Over the last few years, Gemesis, a company which sells "cultured" diamonds has gradually grown and they are now getting more designers to work with their stones. Last year designer Taryn Rose created a line using Gemesis stones and now Florida-based designer Lee Havens is displaying an impressive yellow cultured diamond necklace in his Palm Beach shop. The $500,000 necklace was created by Gemesis and features 72 stones for a total of 64 carats. The necklace is being sold to benefit The Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) along with other pieces created by Gemesis such as rings and pendants priced from $20,000 to $40,000. Ten percent of sale proceeds will go to the charity.
For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 33480. This zip code is is in the exclusive town of Palm Beach in South Florida and has a median price of $2,910,000 with an appreciation rate of 426% since 1990.
Palm Beach has been a place for the wealthy to wait out the winter since Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, made the Atlantic coast barrier island accessible through his Florida East Coast Railway. The town was incorporated in 1911 and way by then home to many beautiful mansions. Over the years the building has continued and Palm Beach is one of the most affluent areas in the U.S. and is host to a variety of luxury events. Over the past couple of years there have been many homes in the $30-$40 million range in Palm Beach and since 2005 Donald Trump has been trying to sell a home in the area for the astronomical price of $125 million.
Today's home is nowhere near that expensive but it is still a display of Palm Beach wealth. The home is located on directly on the Atlantic and has a fantastic beachside pool and cabana. There are five bedrooms total and the scale of the home, include what looks to be a large marble art gallery, all continue the legend that is Palm Beach. This home is listed at $25.75 million.
Gallery: Most Expensive Zip Codes, 33480, Palm Beach, FL
Continuing our tour of developments in South Florida, let's check out the Palm House Hotel. The Palm House will be home to 80 studios and suites with interiors designed by top American designers. The Palm House is a renovation of the Heart of Palm Beach hotel. According to a recent article in the Palm Beach Daily News, the new owner, Robert V. Matthews wants to reduce the number of rooms (the hotel currently has 95 rooms), expand the spa, add two restaurants and redo the pool and terrace area. The new units will sell for $1.25 million to more than $3 million. The new Palm House is set to be completed in January 2008.
Modern design seems to have a natural home in Florida, sunnier climates seem to be a better setting for clean lines and spare style. 2120, a modern design store in West Palm Beach is a haven for lighting and furnishings that are contemporary, witty and highly individual. Their website reveals many design finds including plenty of Philippe Starck, a splash of Eames and the sleek and simple pieces of Jasper Morrison. I am enthralled with this lucite armchair which sells for $3,750.
The elite will be convening in Palm Beach, Florida next week for a couple of slices of car nirvana. If you've got a jones for gawking at Ferraris of all sorts and rare supercars of all sorts, this is the place to be. First up is the sixteenth Cavallino Classic. The event takes place January 23 through January 28 and is a celebration of all things Ferrari including track days and a concours at The Breakers. Palm Beach will also be host to the second Palm Beach Supercar Weekend, Jan. 26-28. This event includes the chance to see Jim Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5 at the Palm Beach Supercar Concours at the International Polo Club in Wellington.
Both these festivals offer a constellation of different events. The Cavalliino Classic includes the La Bella Macchina event on January 25, a cocktail reception that is a celebration of Ferraris, private aircraft, yachts, Chopard jewels and Zino Platinum cigars. The Palm Beach Supercar Weekend includes a private mansion tour with Cedric Dupont, an Emilio Pucci fashion show and a polo match. General admission to the Supercar Concours is $40.
I could prattle on about why this house is an important one in Palm Beach, Florida. I could tell you about Swiss architect Maurice Fatio and how he was one of the major players contributing to the florescence of the town in the 1920s. But really, you're just here for the pretty pictures. And we've got them today. The six-bedroom home has a red-tile roof, crystal chandeliers and graceful arched doorways. It is full of riotous color and still manages to be beautifully classic. My favorite room is the library with painted coffered ceiling. It is listed at $21 million. After the jump, one peach of a house.
The Biltmore in Palm Beach is one of the classic buildings in Florida. The luxurious condo has tennis courts, an exercise room, oceanfront beach club and many other amenities. One of the most expensive condos in the building is this two bedroom. One of the reasons it is so expensive is because it offers striking views to the East, South and West. The home has been beautifully decorated in what appears to me be to be a very ladylike style. Other condos in the building have recently sold in the low millions. This one is listed at $9.995 million. After the jump, a very tiny gilded bathroom.
Today's estate is not one, not two, not three but four Palm Beach, Florida homes. They all belong to Roxanne Quimby, the co-founder of Burt's Bees. As reported in The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties, Ms. Quimby can't decide which of her Palm Beach homes to keep and so she is putting all four on the market and plans to keep the last one still for sale.
Let's check out the contestants to be Ms. Quimby's only Palm Beach home. Check them all out and let me know in the comments which one you think she should hold on to.
First up: Angler Ave., Ms. Quimby bought the 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home built in 1954 two years ago for around $1.8 million. She has added a gourmet kitchen, hurricane impact windows by Pella and a new 15' x 33' pebble tech pool as well as tropical landscaping that includes a gazebo that was imported from Italy. It is listed at $2.85 million
Villa Esterel in Palm Beach, Florida looks like it has been in place for at least fifty years but it was built in 1993 by Smith Architectural Group. The home sits on an acre of land, ideally located facing the ocean. The home has a classic Mediterranean exterior but a modern Florida marble-heavy interior. Details of the five-bedroom home include a media room, sundeck, fitness room, cabana and a three-car garage. The home is available furnished for $18.5 million but it looks like you might want to add a few more furnishings yourself. After the jump, maybe waterfront explains that small pool.
The phrase "they don't make them like that anymore" is often overused but it certainly applies here. Florida and Palm Beach in particular is full of houses with a Spanish feel but not many like this 1926 beauty. Designed for the E.Z. Nutting family by Julius Jacobs this home was restored by Bill Elias who has worked on a variety of Palm Beach's elegant older homes. This home has four levels of living spaces. Modern details like impact glass windows, an updated kitchen, a redesigned master suite with his and hers baths, a pool and a tennis court make it suitable for today's big spender. The home's original features such as the stone carvings and dark wood beamed ceilings as well as an admirable oceanfront location made it a showpiece from the very beginning. It is listed at $24 million. After the jump, a little old-fashioned glamour.
What
this Palm Beach, Florida house does have is a great location, what it doesn't have is a lot of land. But if you are
interested in a beautiful ocean views without the hassle of a lot of acres to upkeep this house is ideal. It's on a
small lot but the house itself is relatively modest at 6700 square feet. The two-story plantation house has
a charming style with wraparound verandas and has an elevator, four bedrooms and two staff bedrooms. Access to the
nearby beach is via your own private underground tunnel. There is a small pool and a new patio. In this case, location
trumps reason, the house was built in the 1970s and in places it looks a bit worn. It is listed at
$15.9 million (or $14.9 million according to
realtor.com). Pictures of the furnitureless home after the jump.
The Palm Beach Daily News has a story on
550Q a new development in Palm Beach that is aimed at art lovers. The 10-story condo
building will come with amenities like a two-year membership at the Norton Museum; two common rooms where residents can
show their collections and a building designed with artistic tastes in mind. The project is expected to lure art lovers
from colder climates who want to come to West Palm Beach and be integrated into the community and share their love of
the arts with other like-minded folks. Even the sales office is covered with a mural conceived by Jorge Pardo. The
building also has more traditional Palm Beach features like a rooftop pool, landscaped courtyard and fitness center.
550Q is expected to be built by early 2008. Approximately 30 units ranging from $392,000 to $2.5 million have already
been sold.
The
Palm Beach
Post has a look at Tiger's new lair. Tiger Woods has paid around $40 million for a 10-acre compound on Jupiter
Island in Florida. Although the price is a record breaker for the area the most interesting thing is that Tiger may
tear down the main house. The property extends from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Atlantic Ocean and includes four
houses, the main house, plus two guest houses and a beach house. There are two boat docks one of which may be the new
home for Woods' 155-foot-yacht, Privacy. The Post also says that while Woods is welcome on the local golf course he
might not be invited to join the Jupiter Island Club because of his fame and that the same goes forCeline Dion who also
bought in the exclusive community recently. The area is home to several other golfers including Greg Norman and Nick
Price.
