When Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott sold their house in Encino last year, I just kind of assumed it was because they wanted a bigger place for their growing family (baby Hattie was born in October). Instead, they downsized to a smaller, more modest 2,300 square-foot house in Malibu.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s kind of refreshing, actually. Take a look and see what you think!

Their former home had 6,700 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, so they’ll have about a lot less space in the new place–not to mention 3 fewer bedrooms.

It’s near Point Dume, which is where Howie Mandel’s house is that we looked at last week.

The house sits on nearly 2 acres, so they’ll have plenty of room for all of their animals to run around. Tori says she wants to grow their own food on it, too.

Tori just wrote a post on her blog about the reclaimed-wood floors they installed in the new house.

On their show “Home Sweet Hollywood,” Dean said their Encino house was “so big we lose track of each other.” Tori said they wanted to move to a “smaller, cozier house and focus on being a tight family unit as our family grows.”

One of the 2 full baths:

The master bedroom seems to have an awkward layout, with the bed in its own separate room:

They reportedly paid $2.4 million for the new Malibu pad. Are you as surprised as I am that they downsized this much? I’m sure Tori will use her mad decorating skills to transform this place into something special. I just hope we get to see the results!

P.S. You can see pics of Tori and Dean’s former home in Encino here. I especially loved the makeover she gave their family room.

(Photos via NBC New York.)

Click Here to See More Celebrity Houses!

When Allison Pearson’s novel I Don’t Know How She Does It came out in 2002, I thought the story about frazzled working mom Kate Reddy was pretty funny, so I was looking forward to the movie version. I don’t think it was quite as awful as the reviews led me to expect, but the book was better.

What didn’t disappoint: the fabulous Boston townhouse that Sarah Jessica Parker’s Kate lives in with her handsome hubby (Greg Kinnear) and their two kids. Let’s take a closer look!

Although Kate lives in Boston, most of the filming actually took place in New York City. According to Covering Media, Production Designer Santo Loquasto was given the task of finding New York locations that could pass for Boston:

“The leafy, townhouse-lined streets of Brooklyn Heights stood in for the Reddy family’s Back Bay neighborhood in Boston, while a stately early-twentieth-century office suite overlooking Madison Square became Kate’s Boston workplace.”

The book written by Allison Pearson was based on a newspaper column she wrote about the challenges of being a working mother. In the novel, Kate was a Brit living in London and traveling to New York for her job. Anyone else read it?

The townhouse interiors were built at Cine Magic Riverfront Studios in Brooklyn. The set decorators were sure to include plenty of “family clutter” in every room. The house may be beautiful, but it’s far from pristine or perfect. It looks lived in!

Looking into the dining room from the kitchen:

The kitchen was the real show-stopper for me. Love it.

In her review of the movie on The Flick Cast, Grace Suh wrote:

“Kate and her (underemployed or unemployed) architect husband Richard…live in a huge, gorgeous townhouse  in the most picturesque and expensive corner of Brooklyn Heights, with high ceilings and beautifully eclectic furnishings and an amazingly huge and gorgeously appointed kitchen that’s flooded with sun and would put the Williams-Sonoma catalog to shame.

“I know the story’s supposed to be set in Boston, and many of the street scenes were obviously shot in Boston, but I assure you, that townhouse they live in is in Brooklyn Heights, and it costs $4 million, at a minimum.”

She went on to say, “In actuality, even at the top investment banks, someone in a mid-level position such as Kate’s would more probably be living in a relatively modest 3-bedroom New York City apartment (still $2 million) or a house in Teaneck, but somehow she’s able to swing that $20,000 monthly mortgage payment, plus private school for her kids (set at Plymouth Church School on Orange).”

Hollywood has never let reality get in their way when filming a chick flick like this, though. We’ve come to expect our heroines to live in a fabulous house and be courted by men like Pierce Brosnan, even she meets him with lice in her hair (makes my head itch just thinking about that scene!).

What did you think of the movie? Did you find yourself looking at the sets behind the actors?

P.S. To see the entire list of movie houses I’ve featured or to request one of your favorites for a future Movie Monday post, click here.

More Sarah Jessica Parker Houses:

• Sex and the City (Movie)
• Sex and the City (TV Show)
• The Family Stone
• SJP’s House in the Hamptons

#1. A Stone Cottage Overlooking a Bay in Ireland.

#2. Colonial-Style Two-Story in the Heart of Old Greenwich.

#3. An End-Unit Townhome with Loft in New Jersey.

#4. A Custom-Built Home on Lake Simcoe in Ontario.

#5. A Garden Designer’s Cottage Bungalow in Alabama.

#6. Spacious Tuscan Home with “Resort Backyard” in Scottsdale.

#7. A Charming 1901 Farmhouse in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to all of my readers who submitted their listings for this 3-part series. I’ve got my fingers crossed for you that they sell soon! -Julia

Comedian Howie Mandel is selling his Cape Cod-style home in Malibu for $7.25 million. It has about 7,000 square feet and sits on an acre of land in Point Dume with panoramic Santa Monica Bay ocean views. Sounds good to me–let’s take a look!

The house was designed by architect Douglas Burdge. Celebrity houses can be way too big and impersonal looking sometimes, so this one was a pleasant surprise. And it’s hard to beat the setting!

Did you happen to see Howie co-hosting on “Live! With Kelly” a few days ago when Jennifer Lopez was the guest?

They talked about how they’re neighbors and the parties he sees going on over there. He also mentioned that he saw her outside painting the brick on her house one day with her twins Max and Emme. She said, “I didn’t like the red brick.” (You can see pics of her house here.)

Want it? Check the listing by Matt Rapf of Pritchett-Rapf Realtors for more photos and information.

P.S. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Click Here to See More Celebrity Houses!

Hard to believe this used to be an old fire station. It’s now the Venetian-inspired Palazzo Lavaca in Austin, Texas, but when it was built in in 1890, it was known as the Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 3.

It has undergone a couple of major transformations over the years. Here’s how it looked when it was first built as a fire house, back in the 19th century:

It was later purchased by the Steiner ranching family, and in the 1940s opened its doors as Capitol Saddlery. For decades it was the place to get your saddles and boots in Texas. Legendary boot maker Charlie Dunn created them for everyone from Al Capone to Peter Fonda.

Current owner Giselle Koy, who describes herself as a professional muse, is responsible for its current incarnation as an otherworldly “Venetian Palazzo.” She spent two years refurbishing the old building.

After attending a party here, writer Michael Barnes reported: “The brain takes a few minutes to adjust to Palazzo Lavaca…. It recalls scenes from Anne Rice’s vampire novels and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.”

The house is available for photo shoots. Here’s one I came across on Style Me Pretty featuring a bride and groom.

Seems like it would be the perfect place to film a movie, too. Or an episode of True Blood. 

This is not your ordinary kitchen. Wow. From a different angle you can see the cabinets and the sink under the window:

You can rent Palazzo Lavaca for events or spend the night. According to the Palazzo Lavaca website, “This sexy and sophisticated getaway was designed for an intimate rendezvous, a much-needed retreat or an escape from paparazzi.” Next time the paps get too much for me, I’m booking it!

“Enjoy a master suite featuring a huge Marie Antoinette mirrored bathroom with imported marble that rivals any Parisian royal suite,” the website says. “Soak in the antique claw foot bathtub or enjoy the oversized, open marble shower and call it a night.” I think I could handle that!

An article on A Life Designed reports that benevolent spirits are believed to still roam the halls of the nearly 7,000 square-foot historic building.

Want to live here? This unusual property is on the market for $4.4 million. For more photos and information check the listing by Sotheby’s or the Palazzo Lavaca website.

(Thanks to Teryl for telling me about it! All images via the real estate listing and Palazzo Lavaca website.)

More Unique Places to See:

• A Retro-Industrial Steampunk Loft
• An Artist’s Bold & Colorful House
• A Castle on Skid Row

Everyone knows a homeowner shouldn’t stick around for a showing or an Open House. Based on these 5 real estate photos, maybe they should stay out of the listings, too!

#1. “I’ll just take a little swim while they photograph my house…”

#2. “Hope you like to hunt!”

#3. “We’ll be outta here as soon as our show’s over.”

#4. “Are you done taking pictures of my house yet?”

#5. The photographer appears to be shirtless in the mirror, but the homeowners in the next room don’t seem to mind…

Thanks to the everyone who submitted these these: Derek, Annie (listing), Dawn, and Ugly House Photos. If you find something unusual in the real estate listings, send it to me!

Click Here to See More Strange Things Found in Real Estate Listings!

Several years ago I asked for the movie Just Like Heaven on DVD for Christmas because I loved the fabulous wood-paneled San Francisco apartment in it! Based on the number of requests I’ve gotten from readers to see it, I wasn’t alone, so I thought we’d take a closer look at it.

Reese Witherspoon played Elizabeth, a hard-working doctor who doesn’t have much of a personal life. She does, however, own an apartment in this Victorian Russian Hill building with killer views of the city from every room…

After she’s in a terrible car crash, a landscape architect named David (Mark Ruffalo) rents her place. There’s a catch, though: her spirit is still living there, and she wants him out.

Leslie Dixon, a San Francisco native who co-wrote the film, used to live in this apartment building. They actually only shot 10 days in San Francisco The interiors of the dream apartment were built entirely on a soundstage.

As Mark Ruffalo talks about filming the movie for the DVD’s special features, you can see the outside of one of the windows on set:

Here’s how it looked when they filmed Reese’s character through that window:

The hallway is beautiful but looks a little spooky in this shot…almost like it belongs to the house in “American Horror Story.”

The movie is based on a novel called If Only It Were True by the French author Marc Levy.

This round windowseat with the fabulous view is one of the best features of the apartment–love it:

As Elizabeth is arguing that she’s not a ghost, she looks down and realizes she has wandered into the center of the dining room table…

The bedroom has more great woodwork and another round window big enough to fit the bed in:

David starts wearing boxer shorts to shower in, since he never knows when Elizabeth might make a surprise appearance…

The Kitchen:

Jon Heder plays Darryl, the psychic who is confounded by how “alive” the spirit seems to be.

Production Design was done by Cary White, and Set Decoration by Barbara Haberecht.

Up on the Roof:

According to the DVD commentary, the apartment’s rooftop was built on a soundstage. They used CGI for the San Francisco skyline. Here’s a behind-the scenes photo taken of the set:

SFGate reports, “The sweeping vista was filmed from the deck of a slightly more elevated apartment one block away on Russian Hill at Taylor and Green, according to location manager Rory Enke.”

“From this place, you could see the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Transamerica — you kind of get your highlight reel of San Francisco from that rooftop,” director Mark Waters says.

David, who is a landscape architect, created a heavenly rooftop garden for Elizabeth before leaving.

I won’t spoil the ending for those of you who haven’t seen it, but it was kind of a surprise. Did you see it coming?

Click Here to See More TV & Movie Houses, Including:

• The Victorian in Mrs. Doubtfire
• Paul & Jamie’s Apartment in Mad About You
• Andie MacDowell’s Apartment in Green Card

Here are 6 of my readers’ houses on the market right now. Check ‘em out!

#1. Historic Early-1800s House on the Water in Rhode Island.

#2. This House in Little Rock is Bigger than It Looks!

#3. Spacious Home with Outdoor Kitchen & Pool in Western Australia.

#4. Got Vision? Mid-Construction Hideaway in Hayesville, NC.

#5. Beautifully Decorated Ranch in Sands Point, NY.

#6. A Cozy White House in Michigan, Priced to Sell.

Thanks to all the readers who submitted their listings on my Facebook page. I received so many that I will be posting more of them next week. Best of luck to all of you–crossing my fingers that they’ll sell soon! -Julia

P.S. I’m phasing out private ads this year, but I wanna give a shout-out to my final two, who have been with me a long time. Visit The Plan Collection to browse through hundreds of house plans, and visit CalFinder to get estimates on your home remodeling projects!

Four years ago I started this blog on a whim. I had no idea what I was doing. And I did pretty much everything wrong from the get-go. I never set out to have a successful blog–I just wanted a place to talk about the houses that interested me. I didn’t know the “rules” about blogging. Heck, I had never even read a “house blog” before, let alone written one!

But sometimes ignorance is bliss. Because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I dove right in and never looked back.

For the first year or so I had a pitiful-looking blog header because I couldn’t figure out how to create a better one. I didn’t know to label photos for search engines, resize them, or lighten dark screencaps from movies. I didn’t grab my domain name early on and someone else snatched it out from under me (otherwise you’d be reading this at hookedonhouses.com).

I didn’t have a blog button for the first two years, something readers were always asking for but I didn’t know how to make (and my early attempts were pretty amateurish). After switching to a self-hosted version of WordPress, I went for six months with a basic black and white template until I finally hired a designer.

Boy, did I have a lot to learn. To say I was clueless in the beginning would be an understatement. Problogger could have used me as an example of how not to do things. But I kept going. And I’m still here, against the odds.

In blogging, 4 years feels like a lifetime. I’ve seen so many things change. So many other blogs come and go.To put things in perspective, when I started out, linky parties were a new concept. Giveaways on blogs were rare and exciting things. None of the blogs I read had ads on them, and no one talked about “monetizing” (now that’s the number-one question I get from new bloggers).

Twitter may have been around, but no one I knew was on it yet. And people were always passing out “blog awards” (Does anyone still do that? Maybe I just don’t get them any more!).

Early on, when I was excited just to get 100 visitors a day, I visited a blog that had been around for 5 years. Her stats counter showed 1 million, and I was in awe. I set a goal for myself to reach a million with my blog someday, too.

I never would have guessed that by my 3rd year, I’d be getting more hits than that every month. As of today, it’s gotten over 27 million of them since I started in 2008. Wow.

So take it from me–you don’t have to do everything perfectly. Just do your best. Learn as you go. Accept that you’ll probably make some stupid mistakes along the way. The important thing is to take steps in the direction of your dream anyway. Start working on it even when you don’t have all the answers.

I get lots of emails from new and would-be bloggers asking me to tell them my secret for making money at this. I was never strategic about any of it. I just started writing and got very lucky that people showed up to read my posts. After the first year, I put some ads in the sidebar to pay for what had become a full-time blogging habit. Thanks to them, I was able to quit my day job in 2010.

Best. Job. Ever. Big thanks to all of my readers for making it possible, and for sticking with me as I fumble along, trying to figure this all out. I still have so much to learn. One thing I know for sure–without you, I wouldn’t still be here 4 years and 2,000 posts later! -Julia

P.S. To read more of my blogging story: “How House Lust Got Me Here.”

Gotta say I was kind of disappointed to see the new house Jennifer Aniston just bought in Bel Air, California. It’s a little “chilly” for me, and if I had $21 million to spend, this is probably not what I’d spend it on.

However, if you like contemporary design as much as she apparently does, you might love this 8,500 square-foot house, which was designed in 1965 by A. Quincy Jones. Take a look!

The house originally went on the market for $29 million in 2008.

There are lots of great floor-to-ceiling windows:

A long covered balcony off the second floor:

According to Yahoo! Real Estate, the house comes with “more than three acres of land, views of the city and ocean, a pool, a guesthouse, a wine cellar, and—last but certainly not least—a vineyard. Let’s not forget to look inside: those distinctly midcentury-feeling interiors boasts gleaming wood floors, full-wall expanses of glass, and some pretty stunning fireplace detail.”

Jen seems to love real estate. Last May it was reported that she bought 2 apartments in NYC.

TMZ has all the photos if you want to see more. A gossip blog suggested that Jennifer bought this house so she and her boyfriend Justin Theroux could start a family here. It doesn’t really scream “family home” to me, though.

I preferred the more modest house she was renting in the Hollywood Hills:

It looked so much cozier to me. (You can see the rest of that house here.) But maybe she has plans to revamp this new place the way she did her former Beverly Hills home known as Ohana:

Here’s hoping she lets a magazine like Architectural Digest show us around after she gets settled in. I’d love to see what she does with the place, wouldn’t you? (Thanks to Kim for help with this one!)

Click here to see the Top 10 Celebrity Houses on my blog right now!