History Wallpaper

Thomas Motel in San Fernando Postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0000

You can view more San Fernando Postcards here.

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San Fernando Mall Corner Postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

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Chris Meloni Flipping Out in New Canaan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:40:00 +0000

SELLER: Chris Meloni
LOCATION: New Canaan, CT
PRICE: $4,750,000
SIZE: 8,063 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 5 full and 3 half bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Looks like well-built and increasingly in-demand 50-something year old actor Chris Meloni and his former set designer turned occasional decorator wife Sherman Williams Meloni have caught a classic case of The Celebrity Real Estate Fickle.

It was only last August (2012), the children will recall, that Mister and Missus Meloni shelled out $4,381,000 for a four acre country estate in affluent and bucolic New Canaan, CT with what Your Mama previously described as "an unquestionably luxurious but perfectly ordinary two-story proto-suburban mansion with 8,063 square feet of expensively but blandly finished interior space."

Thanks to Phatlady Sings, a sassy and well-informed Connecticut-based real estate canary we've learned that Mister and Missus Meloni flipped their five bedroom and five full and three half bathroom spread in New Canaan on the market in early April (2013) with an asking price of $4,750,000. Miz Sings has no idea why Mister and Missus Meloni have decided to up and sell their New Canaan crib just eight months after buying it or where they might be going. She did, howevuh, cattily snitch to Your Mama that Mister Meloni is well known around town for staring other well-welled but not famous residents down at the supermarket—or wherever—until they acknowledge his celebrity eminence. Oh, dear. Ouch! Your Mama really hopes that's not true because that sort of behavior would be, well, vulgar and depressing. Anyhoo...

Current listing details show the spacious but architecturally vague residence was originally built—no surprise—in 1987 and has recently "undergone a complete interior transformation" with all new interior paint, newly refinished and stained hardwood floors throughout, the installation of a hard-wired generator for when the power goes out.

A privately situated home office, according to listing information, was re-vamped—one imagines—to the specifications of Missus Sherman Meloni who floated a long and narrow desk in front of a bay window, placed a Jacobson Egg Chair covered in beautifully worn brown leather in the corner and set a manly antique ship model mounted in a wood-framed vitrine on the floor in front of a towering, 26-pane arched window. Despite the ill-chosen teal paint on the walls—we know teal is decoratively hot right now but Your Mama is not feeling it—would it help any of the children to like this room more if they knew it has a private half bathroom and a wet bar?

We can't be certain but appears to Your Mama that a wall was removed between the wood-panelled billiards room with its fully stocked wet bar and the adjacent wood-panelled library with fireplace and direct access to the backyard through a room-wide bank of French doors. Based on a comparison of current listing photos and those included with online listings at the time of Mister and Missus Meloni's purchase we can, however, surmise that, short of paint, few alterations to have been made in the master bathroom or the open-concept kitchen and family room where Your Mama notes there are a few new light fixtures over the center island snack bar but, sadly, the seller's same ol' ho-hum plaid window shades.

Upstairs there are three guest/family bedrooms, each with private three-quarter en suite facility, plus a smaller fourth bedroom that makes use of a large double-sink three-quarter bathroom across the hall. The master suite occupies its own wing of the upper level and encompasses a bedroom with fireplace, a large marble-floored bathroom, and spacious windowed walk-in closet/dressing room and, finally, a private loggia with a corkscrew staircase the descends to a lower level veranda with swimming pool access and ascends to a roof terrace with wrap around views.

Other notable features include an attached three car side-facing garage with convenient direct entry, a total of four fireplaces, two mud rooms that both connect through to the kitchen/family room, butler's pantry, walk-in pantry and walk-in wine room off the kitchen, a fully finished basement and front and back stairs.

The tree-ringed grounds include a long driveway off a semi-private lane, a super-sized circular driveway, vast swathes of lawn, deep flagstone terraces bordered by lush foliage, a free-form swimming pool and spa set into a cluster of boulders and a charming red barn large enough to park six cars and a second floor convertible to an art studio, home office, yoga retreat, party room or whatever.

Mister and Missus Meloni also own an almost 3,000 square foot aerie on the 60th floor of the Park Imperial building on Manhattan's Upper West Side that they had photographed for the March 2008 issue of Architectural Digest and heaved on the open market in March 2012 with a $12 million price tag. The price has since plummeted to $9,950,000 and is currently in contract to be sold to an unknown buyer for an unknown sum of dinero.

Property records also reveal that Mister and Missus Meloni also maintain a 4,600-plus square foot lake front getaway in Candlewood Springs, CT, near New Milford, that they scooped up in November 2003 for $1,325,000. As far as we can tell, the property is not currently on the market.

listing photos: Prudential Connecticut Realty

Pacific Packing Co. in San Fernando Postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

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Porter Hotel in San Fernando Postcard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

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Creating More Bedroom Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Good morning my dear friends its Tuesday and I'm
talking storage again, it must be a storage issues in my house heck who am I fooling
there is a storage issue in my house and I don't know too many people who don't
need more of it in their home and that is why I thought it was fitting to plug
in storage, storage and, more storage on the blog this week. Now if you are
lacking storage like some of

We are back recording! * Estamos de volta a gravar!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:57:00 +0000

This was this morning joy to be back recording the show's new season! I'm still sick, with my face swollen from blowing my nose every 10 minutes, but the enthusiasm greatly exceeds the physical state and it's good to be back.

The first show of every season, is always in a Children institution or Social Care unit. This time, our mission is to transform a whole apartment, that will become a home to four orfan girls who live in an institution.

***

Esta era a alegria da manhã por estarmos de volta! A gravar péssima e ainda doente. De cara inchada, cheia de tosse, e a assoar-me de 10 em 10 minutos, mas o entusiasmo supera largamente o estado físico. É bom estar de volta depois de 4 meses de pausa e, já o fazemos há tanto tempo que é só ligar o piloto automático e parece que não gravávamos desde a semana passada.

Como sempre no primeiro programa da série, estamos a ajudar a transformar uma instituição. Uma casa inteira é a nossa primeira missão. Vamos ver se pelo menos amanhã, já estou melhor da gripe que pelos vistos gostou de mim, e não me larga!... e acreditem que já experimentei de tudo; antibióticos fortes e mais fracos, chás, xaropes de farmácia e caseiros, banhos quentes, vapores... eu sei lá!

Our contractors team and our male host Gustavo

O Carlos e Eu, toda cheia de cachecóis e camisolas a comer pó, e a assoar-me por todo o lado!yaaacccc

I sure hope to be feeling better tomorrow, because apparently this flu is really enjoying being with me and doesn't go away! ;(( and believe me I've tried everything already!

Thank you to all my dearest blogfriends who have been sending me a lot of get well messages. Love you so!

***

Vamos ver se pelo menos amanhã, já estou melhor da gripe que parece estar a gostar de me andar a estragar a semana, e não me larga!... e acreditem que já experimentei de tudo; antibióticos fortes e mais fracos, chás, xaropes de farmácia e caseiros, banhos quentes, vapores... eu sei lá!

Obrigada a todas as blogamig@s que me têm enviado mensagens de rápidas melhoras.

Adoro-vos! :*

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Didja Hear...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:17:00 +0000

...that Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the ludicrously pampered daughter of Russian potash potentate Dmitry Rybolovlev, has agreed to pay $154,000,000 to acquire the famed private Greek island of Skorpios and the neighboring island of Sparti from legendarily rich Sao Paulo Brazil-based Greek shipping heiress Athina Onassis Roussell? Well, she did. The two island purchase was, in fact, confirmed by the Rybolovlev family investment office.

The rumor is that Missus Onassis Roussell's grandfather Aristotle Onassis picked up the islands in 1962 for only about £10,000. He married Jackie Kennedy on Skorpios in October 1968.

This is hardly the first time the Miss Rybolovlev and her free-spending father have have made the international property gossip columns. In late 2011, amid a deluge of publicity, the 24-year old competitive equestrian spent $88,000,000 on a nearly seven thousand square foot Manhattan penthouse pied-a-terre and several years earlier her father—on behalf of his daughters—coughed up $95,000,000 to acquire a grotesquely opulent ocean front villa in Palm Beach from the famously brash businessman Donald Trump.

Such are the mind numbing real estate ways of the global super rich, children.

UPDATE: Sonja Tremont-Morgan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

SELLER: Sonja Morgan
LOCATION: New York City, NY
PRICE: $9,950,000
SIZE: 4,500 square feet 4-5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: It was way back in April 2010 when Your Mama last discussed the real estate machinations of The Real Housewives of New York City cast member Sonja Morgan. At that time Miz Morgan—a former luncheon hostess at the tycoon-friendly Midtown eatery San Pietro who became the fourth ex-wife of wildly rich J.P. Morgan descendant and heir John Adams Morgan the Third—had her slender 15-foot wide townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side on the open market with a $7,250,000 price tag, hugely reduced from its original $12 million asking price.

Despite the much-publicized financial reorganization plan she filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan in 2011 in which she declared her long-time townhouse was her '"most necessary and cherished asset,"' the sometimes ditzy and recently charmingly drunk in public Miz Morgan re-listed her Manhattan townhouse late last week for $9,950,000, as was first reported by the folks at The Real Deal.

Property records show the reality star turned wannabe toaster oven mogul and her much older ex-husband acquired the limestone-faced townhouse in April 1998 for $9,100,000. A surface glance of the 1998 purchase price and the current list price would indicate there's not much equity in the property but 2010 bankruptcy filings by Miz Morgan reveal she does not—or did not then—carry an underlying mortgage on the property. That means, of course, that Miz Morgan stands to take the full sale price less expenses, real estate fees and etc. Presumably she'd be required to use a substantial portion of the proceeds of a sale to pay off the film production company that successfully sued her for seven million dollars a few years ago.

Reality television aficionados will recall that on the last season of The Real Housewives of New York City Miz Morgan grappled with a handful of water leaks throughout the townhouse. She even got uncomfortably flirty with her plumber....on camera. Remember that? Naturally, the listing says nothing of any leaks or water damage and—one hopes—Miz Morgan has repaired the leaks and any resulting damages because, well, their existence was documented on national television.

Your Mama discussed at length Miz Morgan's elevator-equipped four bedroom and 5.5 bathroom five floor townhouse three years ago and simply can't bear the thought of doing it again so if any of y'all care for a tetch of snarky commentary about the the rich old lady style day-core and its less than ideal location next door to a parking garage between Lexington and Third Avenues then we suggest you have a look at our previous discussion.

Bankruptcy filings and property records reveal Miz Morgan and her octogenarian ex-husband co-own a screamingly scenic 70-acre spread near Telluride, CO that she claimed he prevented her from visiting even though she forks over about $16,000 every month for her share of the underlying mortgages.

Lo and behold, children, Mister and Miz Morgan's co-owned Rocky Mountain getaway is currently on the open market with an asking price of $9,150,000. The ranch property (above), located in the exclusive Gray Head enclave with direct views of the craggy Wilson Range, includes an 8,362 square foot main residence with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms plus numerous fireplaces, an expensively equipped open-concept kitchen and a cavernous great room with stone walls, rustic wood accents and a staggering 35-foot timber-framed vaulted ceiling.

We're not entirely sure but Your Mama is pretty sure that last year Miz Morgan managed to unload a small house in the South of France that she was granted in her divorce and for what it's worth to anyone who might be interested, Miz Morgan's ex-husband continues to own Caritas Island, a 3.5 acre private island compound off the coast of Stamford, CT with a 14,000-plus square foot main house (plus guest cottage, greenhouse and staff quarters) that he originally listed for $25,000,000 but had on the market late last year for the much-reduced asking price of $15,400,000.

exterior photo (New York City): Sotheby's International Realty (via Street Easy)
listing photos and floor plan (New York City): Corcoran
listing photos (Telluride): Telluride Real Estate Corp.

Filming Locations: Innerspace (1987)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short and Meg Ryan, with Robert Picardo and Kevin McCarthy, with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. The tension between the conventional hero who is miniaturized and the "wimp" he is injected into helps produce the film's humor. It earned $25,893,810 of domestic gross revenue and won an Oscar, the only film directed by Joe Dante to do so (Wikipedia).

I was able to find some of these locations through IMDB which also listed CSUN and the Sherman Oaks Galleria which I was not able to find/recognize in this film. Either this is an error at IMDB or I simply missed it. IMDB also mentions that this film was shot at Stage 12 & 18 of the Warner Brothers Burbank Studios.

You can view more SFV Filming Locations here.

The Lab where the secret miniaturization project takes place is located at 20977 Knapp Street Chatsworth 91311 which is currently Mono Engineering Corporation. I was also able to find this location but the sign in the shot below mentioned Apollo Lasers which no longer exists but was featured in a couple of LA Times articles, here and here.

Ozzie Wexler who is the experiment supervisor escapes with the syringe who is being chased by Mr. Igoe and heads to approximately 21105 Bryant Street Canoga Park 91304. Ozzie jumps over a fence to the Browns Canyon Wash which eventually meets the LA River near Mason and Vanowen. The LA River and various washes that connect to it have been used in many films including Drive and Terminator 2.

The chase continues to Northridge at the corner of Calvin Avenue and Superior Street.

One recognizable house during this chase scene is at the corner of Aura Avenue and Superior Street looking at 9701 Aura Avenue Northridge.

The chase continues down to Tampa Avenue near Superior Street.

The chase then naturally continues to the Northridge Fashion Center 9301 Tampa Avenue Northridge 91324. This movie was obviously filmed before the 1994 earthquake which was heavily damaged and subsequently renovated so the mall looks different today.

Jack Putter works at 14845 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks 91403 which is now a Pavilions Grocery Store. You can see Mel's Diner in the background of the first shot below.

Creating More Kitchen Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Hello dear friends,How are you today? Are you doing well? I thought I’d talk about something I know we all can use more of and that's more storage in our kitchen. I always say I'd be more organize if only I had more of it. Creating More Storage starts by checking out your kitchen from top to bottom to find unused space. Even if you think you have exhausted every possibility for storing those

Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:38:00 +0000

I arrived back from Bangkok this weekend and what an experience it was!

I'm very lucky I travelled with work which is always a very nice experience,

if I hadn't I don't know what my reaction to Bangkok would have been.

My personal opinion is Bangkok is not quite for me!

The people where absolutely lovely, amazing service but the place itself - I'm not quite a fan.

But in saying that, I'd like to share some of my highlights of my trip to Bangkok ...

We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel (above), which was just gorgeous.

Half of our team where across the river at The Mandarin Oriental so over 2 days,

we had to cross back and forth over the Chao Phraya River on the boats (below)

between the 2 hotels.

Shortly after this photo was taken the heavens opened and it bucketed down.

It was crazy rain!

The view from my room on the 32nd floor looking across the Chao Phraya River

to the Bangkok skyline.

On the second evening, we were treated to a tour and dinner at The Siam Hotel.

I apologise, my photo's do not do it justice, this place was ah-mazing!

The hotel is owned by the Sukosol family, dubbed the musical hoteliers of Thailand.

The son, Krissida is a singer and actor and the Creative Director of the hotels and is
responsible for this luxury urban resort in Bangkok.

This villa was stunning with it's own plunge pool.

For only about $1,000 AUD a night you can stay here (totally worth it if you can I say).

I fell in love with the bathrooms, seriously so cool!

Our dining room for dinner which was beautiful.

On the last evening we were treated to another beautiful dinner full of entertainment.

The food and dining presentation was so pretty.

I hate this photo of me (blurgh) but I fell in love with these puppets.

They entertained us as our dinner finished.

Each puppet handled by 3 people did a little dance and had great interaction with the audience.

Sa-wat-dee Kah

(hello in Thai)

... a word I heard very often as the people of Bangkok are so hospitable, so polite and just lovely.

Have you been to Bangkok? What's been your experience there?

all images via myfirstlittleplace

UPDATE: Christina Aguilera

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:17:00 +0000

BUYER: Christina Aguilera
SELLER: Tom Gores
LOCATION: Sherman Oaks/Beverly Hills, CA
PRICE: $10,000,000
SIZE: 11,107 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Looks like Charlie Sheen, Paris Hilton and Robbie Williams are getting a new superstar neighbor. The latest celebrity real estate report from the celebrity gossip juggernaut TMZ is that Christina Aguilera has dropped $10 million for a gated, Mediterranean mansion of 11,107 square feet set on a .84 landscaped acre in the guard-gated Mulholland Estates community that's nestled into the Santa Monica Mountains between Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills (CA).

The seller was private equity multi-billionaire Tom Gores who owns the Detroit Pistons and who bought the property in June 1999 for $4,595,000. Last year Mister Gores leased the house to the newly and acrimoniously divorced businesswoman and (former) Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Adrienne Maloof for—so the scuttlebutt goes—around $20,000 per month.

In addition to substantial formal living and dining rooms and a manly wood panelled library, listing details show Miz Aguilera's new crib has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, at least five fireplaces and two bars plus a walk-in wine cellar. A den/family room has a double height ceiling and the colossal eat-in center island kitchen with walk-in pantry and top grade appliances including a massive La Cornue range that Your Mama can assure the children cost more than the car Miz Aguilera's maid drives.* Listing information also indicates there's a screening room and an enclosed loggia with wood panelled ceiling, completely muraled walls and several over-sized arched glass doors that link the to lush backyard entertainment areas.

Each of the five guest/family bedrooms has a private en suite facility and the celebrity-sized second floor master suite comprises a behemoth bedroom with carved stone fireplace and direct access to a private terrace with outdoor fireplace, a separate private office that Your Mama imagines will soon become Miz Aguilera's dressing room, two walk-in closets and a massive two-room marble-floored bathroom with twin vanities and free standing soaking tub.

The lush grounds have mature landscaping, flagstone terraces, a fountain or two, a saltwater swimming pool and spa with a nearby bathhouse for convenient mid-swim evacuations, a stone gazebo and a built-in barbecue station. Naturally the entire property is secured with a state-of-the-art security system and equipped with high-tech audio/visual systems.

As it turns out this isn't the first time Miz Aguilera has owned a home in the Mulholland Estates enclave. In late 2000 when the former Mickey Mouse Club performer was in her early 20s she shelled out $2,750,000 to acquire a 7,492 square foot mock-Med mac-mansion. She quickly caught a classic case of The Celebrity Real Estate Fickle and flipped the property at a loss just over a year later to its current owner for $2,575,000.

For the last five or six years Miz Aguilera has owned a walled and gated mansion in Beverly Hills that she bought in August 2007 for $11,500,000 from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. More than two years ago, not long after it was revealed she and her now ex-husband music exec Jordan Bratman were to be divorced, Miz Aguilera's exuberantly festooned domicile was dropped on the open market with an asking price of $13,500,000. Current online listings show the 11,571 square foot mock-Med mansion is currently in escrow and Your Mama was told by a little birdie who often knows such things that word on the Platinum Triangle Real Estate Street is that the buyer is foreign.

*Your Mama has no idea if Miz Aguilera employs a maid and, if she does, what sort of car the maid drives.

listing photos: Hilton & Hyland

Colorfull Spring arrived! * A Primavera Colorida Chegou!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:37:00 +0000

Still sick at home ... but if I had to translate my mood in a decor today it would be like this! Long live the sun! Finally Spring arrived!!

***

Continuo doente... mas se tivesse de traduzir o meu estado de espírito de hoje, numa decoração, era assim! Viva o sol!

via inredningsvis

Happy day every one!

***

Um dia feliz para todos!

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Matt Damon Dumps Miami Beach Digs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:28:00 +0000

SELLER: Matt Damon
LOCATION: Miami Beach, FL
PRICE: $20,000,000
SIZE: 12,705 square feet, 7 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama knows we're a little late to this party but perhaps a little late is better than never? If not and any of y'all already know all you need or want to know about Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon and former-bartender wife Luciana Barroso shoving their two lot bay front Miami Beach estate on the market with a $20,000,000 price tag then we kindly ask you sit tight until we have some other, newer and/or more exciting celebrity real estate morsel for you to chew on.

Property records reveal that Mister Damon picked up the first of the two water front lots that comprise the compound-like estate in April 2005 for $10,300,000. Once upon a time, the .55 acre property was owned by the late Maurice Gibb of Bee Gees super fame. Eight months later he scooped up the .46 acre property next door for $4,200,000. A few quick flicks of the well-worn beads of Your Mama's trusty abacus shows that combined the compound encompasses a hair more than one acre and cost Mister Damon $14,500,000 not counting carrying costs, improvements, additions, alterations and real estate fees that could easily exceed half a million clams depending on what percentage of the sale price his real estate agents—a pair of high volume gals known around town as "The Jills"—are charging him.

Property records and current listing details show the fully updated and upgraded 1935 villa, dubbed Maravilla, has seven bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms in 12,705 square feet of contemporary interior spaces enveloped in the architectural skin of a Mediterranean villa. In addition to the perfectly ordinary formal dining room with one of those fake-candle chandeliers that make Your Mama's decorative skin crawl with Pottery Barn banality the main living/entertaining space is an over-sized living room with three sets of wood-framed glass doors that open to the water side backyard.

Listing details go on to reveal there's a custom-fitted den/library/office, a media lounge, a temperature controlled wine cellar and a roomy center island kitchen with all the customary high grade stainless steel appliances and lots of orange- and brown-hued marble counter tops and back splashes.

The second floor master bedroom appears to be as large as the super-sized living room downstairs and offers access to a private waterside terrace through three sets of wood-framed glass doors plus a spacious minimalist bathroom with dramatic lighting and twin vanities separated by a free-standing soaking tub.

In addition to the main house Mister Damon's digs includes a waterside guest house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms plus an open air poolside cabana with full summer kitchen/wet bar, changing facilities and a roof top terrace with unobstructed views over Biscayne Bay towards North Bay Village and downtown Miami.

The fully landscaped grounds also include a gated motor court, a courtyard entry with water feature, a soccer pitch-sized lawn and extensive waterside terraces for lounging, dining and sunbathing. A private dock and boat lift at the water's edge allows for direct boat access.

This is actually not the first house Mister Damon has owned in Miami Beach or even on this particular road. In May 2002 he coughed up $9.5 million for a 11 bedroom and 10 bathroom spread down and around the bend just one-third of a mile from his current estate that he sold in March 2005 for $13,900,000.

It's not entirely clear to Your Mama if Mister Damon still owns the 7,000 square foot duplex loft in lower Manhattan that he scooped up for about $2.4 in 2004—the one that allegedly has a private indoor basketball court—but we do know he and the missus have been on a multi-year hunt for a substantial, family sized apartment or townhouse in New York City with a budget in the $12-20,000,000 range. Despite their exhaustive quest for an urban spread large enough to accommodate Mister Damon, his wife, their three children, her child from a previous marriage and their retinue of live-in domestic help being well documented by all the New York-base property gossips, as far as Your Mama knows the Damons have yet to buy anything in The Big Apple.

Over on the West Coast, the actor and his wife bit the real estate bullet earlier this year when in January (2013) they plunked down $15,000,000 for a gated and high-hedged 13,508 square foot modern mansion on the same swank street in quietly posh Pacific Palisades (CA) community as b.f.f. Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner.

listing photos: The Jills, Coldwell Banker Previews

Your Mama Hears...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:08:00 +0000

...that rainbow haired pop music powerhouse Katy Perry is about to purchase three adjoining properties nestled into a sylvan hollow in the Hollywood Hills, high above the glittering lights and shattered dreams of Tinseltown. Miz Perry's plan—so it was tattled to Your Mama—is to merge the two existing mini-compounds into a almost four acre multi-residence situation worthy of a global superstar who—like her bubbly brand of bubblegum pop or not—reportedly earns more than forty million clams a year.*

Two separate, unconnected and trusted informants—they would be Patty Propertyseller and Lucy Spillerguts—have both tattled to Your Mama that Miz Perry is currently in contract to spent an unknown amount of dough to acquire the three parcels (that comprise two mini-compounds) all currently owned by a corporate entity easily linked to philanthropic HIV-positive oil heiress and former junkie Aileen Getty.

The larger of the two properties (above) spans 2.33 acre and has been substantially upgraded since it was last sold for $3,540,000 to the corporate concern connected to Aileen Getty in April 2004 by, according to property records, Wal-Mart heiress Sybil Robson Orr. As best as we can tell via various online resources, the mini-compound comprises a 3,800-plus square foot mock-Med main house, a semi-detached poolside guesthouse/cabana, equestrian facilities, a vast stone terrace around a slightly elevated swimming pool and expensively engineered terraced gardens linked by serpentine stairways and meandering paths.

The second, also gated and heavily secured mini-compound encompasses two adjacent residential parcels—one vacant and the other all but undeveloped—that combined come to 1.62 acres. The corporate entity linked to Miz Getty acquired both parcels in a single transaction for $2,950,000 in January 2011. The seller was house hopping drummer/bandleader Max Weinberg who had only acquired the modern minded mini-compound two years earlier for $2,888,000 from Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal's then feuding now-divorced parents, screenwriter Naomi Foner and television director Stephen Gyllenhaal.

Your Mama has no idea if Miz Getty—or, rather, the corporate entity connected to her—made any significant alterations to the property or existing residence but listing details from the time Mister Weinberg sold the property in early 2011 show the completely over-hauled single-story mid-century residence had three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 2,916 square feet of largely open-plan living space with an additional two bedrooms and a bathroom located in a semi-detached guest house connected to the main house by a breezeway. The back yard area has a good-sized patch of flat lawn, a wee negative edge swimming pool and a rustic-modern tree-shaded outdoor dining area with built-in fire pit.

In summation, the two properties combined come to just less than four acres with two gated entrances, two fairly modestly sized main houses, two semi-detached guesthouses, two swimming pools and spas and (what appears to be) equestrian facilities that, with significant financial input, would make an excellent sound and recording studio for Miz Perry.

There prolly isn't a property gossip alive that still hasn't written about the historic, multi-residence compound above the mouth of Laurel Canyon that Miz Perry bought with ex-husband Russell Brand bought in mid-2011 for $6.5 million and hoisted (just this week) on the open market by Miz Perry, who was granted full ownership of the property in her divorce, for $6,925,000.

For the record, Your Mama would like the children to note that neither of the mini-compounds in question was on the open market and none of the property record data bases Your Mama checked yet reflect a recent change of ownership. That means this ain't nuthin' but some celebrity real estate rumor and gossip, at least until one of the more reputable media outlets reports it as fact. Something else circumstantial to keep in mind is that a third informant, the inestimable Yolanda Yakketyak, recently whispered to Your Mama that word on the L.A.-based Heiresses Real Estate Street is that Aileen Getty recently spent a bit over $3.5 million to acquire a walled, gated and totally upgraded 1920s mini-compound with a Golden Age celebrity pedigree on a wide, tree-lined street that has more than once been described to Your Mama as the "Beverly Hills of West Hollywood."

aerial image: Google
listing photos (from 2009): Prudential California and Sotheby's International Realty (via Redfin)

This is me today * Isto hoje sou eu

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:32:00 +0000

This is me today... I can't even think about what is going to happened on Monday if I'm not feeling better. I have to record a show for 12 hours and for 5 days! Crap!...

***

Isto hoje sou eu... Nem quero pensar o que vai acontecer na Segunda-Feira, pois vou ter que gravar durante uma semana inteira, e 12 horas por dia!... Acho que é desta, que o Gustavo vai ter de trabalhar e me substituir!...

My dearest assistants sent me some images of the new items we just got in for the store
and it was the highlight of my day. Had to share them with you.

***

Deixo-vos algumas novidades acabadinhas de chegar à nossa loja, que ainda nem vi ao vivo, mas que as minhas queridas assistentes, já me enviaram imagens para me alegrar o dia!

Quadro de Parede em madeira - 45 x 45

Quadro de Parede em Madeira 'Be who you are' - 50x50 - 42,95€

Quadro de Parede em madeira 'life' - 40 x 40 - 39,95€

Caixas Pink Zag - 3 tamanhos diferentes G-24,95€ M-18,95€ S-12,95€

Vaso em Lata 'Shocking Pink' - 18,95€

Vaso em Lata 'Raspberry Red' - 18,95€

Não são o máximo?!

Vejam mais novidades em

www.lojaquerido.com

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Lance Armstrong Sells Austin Estate

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:39:00 +0000

SELLER: Lance Armstrong
LOCATION: Austin, TX
PRICE: Unknown
SIZE: (total of) 9,439 square feet with 9.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Word on the Lonestar State's celebrity real estate gossip highway is that publicly disgraced cyclist and tireless cancer advocate Lance Armstrong has done sold his central Austin, TX estate for an (as yet) undisclosed amount of money to local oil and gas rights executive Al Koehler. The ever-so-sassy and chicly bespectacled Dallas-based property gossip Candy Evans reported earlier today on Candy's Dirt that the house was listed for around $10 million and the Austin American-Statesman revealed Mister Koehler took a $3.1 million mortgage out on the estate that the Travis County Tax Man set value at $3.9 million in 2012.

Property records show Mister Armstrong picked up the two-parcel property near Camp Mabry in 2004 in two separate transactions, both for an undisclosed amount of money. By our rudimentary and possibly inaccurate calculations the double gated mini-estate encompasses 1.7 landscaped acres and includes a 7,806 square foot Spanish Colonial main residence with an unknown number of bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms and airy living spaces sprinkled with works by top-flight artists such as Andres Serrano, Antonio Más and Danny Lyon.

Mister Armstrong had the recent vintage abode photographed for the July 2008 issue of Architectural Digest and in one of the lush images seven of Mister Armstrong's Tour de France jerseys are seen hung in the upstairs media/game room. We don't know if he was even allowed to keep them but Your Mama imagines Mister Armstrong won't be so keen to hang those things on the walls of his next house—or any house—as a constant reminder of his reputation ruining conduct and professional shame.

Additional living quarters in a detached structure total 1,633 square feet and include another two bathrooms according to the Travis County Tax Man. The extensively landscaped grounds encompass a couple of motor courts, garaging for at least five cars, broad lawns and lots of meticulously clipped trees and hedges. A open air poolside cabana has a fireplace and a lovely view down a path lined with slender Italian cypress trees.

Avid celebrity real estate watchers may recall that back in 2008 Mister Armstrong received a mountain of bad press because of the vast amounts of water consumption. In June 2008, according to various reports, Mister Armstrong used more than twice the amount of water used by an average Austin household for an entire year. His water bill that month was reported to be just over $1,612.

According to the Architectural Digest article, in addition to his Austin estate the tarred and feathered former superstar owns (or owned) homes in New York, Spain, the Bahamas and Dripping Springs, TX, about 45 minutes outside Austin. At about the time he was being publicly pilloried for his rapacious water usage in Austin Mister Armstrong hoisted Mirasol Ranch—his 450-ish acre river-front spread in scenically scrubby Dripping Springs—on the market with an asking price was $12,000,000. By the spring of 2011 the price tag had tumbled to $8,500,000 and the impressive spread with its 7-plus miles of biking and running trails was later taken off the (open) market. Although we're not 100% sure a careful read through property records suggest Mister Armstrong sold his ranch property in August 2011 for an undisclosed amount of money to a corporate entity easily linked to the CEO of a Carrollton, TX property management software concern.

In addition to all the above mentioned residences, property records indicate Mister Armstrong continues to own a 5,683 square foot residence with five bedrooms and six bathrooms in the celebrity playground of Aspen that he scooped up in October 2008 for $9,175,000.

aerial photo(top): Jay Janner for Austin American-Statesman
other photos: Robert Reck for Architectural Digest

Filming Locations: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written byMelissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote. It tells the story of Elliott (played by Thomas), a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government (Wkipedia).

There are three other sites that have already found the filming locations for this film which this post would not be possible with their contributions. I definitely recommend visiting both sites especially the first link which has a great movie by filming locations expert, Herve Attia.

Herve Attia's On The Set of E.T.

Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles

Beyond The Marquee

One of the few movies that really put the SFV in the map most notably the Porter Ranch/Northridge/Granada Hills area. A lot of this area was new with homes built in the late 70's/early 80s while filming began in 1981. You can see how new the area was compared to today as there were a minimal amount of trees and plants on top of some of the new construction occurring at the same time.

You can view more SFV Filming Locations here.

The movie begins with an overview shot of the SFV from Mulholland Drive. Exact location is unknown but probably somewhere near the 405 in Van Nuys or Sherman Oaks.

Elliot's house is located 7121 Lonzo Street Tujunga 91042. The home was built in 1980 which was barely one year old when filming began in September 1981. Spielberg picked this location because he wanted a home with a mountain backdrop that wasnt available in Porter Ranch.

The Halloween scenes start at Elliot's house in Tujunga.

The bus stop scene is at 19230 Vista Grande Way Porter Ranch 91326 (Northwest corner of Capistrano Lane and Vista Grand Way). In real life, no bus stop exists at this location.

The Halloween scene is located approximately at 18902 Granada Circle Porter Ranch 91326 (intersection of Granada Circle and Killimore Avenue). Steven Spielberg added the Yoda character as a surprise for George Lucas he saw an early screening of the film and said, "that was cool." Harrison Ford also visited Spielberg in Porter Ranch while filming as his then wife, Melissa Mathison wrote the script for E.T.

The toilet papered house is located at 18967 Granada Circle Porter Ranch 91326 (intersection of Granada Circle and Killimore opposite to the above Halloween scenes; Granada Circle makes a loop). This scene was added in the 2002, 20th Anniversary release

Michael riding his bike while the U.S. government agents in the blue Ford Fairmont chase him down occurred at the intersection of Killimore Avenue and Brasilla Drive.

The chase continues down this street that I am not able to locate but is obviously in the Porter Ranch area.

Michael begins his escape at the intersection of Killimore Avenue and Viking Avenue which he turns left onto Viking Avenue in Porter Ranch.

I am not sure of the next two locations but obviously in the same Porter Ranch area.

Michael's escape into the alley and up the hill is located at 19023 Rinaldi Street Porter Ranch 91326.

The U.S. Government Ford Econoline van with the bubble travels down the street at the intersection of Brasilia Drive and Killimore Avenue Porter Ranch

The U.S. Government Ford Econoline van with the bubble gets dislodged at the intersection of Granada Circle and Killimore Avenue which is the same intersection of the toilet papered house shown above.

The caravan of U.S. Government vehicles I believe start at Reseda Blvd and Sesnon Blvd Porter Ranch.

The park and playground is located at Porter Ridge Park at the intersection of Reseda Blvd and Sesnon Blvd Porter Ranch. The first image below is approximately at 18848 Muirkirk Drive. Most of the park looks different today with the only equipment remaining being the caterpillar.

The bike chase scene with the gang starts at the corner of Granada Circle and Killimore Avenue Porter Ranch which is the same location for the toilet paper house and where the van dislodges the bubble discussed above.

The bike chase scene continues at 11876 Killimore Avenue Porter Ranch 91326.

The bike chase continues onto the intersection of Beaufait Avenue and Eddleston Drive Porter Ranch. This part of Porter Ranch was barely in development. These scenes are now filled with homes.

The bike chase continues onto the intersection of Beaufait Avenue and Darby Avenue Porter Ranch.

The U.S. Government Ford Fairmont makes a right turn onto 11940 Beaufait Avenue Porter Ranch 91326.

The bikes jump onto the U.S. Government Ford Fairmont at Aliso Canyon Park but I am not sure of the exact location.

The bike chase continues at 11860 Eddleston Drive Porter Ranch 91326. Some of the ongoing construction while filming.

The infamous bike scene where E.T. assists all the bikers and magically start flying to evade the U.S. Government workers is located at White Oak Avenue and Tulsa Street Granada Hills 91344. One note of interest for SFV history buffs is that this stretch of White Oak Avenue in Granada Hills contains 114 Deodar Trees that were declared a Historic Cultural Monument on August 3, 1966 meaning they cannot be destroyed without special city permission.

Most of the overhead panning shots were from the Palisades and Wilbur Tampa Park which can be accessed from Reseda Blvd. Some of the streets that can be seen in these shots are Brasilia Drive and Killimore Avenue in Porter Ranch. According to Herve Attia, Steven Spielberg placed his camera at approximately 11845 Stewarton Drive to obtain some of the overhead shots.

The next two shots were roughly at 11845 Stewarton Drive Porter Ranch. Some of the supports for these chain link fences still exist.

The Sum Of All Fears - Furniture Painting * A Soma De Todos Os Medos - Pintar Móveis

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:46:00 +0000

Ladies, please accept my blogging absence yesterday but I've been trying to cope with the worst cold in the last few days. That couldn't come on the worst week because I'm on countdown for the new season recording of the show starting on Monday. It will be painful if I don't manage to cure this in the next couple of days!

Anyway, a lot of people have been asking me about this subject. Furniture painting, and most of them after passing the to paint or not to paint barrier they feel they need to pass the to paint white or color barrier. Here are some examples that hopefully will convince you that color can look amazing on furniture too.

***

Queridas Blogamig@s, aceitem as minhas desculpas por ter estado ausente ontem mas fui atacada por uma terrível gripe que este tempo me trouxe e aqui estou em em febre e dores de garganta a 4 dias de gravar o primeiro programa desta nova série do Querido e a rezar para que isto passe! Se não passar vai ser penoso para mim e para o Gustavo e o João que vão ter de me levar ao colo (mas de saltos altos na mesma!) LOL ;))) adiante...

Muitas pessoas me têm feito perguntas sobre este assunto. Pintar ou não móveis antigos. E a maior parte delas passa por duas fases cruciais. Pintar ou não pintar, mas nem vou entrar por aí, porque já sabem a minha opinão, é claro que sim quando eles podem ganhar uma nova vida!

Mas a segunda questão é a que quero falar hoje e é - ultrapassar o medo de usar a cor em vez de apenas pintar de branco. Eu percebo que a ideia de pintar já é uma lança em Àfrica para algumas pessoas e depois quando começam a pensar na cor lá vêm os meditos outra vez... aiiii tenho medo de me cansar da cor... (e depois pintam paredes de encarnado e beringela!)... aiiii tenho medo que não fique bem... e depois arrependem-se porque vêm imagens como as que se seguem...

Source: Uploaded by user via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: bazaarofserendipity.blogspot.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: picklee.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: curatedstyle.tumblr.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: kirtsy.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: familycircle.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Source: completely-coastal.com via Ana Antunes - Homestyling on Pinterest

Vá... deixem lá os medos e agarrem nos pincéis, porque até uma velhinha com 70 anos, consegue pintar um móvel! Fundamental é mesmo seguir estas 5 dicas...

Lixar um pouco o móvel para criar aderência.

Não é preciso ser muito minuciosa e nem exagerar.

É mais fácil se usar as novas lixas, que parecem caixas de fósforos.

Usar um primário, que vai ajudar na aderência e neutraliza a cor, porque é branco,

quando se tratam de móveis muito escuros.

Tapar os buraquinhos do caruncho ou imperfeições com uma massa própria.

Usar tinta esmalte brilho, acetinado, ou mate.

Mas de preferência brilho ou acetinado, porque se tornam mais fáceis de limpar.

Optem por um esmalte aquoso, que tem um cheiro menos agressivo.

Usar pinceis ou rolos pequenos para esmalte e se tiverem de os deixar de um dia para o outro, porque se a tarefa não acabou, a dica é deixar não em água,

mas sim dentro de um saco de plástico fechado.

Nenhum bicho de sete cabeças! Garanto-vos!

Agora vou ver se curo esta gripe, e atulhar-me em chás, mel, xaropes e afins!
A a aaaatchimmmm!

P.S. - Podem consultar o meu Pinterest para mais ideias!

E não se esqueçam que podem fazer pin das imagens

directactamente do blog. Basta passar com o cursor por cima da imagem e

quando aparece o símbolo toca a pinar! ;)))))

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Your Mama Hears...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:16:00 +0000

...from Will Spillit, a valued informant deep inside the Platinum Triangle real estate game, that famously hermetic double Oscar winning actress/director Jodie Foster will soon list her long-time home in the swanky, celebrity-stocked and so-called Bird Streets neighborhood above the Sunset Strip where all of the streets are named after—you got it—birds. According to our Mister Spillit Miz Foster has already decamped and the property will soon pop up on the open market with an asking price in the five million dollar range.

Property records show Miz Foster purchased the residence in April 1995 for an undisclosed sum of money from former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs who—as it turns out—has her current, Balinese-y residence in Bel Air on the market for $12,000,000.

Miz Foster is nothing if not private and not surprisingly her Tinseltown hideout is completely shielded from passers by and looky loos by an impressively thick and towering hedge. Your Mama would bet both our long-bodied bitches, Linda and Beverly, that every square inch of the .29 acre spread is fortified with a state-of-the-art security system capable of identifying and mercilessly inflicting severe bodily damage to any potential intruder. There is no driveway in the front, just a bougainvillea enshrouded entry gate. Automobile access to the property is by way of a discreet, shared driveway around back.

Your Mama knows little to nothing about Miz Foster's residence other than what we can glean from a variety of interweb resources that may or may not be entirely accurate: It's a multi-winged single-story white stucco hacienda originally built in 1935 with four bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 5,367 square feet. Aerial images show a simple, rectangular swimming pool in the courtyard style backyard and a two car garage off the shared driveway where Miz Foster parks her speedy Prius.

Miz Foster's (alleged) decision to sell her house in The Birds isn't a surprise to celebrity real estate watchers and property gossips like Your Mama who surely recall that last June (2012) she shelled out $11,750,000 to very quietly acquire a walled, gated and high-hedged ridge line property privately perched above Franklin and Coldwater Canyons.

Back in July 2005 Miz Foster very quietly spent $8.1 million a large, Connecticut county/Cape Cod style ranch house in a prime section of Beverly Hills that was once owned by Dinah Shore.* We were told by a well-connected canary that Miz Foster planned to erect a new house to her custom specification but eventually had a real estate change of heart and sold the property, according to property records, in September 2011 for $8,300,000 to Doug Barnes, a lavish living budget eyeglasses mogul from Dallas.**

*We'll have no crude lesbian jokes here, hunties. Miz Foster may be a card carrying member of the Sapphic Sisters and lesbians from around the globe may gather in drunken droves in Palm Springs (CA) every year during the Dinah Shore golf tournament but—for the record—the late Dinah Shore was not a lesbian.

**In case anyone might be curious, Mister and Missus Barnes's primary residence is a 20,000-plus square foot behemoth that backs up to a petite semi-private pond with private sandy beach in the posh Preston Hollow area of Dallas. Some of Mister and Missus Barnes's nearest neighbors include Dallas-based bigwigs like investor Robert Haas who made a fortune when he bought an sold Dr. Pepper and 7Up and whose house has 10 fireplaces and a small private lake; Dee Wyly, the wealthy widow of businessman Charles Wyly who once owned the arts and crafts retail juggernaut Michael's; Susan Reese, the wealthy widow of Dallas developer Lou Reese; trial attorney Lisa Blue Baron, the widow of trial attorney Fred Baron, whose 15,000-plus square foot Robert A.M. Stern designed red brick Georgian sits on nearly nine landscaped acres and has its own website; and prolific contemporary art collectors Cindy and Howard Rachofsky who own an art-filled Richard Meier-designed tour de force that also has its own website.

aerial image: Google

Floor Plan Porn: Steve Cohen in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:10:00 +0000

SELLER: Steve Cohen
LOCATION: New York City, NY
PRICE: $115,000,000
SIZE: 9,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms (plus 2 bedroom and 1 bathrooms staff suite)

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Last week Your Mama briefly discussed the art buying real estate doings of legally embattled billionaire financier Steve Cohen (last item) who just forked over $60,000,000 to buy a 6.5 acre ocean front spread in East Hampton (NY) that happens to be located just a couple doors down from the non-beach front house he already owns.

In our uncharacteristically brief discussion we repeated the much reported upper end celebrity real estate scuttlebutt about the multi-billionaire and his second wife Alexandra quietly shopping his duplex penthouse in Manhattan off market with an electrifying (and publicity ensuring) $115 million price tag.

Mister and Missus Cohen—who combined have seven children, four together, two from his previous marriage and one from hers—purchased the unusually spacious penthouse in 2005 for around $24,000,000. They engaged the no doubt hideously expensive services of now-deceased super-starchitect Charles Gwathmey who transformed the nearly 9,000 square foot glass-wrapped aerie into a sleek machine for urban living high atop the Bloomberg Tower/One Beacon Court building, one of Midtown Manhattan's most dynamic and expensive mixed-use towers.

The floor plan include with current listing details shows Mister and Missus Cohen's dazzling penthouse has a foyer the size of a corporate reception area that leads directly into a vast, 45-foot long combination living and dining room wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows filled with the exact sort of panoramic city views that urban real estate dreams are sometimes woven. There's a built-in buffet in the dining area, a 24-foot double height ceiling over the living room area and a wavy wall behind which Mister Gwathmey tucked an unusually large two-room powder pooper with a circular throne room. We have no idea what the man-statue is doing in the corner but we can all assume it cost Mister and Missus Cohen more than Your Mama's BMW and its shadow would scare the tarnation right out of us on a boozy, woozy and dimly lit night.

Just off the main entrance Mister Gwathmey installed a two-room office suite with built-in desk and cabinetry and a separate, paneled reception room/lounge with full wet bar (sink, fridge, ice maker and wine fridge).

More casual, family quarters include a media room with over-sized t.v. set into a custom entertainment center and a colossal eat-in kitchen with breathtaking corner dining area and an almost entirely stainless steel center island kitchen with extra-thick slab stone counter tops. The refrigerators and freezers are located in a vestibule just off the kitchen where there's also a walk-in pantry that makes Your Mama swoon with envy.

Official online marketing materials show the penthouse has a total of six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, including the two bedrooms and one bathroom in the staff wing tucked up behind the media room on the lower level. A private guest wing on the upper level has a private den, a dry bar, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, loads of closet space and at least two televisions. A third guest bedroom with private bathroom (and television) opens off the upper level gallery as does the laundry room and the expansive master suite that includes a private sitting room (with t.v.), home office (with t.v. and wall of windows that overlooks the double height living room below), 28-plus foot bedroom (with yet another t.v.), two fitted closets and dressing rooms and a pair of bathrooms slathered in slabs of richly veined white statuary marble.

There is not, as far as we can see or surmise from listing details, even an inch of outdoor space.

Monthly maintenance and taxes ring up to a stomach churning $24,783, according to current listing information. That means Mister and Missus Cohen cough up $297,396 a year for their mansion-sized Manhattan penthouse pied-a-terre not counting maid service, repairs, upgrades and etc., an amount Your Mama's bejeweled abacus determined would take a New York State minimum wage worker a bit more than 1,025 weeks (or nearly 20 years) to earn.

In addition to his no-longer-wanted duplex penthouse atop One Beacon Court and his two houses in East Hampton, Mister Cohen's residential property portfolio bulges with an 8-story townhouse in the West Village he picked up last year for $38,000,000 and a self-contained, 17-plus acre compound-estate in Greenwich, CT with a multi-winged 35,000-plus square foot red brick Georgian mega-mansion, guard house, extensive formal gardens, a tennis court, private golf green, a monolithic Richard Serra sculpture next to the motor court. Property records show Mister and Missus Cohen also own the 4.5 acre spread next door that they bought in June 2006 for $5,000,000 and subsequently built a brand new residence with seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms in just over 7,900 square feet. We have no idea why Mister and Missus Cohen would need another 8,000 square foot house right next to their already gargantuan 35,000-plus square foot mansion, but such are the sometimes inexplicable real estate ways of the super rich, right?

listing photos and floor plan: Corcoran

Nicollette Sheridan (Finally) Leases Upper Bel Air House

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:21:00 +0000

OWNER: Nicollette Sheridan
LOCATION: Beverly Hills, CA
PRICE: $12,500/month
SIZE: 2,731 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Thanks to a friendly French informant we'll call Monsieur Fahfah Froufrou and an assist from Our Fairy Godmother in Bel Air, Your Mama has learned that, after more than six months on the market, actress Nicollette Sheridan has finally, at long last, found a tenant for her secluded, mid-century semi-Spanish rambler in the upper Bel Air of Los Angeles that was last available with an asking price of $12,500 per month.

Miz Sheridan, the British-born step-daughter of famously smooth-pated actor Telly Savalas (Kojak), has bounced around Tinsteltown since the mid-1980s when she was cast in the blessedly short-lived modeling drama Paper Dolls co-starring famously helmet-haired actress Morgan Fairchild and the de-voon, gravel-voiced Brenda Vaccaro. The blond bombshell's big Showbiz break came quickly in 1986 when she was cast on the long-running prime time soap super-drama Knots Landing on which she strutted her stuff in 181 episodes. Lots of forgettable movies (Spy Hard, Beverly Hills Ninja) and terrible tee-vee movies followed (Dead Husbands, The Spiral Staircase, Deadly Betrayal etc.) before she landed her to-date seminal professional gig as the cunning and conniving real estate agent Edie Britt on the (now canceled) campy prime time super-drama Desperate Housewives. Of course we all know how that ended for Miz Sheridan....

Anyhoo, property records show Miz Sheridan has owned the 1.5 acre hillside property since at least the mid-1990s. Listing details Fahfah Froufrou dug up out of the depths of the internets shows Miz Sheridan's single story main residence has three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,731 square feet of mostly saltillo tiled interior space. A detached structure with fourth bathroom provides additional living space as a guest house/home gym/media lounge or whatever. The house (and guest house) are well situated for celebrity style privacy on a plateau down a foliage lined semi-private driveway shared with two other homes, as far as Your Mama can tell, owned by non-celebs.

The sky-lit main living/dining space has a vaulted ceiling with exposed support beam and post, a massive red brick fireplace and two walls of French doors that open to a deep shaded loggia conveniently equipped with a curving, built-in bar and barbecue station. There's also a separate formal dining room (or possible den) just off the front door. A long, clerestory window lit galley kitchen with perfectly ordinary (possibly limed) pine raised panel cabinetry, white tile counter tops with extra-side grouting and top-grade commercial style stainless steel appliances that include a super-sized double over Viking brand range with eight burners and a damn griddle.

Listing information goes on to reveal there's a small bedroom (set up as a simple home office) and a larger bedroom furnished in listing photos as a t.v. watching lounge with a giant, roll-armed sofa with chaise kick out and a flat screen monitor mounted in the corner on and articulating arm. Of particular decorative note are the fur blanket—it looks like mink to Your Mama but what do we know about fur?—carefully laid across the sofa's chaise and a leopard print rug that may or may not be an actual animal hide.

The master bedroom has utterly impractical white wall-to-wall carpeting, a red brick fireplace set at an uncomfortable angle between the double entry doors and a row of high windows punished with a tone-on-tone beige bubble shade. There's also large walk-in closets, a vaulted ceiling with exposed ridge line support beam, French doors that join to a shrubbery enshrouded brick terrace with sunken spa—cue the cheesy romance music—and a roomy bathroom with pickled wood cabinetry, deep blue tile on counters, floors and walls, double sinks and make up vanity, glass-enclosed shower space and separate jetted tub that look large enough to host a small, 1970s-ish soiree. Once again the children will note Miz Sheridan's thing for animal hide. There are sheepskin rugs on the floor in the bathroom and in the bedroom as well as another leopard rug and a trio of fur pillows on a small settee that look like maybe they're made of raccoon?

Between the main house and the guest house there's a swimming pool surrounded by a used brick sunbathing and lounging terrace. A rolling lawn slopes down to a thicket of trees and other foliage that provide an enviable amount of privacy that would certainly allow Miz Sheridan and/or her tenets to run around naked without any nosy neighbor being the wiser.

We're not sure how long it's been since Miz Sheridan has actually lived in her Bel Air house but we do know that way back in 2008, when she was still rolling in Desperate Housewives clover, Miz Sheridan paid rock star Melissa Etheridge (and her ex-wife Tammy Lynn Michaels) just over $4.3 million to acquire a nearly 7,000 square foot mini-mansion in the equestrian and family oriented guard gated community of Hidden Hills in the far northwest suburbs of Los Angeles.

listing photos: Westside Estate Agency

Trend Alert - Yellow Out There And Out Here! *** Alerta Tendência - Amarelo Por Aqui e Por Ali

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:32:00 +0000

Hello Blogfriends,

Is it just me or is it always at this time of year, when we're all eager for sun and beach colors, the yellow trend appears as to replace the sun that has not yet arrived? Well this is what happends in Portugal at least...

Decoration world has sun everywhere, out here!

One of our most popular interior design magazines Caras Decoration, did a whole production with the yellow theme. It was signed by Rita Vilhena and she used a few items from our LojaQuerido store, and also Prego sem Estopa, Homes in Heaven and Zarahome.

Doesn't it look nice?

***

É impressão minha ou é sempre por esta altura do ano, em que estamos todos ávidos de sol e cores de praia, que a tendência do amarelo lá aparece como que para nos dar o sol que ainda não chegou?

Bom... parece que pelo menos na decoração há sol por todo o lado. Esta é a produção da Caras Decoração, deste mês assinada pela Rita Vilhena e com algumas das peças da LojaQuerido e também da Prego sem Estopa, Homes in Heaven e Zarahome.

Não está o Máximo!?

na Caras Decoração

Items from LojaQuerido * Os objectos da LojaQuerido

Who would say I would be working on a project with this color combo

Opal Blue (my favorite) and Empire Yellow (not favorite)

Truth is I do love them together!

***

O mais engraçado é que ando a trabalhar num projecto que tem precisamente, estes dois tons misturados (os nossos opal Blue e o Empire Yellow).

Pois é... quem diria que alguma vez me iriam ver às voltas com o amarelo!?!

Vá... nem tanto... cheguei à conclusão que consigo usá-lo ao lado do meu tom favorito, para compensar...

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

It's Official: Katy Perry Lists Park Hill Compound

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:14:00 +0000

SELLER: Katy Perry
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $6,925,000
SIZE: 8,835 square feet, 7 bedrooms, 7 full and 4 half bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama has been hearing for months already that Miz Perry wants to unload her never-lived in L.A. compound, Park Hill, and—so the scuttlebutt went—she unsuccessfully had it shopped around off-market for a few months in the high seven millions before finally hoisting the grand estate on the open market today with an official (and notably lower) asking price of $6,925,000.

In June 2011, almost a year after nine time Grammy-nominated international pop music super star Katy Perry wed her now ex-husband—that would be raunchy and unkempt looking British comedian Russell Brand—in a lavish ceremony in India they dropped six and a half million clams on Park Hill, an historic, double-gated celebrity-style compound of nearly three acres nestled onto a private promontory just above the frequently traffic clogged mouth of Laurel Canyon in West Hollywood (CA).

According to the good people at Paradise Leased and The Movieland Directory, Park Hill was built in the mid-1920s for successful real estate developer C.F. DeWitt who lived in the house until shortly after his wife committed suicide in the house in the mid-1930s. Eventually the house was bought by Dan Laiken, the ex-CEO of National Lampoon who was put in the pokey in 2010 on a securities fraud conviction. It was Mister Laiken's people who sold the house to Miz Perry and Mister Brand.

Alas, the erstwhile couple broke up in a blaze of tabloid publicity and speculation just a few months after purchasing Park Hill. Mister Brand chivalrously granted complete ownership of Park Hill to Miz Perry who—so we've been told by someone in the position to know—never actually occupied the property. (She moved, instead, to a modest if hardly inexpensive rental in a storied West Hollywood apartment house and he snatched up a contemporary crib at the tippy-top of the Bird Streets neighborhood above the Sunset Strip where all the streets are named after—you got it—birds.)

Current listing details reveal Miz Perry's unwanted real estate albatross looms over a parking lot-sized motor court, stands three stories high at the back, measures in at a roomy but hardly humongous 8,835 square feet and contains a total of seven bedrooms, seven full and four half bathrooms. There are also two fireplaces—living room and library—and loads of original architectural detailing and vintage fixtures such as the silhouette chandelier that hangs in the stone-walled and marble floored front foyer and stair hall.

The mansion's public rooms are nothing if not baronial and include a capacious, 45-foot long double-height living room with dark-stained wood floors, a heavy beamed wood ceiling, massive carved stone fireplace that originally warmed an Italian castle and a towering Palladian window that opens to a small terrace with big city view. The room's quirky pièce de résistance is an old timey minstrel's gallery from where musician once serenaded residents and party attending guests. The partially panelled dining room isn't exactly the size of a royal banquet hall but is absolutely impressive with its hand-stenciled honeycomb pattern wood ceiling.

Some of the other living and entertaining spaces include a library with fireplace, media lounge, and spacious, center island country kitchen with snack counter, built-in banquette seating, high grade appliances and fixtures and an adjoining breakfast room with a hand-painted groin vaulted ceiling. All in all it looks like the kitchen in a suburban macmansion but anyone who pay seven million for this place can surely afford to replace the existing kitchen with something more stylish and/or suitable for a house of this magnitude.

The bulk of the property's landscaped grounds are at the front of the house where's there's a giant circular drive but there are balconies and terraces all around, some with city views, and tucked back into the steep, planted hillside there's a lagoon-style swimming pool with waterfall.

In addition to the main manse, the impressively scaled compound includes a two story detached structure with a three car garage upstairs and a caretakers apartment plus art/music studio below. A second detached guest house sits high on the hillside above the swimming on a legally separate lot and includes a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom according to listing details.

listing photos: Teles Properties