For Sale: TV Executive Producer Jason Winer's Hollywood Loft

As seen in our post on Sigrid Olsen, you can have a fabulous lifestyle without living in a mansion.  Take this home, which belongs to Jason Winer, executive producer of ABC's hilarious new TV show Modern Family (starring our favorite Married With Children Alum, Ed O'Neill a/k/a Al Bundy).  It's a charming little 2BR loft that looks large, but really isn't.  And it's for sale!

The 3-story condo/townhouse/loft is part of an 8-unit property built by Paramount in the 1920's as a bungalow for their writers.  So you have a chance to own a little slice of Hollywood history.  The asking price is $599,000.

Now, some of the rooms are a little tiny--like the kitchen and dining room above, and the bedroom below:

But that's part of the charm!  The creative types always seem to find their genius in small spaces like this.  Remember, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone's bungalow in Berkeley?

Plus, the 18ft ceilings in the living room and the airy loft upstairs offer breathing room and make up for the lack of space in other rooms.  We love it!

All photos from Sotheby's International Realty.  For more information and to see more photos, check out the listing here.

Winning Bidder Pays $35,000 to Tour Bill Gates' House

Todd Bishop, a blogger for Seattle-based TechFlash.com, recently reported that Bill Gates donated a tour of his Lake Washington home once again this year for a charity event.  He's talking about this techie-lover's dream home, we featured a while back. 

Anyway, last year, the winning bid was $8,600.  This year, it came in at a whopping $35,000!   Either the economy is really bouncing back, or somebody has waaayyy too much money on their hands.  Hey, may we tag along?

A big thanks to Zillow Blog for spotting this news item.

King of the Hill: Bill Gates Tops Forbes' Rich List

Forbes just came out with its list of the Richest People in America and we can't believe that WE didn't make the final cut!

As more proof that the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor, Microsoft founder Bill Gates tops the list for the 16th year in a row.  Current worth:  $50 Billion, give or take a few.  Does anyone remember the days when $50 Million was a lot of money?  Guess that's chump change now.

So, how's he livin'?  VERY LARGE!

Yes, his home consists of ALL that you see in the above photo.  You're looking at a 50,000 square foot home with an additional 16,000 square feet of outbuildings and garage space. 

This earth-sheltered mansion sits on the side of a hill in Medina, Washington, with a lakefront view.  It's a technological state-of-the-art fortress residence designed to look like a Pacific Northwest Lodge.  Visitors are given a microchip when they enter the home that records their preferences and alters the home's climate (temperature, sound, and other conditions) to match their preferences as they move through the home.

That's all fine and dandy.  We still don't care for the lodge-like SIZE and SPRAWL of this house -- it's too big to feel homey.  But we do like certain elements of the pacific northwest lodge STYLE as shown in the top photo and this one below:

 

The emphasis is clearly on the views of the lake, which must be spectacular!

The interior is consistent with the outside.  No surprises here.  It has a Frank Lloyd Wright feel, with lots of wood plank, stone, and other natural materials:

There's also an indoor pool, with an architectural ceiling and an underwater sound system (sorry we couldn't find a clearer photo):

All in all, we suppose we like Gates' home and respect it for what it is:  a geek's version of a nature lover's paradise.  Still don't know if we'd want to live there.

The Beckhams Consider a Home in Chelsea

In news from across the pond: The London Evening Standard is reporting that David and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham might purchase digs (shown below) in Chelsea in west London.

The home consists of two combined low-rise artist studios, with five bedrooms and a private terrace. The asking price is 10 million pounds (about $17 million U.S.).

Folks, this is the same house previously rented by record producer Damon Dash. We recall seeing an MTV Cribs episode featuring this place. Still trying to locate it to post it here. Anyway, wonder what ever happened to Damon . . . .

Merci Luxuo!

Price Reduction on Donald Trump's Park Avenue Hi Rise Condo

Donald Trump, author of the Art of the Deal and television star of NBC's The Apprentice, should star in another TV Show: Let's Make a Deal. Trulia reported last week that the asking price on The Donald's Park Avenue condo on the Upper East Side of New York has been lowered from $51M to $31M. How could he have been off base by 20 million dollars?!!!


Here's the floorplan:

The listing says it's "priced very well for immediate sale." Let's hope he got it right this time!

Photos: Prudential Douglas Elliman

The Obamas Will Vacay in the Vineyard

Everybody sing a little Cole Porter now: Kennedys do it. Clintons do it. Even the Farrelly brothers do it. Let's do it. Let's fall in love . . . with Martha's Vineyard!



President Barack Obama and his family are headed there next month to spend a few weeks chillin'. Gotta admit he deserves a break. After all, he IS the hardest workin' man in presidency.



They're staying at Blue Heron Farm, a 30-acre Chilmark property overlooking Tiah's Cove currently owned by William and Mollie Van Devender (John McCain supporters, fyi). It is the same property formerly owned by the late couple Anthony Fisher and his wife.



Okay, so the Vineyard is not a very original vacation destination, since it's the stomping ground of former presidents, most notably John F. Kennedy. It's still beautiful.

But we're starting to wonder whether, much like the Clintons, the Obamas just want to BE the Kennedys.

Film Producer's Paradise: Eco-Friendly Retreat in Bali

The East Bali vacation home of american film producer/director Rob Cohen is featured in the August 2009 issue of Architectural Digest. Cohen, who brought us movies like xXx: State of the Union and The Fast and the Furious, acquired the property while on holiday with his wife and decided to build an environmentally friendly retreat there.

The home consists of several elevated pavilions -- including a living/dining pavilion and two guesthouses -- built almost entirely from recycled woods and bamboo.

Pictured below is the master bedroom pavillion, which has a view of the Indian Ocean as well as the sacred volcano Mount Agung and Seraya mountain range.

Well, we always thought only people in the movies live like this. Turns out that it's actually people who make movies that get to live like this. Can't blame them, though. This is truly paradise.

FYI, this is a great issue of AD, so be sure to pick up a copy. For more information and photos, check out AD's article here. Photography by Tim Street-Porter.

Twitter Co-Founder's Berkeley Digs Up for Sale

Last week, Twitter co-founder and creative director Biz Stone tweeted that he's selling his home in Berkeley, California. For all you architectural buffs, it's a 2-BR, 800sf midcentury cottage built by California architect William Wurster, who used it as his own personal studio.

The house is totally cool and totally minimalist. Judging by these photos, Stone's views interior design the same way: Less is more. Probably keeps his mind clear to come up with more creative ventures!

Okay, so he could have upgraded the bed linens and hopefully the wall art at least has meaning. Or, maybe he's moved out and this is all generic staging furniture.

Whatever! We really DIG those floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and upper level bedroom. And the redwood-paneled ceiling in the lower level bedroom is simply divine!

Probably a steal at the $575,000 asking price!
Photos: Urban Bay Properties

Grand Style for the Granddaughter of Cosmetics Giant Estee Lauder

For its July/August 2009 issue, Elle Decor magazine visits with Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, senior VP and creative director for Estee Lauder. She not only graces the cover (OMG those chairs are fabulous!), but she gives us a 2-for-1. Readers get a peek inside her Manhattan apartment as well as the East Hampton, NY, weekend country home she inherited from her famous grandmother.

First up, her Manhattan digs. Okay, so she was stuck with that ugly 18th century tapestry for the entry hall below. It's so busy you can barely even make out the flowers on the table! It's probably an heirloom worth a fortune, though. Fortunately, that's about the only we didn't like.

This place is FABULOUS! Take a look:




As for the weekend digs: it's a Greek revival home in East Hampton retaining many of the original interior design features (grandma Estee used famed designer Mark Hampton). It has that classic, and allegedly timeless, style. Yawn.

But we really love the fresh updates to the kitchen and kids' bedrooms. And that library is so chic! Not bad for a weekend place. Not bad at all.


Photos: Simon Upton

It's still early yet, but these digs are already in the running for our Celebrity Home of the Week (CHOW). Be sure to check out the full article and tour as well as Aerin's style tips on Elle Decor's website.

Let's Dish the Dirt on Celebrity Homes!

ALL celebrities, some rich and some not-so-much, HAVE to live somewhere . . . .

Some celebrities live in beautiful homes . . . .

And some . . . well . . . not-so-much!

Here at CELEBRITY DIGS HQ you'll get the latest scoop on celebrity homes found in shelter mags and pulled from other news sources.

Naturally, we'll tell you which celebrity homes we really DIG! And we'll even take a few "digs" at celebrity homes we really hate!

Can't wait to dish with you!

--Celebrity Digger (C.D.)