing like this, Dean Gardens, the massive 32,000-square-foot estate in Johns Creek, Georgia had a huge sale. Software entrepreneur Larry Dean basically priced everything in the home that wasn't nailed down. CNN reports that even parts of the home's architecture, including the rotunda in the foyer inspired by the dome of the Brunelleschi Cathedral in Florence, Italy, were up for sale.

Why the fire sale? The new owner, said to be director Tyler Perry, plans to tear down the home and build his own monument to ego on the 58-acre spread. Perry has his studios in Atlanta and owns several other mansions in the area. He bought the home for a song, just $7.6 million far below the most recent listing price of $13.9 million and previous prices of as much as $40 million.

Dean teamed up with Luminocity, an Atlanta group that runs light and dance shows to create one last big spectacle. Luminocity will run 12 performance art light parade events in downtown Atlanta starting in November. The group is also planning cultural arts programs for children. The weekend's events include a Friday night gala for $100 a ticket and Saturday's closing event with wine, food and music for $35. In both cases ticket prices were waived for sales over $1,500.

It's a bit of a sad ending for a home that Dean spent $25 million creating. The property also includes landscaped gardens, an 18-hole golf course, grass tennis courts, an amphitheater and a conservatory. The CNN report says that Perry's new home will be more energy efficient and sustainable.

Gallery: Dean Gardens

Tags: atlanta, atlanta real estate, dean gardens, georgia real estate, tyler perry

Rhododendron Hall, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is one of the loveliest in Atlanta's Tuxedo Park area. Rhododendron Hall is on over ten acres and was built in 1934. The home was the Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorators' Show House in 1997. The 11-bedroom mansion is full of many lavish details including leaded glass windows, paneled wood walls, beamed ceilings, crystal chandeliers, arched doorways and more. One particularly lovely touch is a long hallway with a painted vaulted ceiling. A glassed in solarium is also particularly beautiful. Outside, the landscaped grounds include a pool and a pavilion with an outdoor fireplace. This home is listed at $14.9 million.

Gallery: Rhododendron Hall

Tags: atlanta, estate of the day, georgia real estate, rhododendron hall

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Atlanta Loft, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is a pretty unique offering in Atlanta, Georgia. A former warehouse has been renovated into a stellar loft home. The steel exterior door opens into a two-story foyer with a large light fixture. The three-bedroom home has approximately 7,700 square feet of space. The large living room leads to an elevated piano entertainment area. There is also a 20+ seating dining room and a chefs kitchen with a skylight, two steam convection ovens, two traditional ovens, two warming drawers, two dishwashers, two freezers and more. The listing says that the home has approximately $1.5 million in electronics including a Crestron-controlled Italian projector and home theater screen in the 16-seat home theater. The patio has an outdoor kitchen including a gas burner cook top, grill with rotisserie, warming drawer and three refrigerators. There is a wood-burning fireplace adjacent to the heated, salt water pool which has five fountains and a spa. The patio also has a shower and towel room.

The master suite has a morning bar and glass walls that show the entertainment space, dining room and kitchen but can be concealed behind heavy curtains. The master bathroom indulges the owner with a Kohler soaking tub and an 18-head steam shower. The suite also has a cedar wall-lined closet with a Miele washer/dryer set and two digital wall safes.There are two additional bedrooms and an office/den area. The lower level includes a complete home gym with a filtered water fountain. The lower level also has a wine cellar and full sized walk-in vault and a panic room. The garage can hold 12 cars and has three lifts. It also has a car detailing center with deionized water, tap water, wet/dry vacuum system, tire air system, work lights and outlights. This home is listed as furnished even including a grand piano and selected art pieces. The price is $8.9 million.

Gallery: Atlanta Loft

Tags: atlanta, georgia real estate, loft, warehouse conversion

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Mt. Paran, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

In the October 2009 issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, homeowner Judith Schindler showed off the interior design of her Buckhead area home, saying proudly that the home she refurbished with her friend and fellow designer Sudi Cecil was her dream home and that she hoped never to move again. And yet just a few months later the home is on the market. The design style of the six-bedroom home is a melding of Southern style with something more "West Coast-like." The style is meant to represent Old Hollywood glamour but how well this succeeds is a matter of some debate (there are notes that remind me a little of the Kardashian view of glamour, all animal prints, shiny curtains and mirrors). The home has a gourmet kitchen with an island and an eat-in breakfast bar. There is a formal dining room, formal living room and a more casual room. Zebra-printed rug livens up an office and there is a comfortable home theater and a game room. Outside a large covered terrace offers room for dining alfresco with a view of the pool. This home is listed at $6.75 million.

Gallery: Mt. Paran

Tags: atlanta, buckhead, decor, estate of the day, georgia

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Jane Fonda in Atlanta, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

The one and only Jane Fonda has put her large loft in Atlanta, Georgia on the market. She recently picked up a rental in the Sierra Towers building in Los Angeles. Fonda's loft is actually four units combined into one large duplex in a condo building in the Poncey-Highland area of Atlanta. The loft has three bedrooms and after a foyer it opens into a huge double-height room that has huge bookcases, a dining area and a living area. One wall is clustered with Andy Warhol prints of Fonda herself leaving no doubt as to whose place this is.

There is a small stainless steel kitchen, a large landing with a circular skylight and an entrance to Fonda's rather girly master suite that includes a fireplace with a glass surround and a bed with an oval canopy that conceals a mirror. The home is full of large art pieces and it has a semi Southwestern feel, perhaps influenced by Fonda's New Mexico ranch. Not one to let the real estate agent do all the heavy lifting, Fonda has promoted the loft on her own blog and says the art is from "the great vernacular artist, Thornton Dial." The apartment is listed at $4.5 million.

Listing photos are by Nathan Martin.

[via the Real Estalker]

Gallery: Jane Fonda In Atlanta, Estate of the Day

Tags: atlanta, celebrity real estate, estate of the day, georgia real estate, jane fonda

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Driving in Style: Alluring Autos 1930 - 1965

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Books

In conjunction with an exhibition titled The Allure of the Automobile which just opened at Atlanta's High Museum of Art, SkiraRizzoli will publish a book dedicated to the entrancing vehicles featured in it later this month. The Allure of the Automobile: Driving in Style 1930–1965 traces the evolution of the artisan-crafted luxury motorcar. Embodying speed, style, and elegance, the carefully selected vehicles first broke records on racetracks and won awards at prestigious classic car events around the world. Examining the contrasts between European and American design, the influence of the decorative arts, and the significant changes in automotive styling before and after World War II, the book highlights eighteen of the world's rarest and most coveted cars manufactured between 1930 and 1965.

In addition to the legendary Porsche Type 64, the exhibit and book features Steve McQueen's 1957 Jaguar XK-SS and Clark Gable's 1934 Packard Twelve Runabout Speedster, as well as a classic Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Bugatti Type 57S and more. Ronald Labaco, curator of the exhibition, provides historical context and pays homage to these remarkable machines that can be seen as fine art, sculpture, and the embodiment of an industrial craft to be remembered for generations, while extensive entries by noted automotive historian Ken Gross consider each masterpiece and Peter Harholdt's photography stunningly details the custom-built designs that were created for the privileged few. See the gallery for images.

Gallery: The Allure of the Automobile

Tags: Allure of the Automobile, Atlanta, classic cars, High Museum of Art, museums, Porsche, Steve McQueen

Porsche Parade in Atlanta as Type 64 Visits U.S. (Video)

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Video

This past Sunday, Porsche Cars of North America and the Porsche Club of America organized a parade of over 100 Porsches to drive from the Georgia Governor's Mansion to the Atlanta High Museum of Art. Starting this week the museum is holding the Allure of the Automobile Exhibition, which as my colleague Jeremy Korzeniewski reported will feature Porsche's historic one-off Type 64 coupe which for the first time has left its home at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart for a three month loan to the museum. The Type 64 was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in 1938 and was to be used for the Berlin to Rome endurance race, but because of World War II, that never happened. The design of the car served as influenced for future models including the Type 356 and 911. In this video the CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Detlev von Platen, discusses the importance of the Type 64 for the Porsche brand and its significance for traveling to Atlanta. It also includes footage of the first 2010 Porsche GT3 RS to arrive in the United States.

Tags: Atlanta, Georgia, Porsche, Porsche Museum, Porsche Type 64

Another Foreclosure For Atlanta's Peachtree Street

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Another day, another Peachtree foreclosure. This is the second time this week we've heard about a foreclosure on a building project on the Atlanta street. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that a South Carolina's First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. has foreclosed on a the site which was planned to have a 50-tower with a Mandarin Oriental hotel, luxury condos, a spa and other amenities. The site was auctioned off in a foreclosure auction on February 2 on the Fulton County Courthouse steps. The developers of the hotel, Tivoli Properties, have said they will challenge the foreclosure.

The one-acre parcel had been owned by TP 1138 Peachtree LLC, a subsidiary of the proposed hotel's developer, Tivoli Properties Inc. The site was bought in 2007 for $11.5 million. A year later the $285 million hotel and condo project was announced with plans for 71 condos with prices ranging from $1.8 million to $15 million. The condo was set to begin construction in 2009 and finish in late 2011. It was predicted that the project would need to be about half-sold in order to begin building. The first 30 buyers to reserve condominiums were promised $75 a square foot discounts which worked out to six figure discounts because the average condo size is over 2,500 square feet. The loan to acquire the site was issued by Georgian Bank, which failed last September, and was acquired by First Citizens Bank. A loan of $13.5 million was due last November. Although it is a coup for Atlanta to land a Mandarin Oriental, the last thing Atlanta needed was more unsold luxury condos. Even if the market picks up there is still a glut of unsold condos to be sold before unbuilt projects get their chance at being snapped up.

Tags: atlanta, condo developments, CondoDevelopments, mandarin oriental, MandarinOriental, peachtree

Mansion At Peachtree Foreclosed

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Last month I mentioned that Atlanta's one of Atlanta's priciest condo projects, Mansion on Peachtree, was in deep financial trouble. The project was reportedly carrying a total debt of $187.4 million, a number above the original $165 million projected for the building. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that the project was sold in a foreclosure auction this week for $66.1 million to an affiliate of the lead lender, iStar Financial.

The 42-story hotel/condo project is home to luxury condos and a five-star hotel operated by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. The building also includes NEO, a contemporary Italian restaurant, the fourth location of Craft from restaurateur Tom Colicchio. Craft Atlanta and the 29 Spa. The project was announced to great fanfare back in 2006 but by the time it opened in 2008 the Atlanta real estate market was already mid-slump. Some people who wanted to get into the project couldn't sell the homes they already owned and the high prices of the condos dwarfed the prices of some homes in the area. Last June a penthouse in the mansion sold for $4 million but it was originally listed at $10.2 million. The hotel and related businesses remain open.

Tags: atlanta, buckhead, forecloasure, mansion on peachtree, MansionOnPeachtree

Usher Demonstrates Why You Don't Keep Valuables In The Car

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Crimes and Misdemeanors

One of the basic tenets of keeping yourself and your belongings safe is to not keep valuables in your car. Apparently singer Usher didn't get the memo. Atlanta police are reporting that more than a million dollars in jewelry and electronics were stolen from the singer on December 14 across from Atlanta's Lenox Mall. Usher and another man told police that the car was broken into when they stopped at an AT&T store. The vehicle in question is a black GMC Yukon and in addition to jewelry, $50,000 in furs and clothing and about $20,000 in cash were stolen. At witness saw a Chevy Impala with tinted windows drive up to the SUV and open the door. The investigation is ongoing.

The singer is famous for his love for fashion and his extensive shoe collection. It also bears mentioning that his Alpharetta, Georgia home remains on the market for $1.95 million.

[via E Online]

Tags: atlanta, theft, usher, UsherRaymond

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