The English aristocrat the 12th Earl of Drogheda, better known as Derry Moore to his friends, is an arbiter of taste and style but also an accomplished photographer for Architectural Digest and other magazines, as well as the the author of several books. His latest, In House, just published by Rizzoli, is a selection of interiors from what he considers to be some of the world's most remarkable residences photographed over the last 35 years. The 28 houses pictured within are richly diverse in style and period with a common thread of originality, eccentricity and aesthetic appeal. They range from an airy and colorful palace in Morocco to an "austere but whimsical" Scottish castle; an Art Deco masterpiece in Jodhpur to a cluttered apartment in Prague; and from the museum-like home of one of London's most macabre collectors to the "extravagant remnants of Madrid's aristocratic heritage." Each of the houses is accompanied by commentary from noted architecture and design writer Mitchell Owens, and is laid out with an eye to its unique character by award-winning graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook.

Back in February we reported that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the sexy supermodel, singer and first lady of France, had sold her family's castle in Italy (above) to an Arab sheikh. Now the buyer, who has since been revealed as billionaire Saudi businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has relisted the historic castle with an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates with a reported asking price of about $28 million; he was said to have originally paid anywhere from $12 million - $25 million depending on sources. The 40-room, 21,000-sq.-ft. Castello di Castagneto Po, near Turin, has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the years but is believed to first date from the year 1019. Bruni's father, the billionaire industrialist Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, bought the historic estate in 1952 for about $1.5 million. It is surrounded by 175 acres replete with vegetable gardens, orchards, flowering terraces, ancient greenhouses, a caretaker's house and a farm building.

If a new report out of Italy can be believed - and something may well have been lost in translation - David and Victoria Beckham have failed in a bid to buy part of Milan's famed Castello Sforzesco (above), a 15th century castle that now houses artworks by Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Apparently the mega-rich Beckhams have been house shopping in Milan as he expects to sign a soccer contract there. Victoria is said to have set her eye on the centrally located, historically significant and imposing edifice, but was firmly denied by the Milan City Council. There were also rumors that Victoria wanted to buy a whole floor of the Armani hotel which is being built in the city, though that scheme has also come to naught. Hey, anything's possible with those two.

The real estate habits of Nicolas Cage are legendary. He does more buying and selling in a year or two than most of us could do in a lifetime. In the U.S. he currently has three properties on the market but overseas he's just sold one of his many homes. Cage bought the 11th-century Schloss Neidstein in 2006 for $2.3 million back in July 2006. It is believed that he spent millions in renovations on the 10-bedroom property which is on a hill and overlooks more than 395 acres of forest and meadows. But after all that work, Cage did what he always does, he moved on. The Telegraph says that Cage spent only one night in the castle.


Cage has a variety of properties up for sale from a $7 million island in the Bahamas to homes in Nevada, California, Rhode Island and Louisiana. While I've covered the other three, I haven't given the New Orleans, Louisiana house estate-of-the-day treatment yet. It seems a grave mistake on my part because it's quite lovely. The Garden District home has six bedrooms and grounds that include a heated pool and statuary. Inside the home's graceful lines, marble fireplaces, plasterwork, stained glass and curved staircase are elegantly preserved. The kitchen seems to be an overly modern off note but otherwise the home is beautiful and the rooms done in shades of periwinkle and pale blue are particularly winning. Cage bought in 2005 for $3.45 million and this home is now listed at $3.7 million.

UPDATE: This home is now listed at $3.45 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

[Thanks, Lana!]

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the sexy supermodel, singer and first lady of France, has sold her family's castle in Italy (above) to an Arab sheikh for about $12 million, the London Daily Mail reports. The 40-room Castello di Castagneto Po, near Turin, has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the years but is believed to first date from the year 1019. Bruni's father, the billionaire industrialist Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, bought the castle-style mansion in 1952 for about $1.5 million. The contents of the house, include furniture and antiques, were auctioned off in London for another $13 million. The Italian-born Bruni married French President Nicolas Sarkozy last year and has renounced her ties to Italy. "We had finished with Castagneto Po – nobody went there any more," her mother Marisa Bruni Tedeschi, the castle's co-owner, tells the AFP.

Luxury real estate is slumping here in the United States and it's not all much better elsewhere. Recent statistics reveal that sales of Scottish sporting estates, large properties that appeal to the wealthy sportsman, are on the decline. The Telegraph reports that of the 26 estates up for sale in 2008 only 12 of them were sold by the end of the year. In 2007, according to Strutt and Parker, all 16 estates put on the market were sold with an average premium 15 per cent above the asking price.

This may be the time for foreign investors to make their move and if you should happen to have some spare money Balfour Castle in northern Scotland would make a fine purchase. The expansive estate on the isle of Shapinsay in Orkney includes a 13-bedroom 'A' listed castle built in the mid 1800s and acres for wildfowling. The castle's large formal rooms are done in Victorian style with elaborate fireplaces and intricate ceiling work. It was run for years as a hotel and the land includes three cottages and a farmhouse. It is listed at £2,700,000.
Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Almost all sectors of the luxury market have been adversely affected by the global financial crisis, but castle rentals in Scotland seem to be immune. Harriet Filewood, managing partner of Scotts Castle Holidays, which represents more than 100 castles and country houses across Scotland, tells the London Guardian that business has never been better. "We thought all the talk about a recession would impact on demand for luxury properties this year," Filewood says, "but so far we have seen a 36% increase in sales. All our castles are fully booked for this New Year's Eve and we are even taking bookings for December 2009. Our average spend for a castle that sleeps around 10 people is £2,500 [about $3,600] a week and as far as we can see the demand for those is increasing."

Sue Bourne, manager of CKD Galbraith's Cottages and Castles rental agency, which has more than 500 Scottish properties on its books, concurs. "This year is just as strong, if not stronger, than any other year," she tells the paper. "We have not seen any decrease in demand and we have not had to discount any properties. This New Year's Eve, out of 50 castles, we only have one at the standard £3,000 to £4,000 a week [about $4,400 - $5,800] left, but we're still getting inquiries and may still let it. Compared with last year we are renting more properties. Some people are even booking now for 2010." Perhaps its simply a matter of solidity; what could be more comforting than a castle in these troubled times?

Upstate New York is full of many interesting properties including a fair share of castle-like homes. Now there is one less on the market, Oscar winner Adrien Brody's first home is a 19th-century estate that he bought as a surprise for his girlfriend Elsa Pataky. On her birthday, he blindfolded her, brought her to the estate and then rang the home's antique church bell before asking her to open her eyes. The pair have completely renovated the property with a little help from tastemaker Giorgio Armani and the latest issue of HELLO! magazine has pictures of the couple and the interior and exterior of this unique home. A few pics can be seen at the Daily Mail.

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On Monday, a famous 800-year-old Belgian castle will be auctioned off by court order to the highest bidder, and it looks as if someone could snag a real bargain. The 13th century Corroy-le-Château located just south of Brussels and surrounded by a moat, was built by nobleman William of Brabant and remains one of Europe's most perfectly-preserved medieval strongholds. The current owners, descendants of Brabant's, have been fighting over the property for years and have now been ordered to sell it with a Monday deadline. The highest bid so far is for a measly $3 million, the International Herald Tribune reports, though it is probably worth ten times that much. However, if no other bidders come forward in time, the 16,000-sq.ft. fortress on 50+ acres will be sold for that amount.

What else would you find on castle ridge road but a castle? This castle is located in Tuckasgee, North Carolina is a four-bedroom palace tucked in to the Smoky Mountains. The home has a great hall, chef's kitchen with butler's pantry, wine cellar, art studio, pub/movie room, office and a hidden, secret room. The four bedrooms are each suites with fireplaces, separate sitting areas, large bathrooms. and balconies. The home is on eight acres which includes English-style gardens and multiple outbuildings. Vintage style details include the turret tower, spiral staircase, handpainted murals, stained glass, vintage pine floors and a 400-year-old Normandy mantel. There is also an additional 43 acres with a horse barn and tack room available. One man's castle might be another man's white elephant but it's right for a knight. This home is listed at $4 million.

I find it oddly comforting to think that castles are still being built. The Glenskirlie Castle in Scotland is the first castle to be built in the country in this new century. The hotel offers 15 individually named rooms all named after roses. The castle is adjacent to the Glenskirlie House Restaurant which has been in business 25 years. The whole set up is a natural for weddings and the castle has honeymoon suites with four-poster beds and turreted bathrooms. The castle also has its own more casual bar and grill restaurant.

Some 450,000 people pass through Dracula's castle in Transylvania each year, and now people not only have the chance to see it but also to own it. Prince Vlad the Impaler, the violent warlord who inspired Bram Stoker's "Dracula" character, is rumored to have stayed one night in his family's castle, officially called Bran Castle, back in the 1400s. It's been running as a museum per an agreement with the Romanian government that expires in 2009. The castle went up for sale on Monday, and although it's expected to go for upwards of $135 million it won't be sold to just anybody, as only buyers who "will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect" will be considered. And those who don't mind seeing bats flying around the ramparts at twilight, of course.

Interested? I think I'll pass.



Via Book of Joe

Here's a hot real estate opportunity, I don't see a castle come to market every day. Searles Castle in Great Barrington, Massachusetts has 40 rooms and seven turrets. The home, which has most recently served as a private school is now up for sale for $15 million. No pictures on the listing yet but you can see one interior shot here.

Searles Castle is one of two in the New England region (the other is in New Hampshire) that bear the name of Edward Searles. Mary Hopkins, the widow of railroad tycoon Mark Hopkins commissioned the castle which was built in 1888. She hired interior decorator Edward Searles for the project, and they married a year before it was finished (she was 22 years older than he). After she died he stayed in the castle for a time and then after his death it has been a private private school, conference center among other businesses and was most recently the John Dewey Academy.

The castle has 36 fireplaces, a dungeon, and more than 50 rooms for a total of around 60,000 square feet. It could be turned into a resort or a spa or perhaps a private residence once again.

[via CNN]
[Thanks, Timothy for this great find]

So what if you didn't just go visit a castle somewhere, or even just stayed in a castle-turned-hotel somewhere, but actually stayed in a castle with the royalty who owned it? Now that would be an experience. It's basically a different spin on the "bed and breakfast" idea, where you get to stay in a real castle with servants and butlers, walk in the gardens, eat in the main hall, admire the ancient portraits of royals gone before, and then on top you get to have tea and visit with the lord, knight, or princess that happens to live there too.

The only part that bothers me about all this is the idea that most of these people are opening their homes not because they want to share their history, or because they enjoy mingling with "commoners," (although maybe they do) but mostly because it just costs so much to keep those massive castles running. Maybe that makes the experience that much more genuine though -- amidst the luxury and royal treatment an underlying air of haughtiness from the nobles would definitely fit in with history!

(Ahem, I'm sure they're all very nice, really).

This impressive home is Gyrn Castle in Wales. The castle comes with 367 acres of land. The property was bought in 1856 by Edward Bates, a ship-owner and politician. Recently Sir Edward's descendant, Sir Geoffrey Bates, the fifth baronet, passed away, leading to the sale of not only this impressive piece of land but to a two-day estate sale on July 17 and 18 which will be run by Christies. The sale will be at the castle and includes furniture, paintings, armor, and even a stuffed rhinoceros head. The home is listed at  £3.5 million.  Interior peeks at this massive estate after the jump.

[via IC Wales]