If Brad and Angelina Split, Who Gets the House in New Orleans?

If you're sick of the Tiger Woods story, there's another story brewing . . . about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  Somebody just wrote a book about them, suggesting they may be headed to splitsville.  We certainly hope it's not true.  We've always liked this couple, particularly Brad's efforts to help rebuild New Orleans, Angelina's humanitarian work, and their combined charitable donations.

Remember that Domestic Bliss spread (top photo) they did for W magazine?  Or how they tried to kill each other in the Mr. and Mrs. Smith movie?  Was that art foreshadowing life?

Oh well!  They won't be the first Hollywood couple to split up.  But wait a minute!  Brad and Angelina don't live in Hollywood!  They live in New Orleans!  Specifically, they live in this historic mansion located in the French Quarter:

The front entrance (above) is deceptively low key.  But the rear courtyard below, typical of grand New Orleans homes, reveals the true charm . . .

 . . .  and size of this home, which includes a separate guesthouse in the back:

And the interior of this home is as charming as the exterior.  These photos are a couple of years old and show what the home looked like just before Brad and Angelina purchased it in 2007.

As expected, the rooms look a little choppy and narrow.  Like this master bedroom:

But we love the tall ceilings, chandelier, and fireplace above.  Likewise for the dining room below.  Did you notice the transom windows over the doorways?

We're sure the decor has changed substantially.  But the kitchen below looks like it was previously renovated:

We really like this kitchen and hope Brad and Angelina didn't change it! 

Come to think of it, we wonder what they did to make it and the rest of the home suitable for their six children! 

Tell us, do you think this looks like a good home in which to raise children?

Meg Ryan's Bel Air Home Back on the Market: Is it too Cold?

Thanks to two of our favorite sources, Luxist and the L.A. Times, we know that movie actress Meg Ryan has placed her Bel Air back on the market.  According to the Times, she purchased the Spanish-style 6BR/7BA home in 2000 for a little under $9M.  The home was built in 1931 and has been beautifully restored.  It also has four fireplaces, a guest house, and a swimming pool, and comes with city and ocean views. 

Meg put it on the market last October for $19.5M and withdrew it in February, after apparently getting no takers.  Now she's asking $14.2M.  Who knows if the home is priced right this time? 

We're more interested in the debate on Luxist as to whether this home lacks warmth.  At least one realtor said she'd been inside the home and found it cold. 

In our opinion, her home and the furnishings inside are gorgeous, as shown above and below--even if its hard to figure out the functionality of these rooms.

Though we're not sure if the room below is a bedroom with a floating bed next to the fireplace or two sofas facing each other, we love this room! 

And we think this kitchen is absolutely PERFECT:

Granted, aside from the photos in the kitchen, the home looks like it isn't currently being lived in.  No flowers, no anything to suggest activity or personality.  But don't realtors advise their clients to strip away their personal items so prospective buyers can envision themselves there? 

We think the room that everyone thinks needs improvement is this one:

If it's the main living room, it does look a bit awkward.  Our guess is that it's nothing an interior designer couldn't rework.

Moreover, we think the rest of the interior along with outdoor spaces (below) overcome our minor quibble with the living room:

We love this house!   It's our Celebrity Home of the Week!

Good luck with the sale Meg!

Christina Ricci's L.A. Home Up for Sale, Celebrity Home of the Week

What a beauty this one is!  We're not talking about the celebrity.  Yes, Christina Ricci -- the brilliant star of several indie movies who first got out attention playing Wendy in the Addams Family movies -- is certainly beautiful in her own way.  But her home is gorgeous!  And it's for sale!

It's a 2,428 sq. ft. mediterranean home on a sought-after street in The Oaks/Hollywood Hills.  It has three bedrooms, three baths, and a pool (shown in both photos below).  She's asking $1,549,000. 

Lots of our favorite sources, like Trulia, Zillow Blog, and Real Estalker, have done stories this week about this house.  So we thought about just skipping it.

But we like it so much, we decided it would be our Celebrity Home of the Week.

Like its owner, this home has quirky charms like white-washed exposed beams on the vaulted ceilings, randomly-placed stairways, and this open-yet-cozy living room (above and in top photo) with built-in bookshelves.

The dining room and kitchen above are also fab!

Even the master bedroom, which opens to the patio and pool, is charming!  Likewise for the smaller guest bedrooms:

You'll notice that this house isn't all that big and has a fairly neutral color-scheme.  Yet it has loads of style architecturally and interior design-wise.  Take note Whoopi Goldberg, THIS is how you do shabby chic!

Congratulations Christina!  You have the Celebrity Home of the Week!

See the listing with all photos here.

Caio!

EXCLUSIVE HOUSE PHOTOS! Sarah Michelle Gellar/Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Home

Congratulations to beautiful actress Sarah Michelle (Gellar) Prinze and her handsome husband Freddie Prinze Jr. on their new baby girl!  Little Charlotte Grace Prinze arrived on Saturday, September 19th.  According to People, her parents are "over the moon."

We've obtained EXCLUSIVE photos of their home!

Looks like precious little Charlotte will have plenty of room to grow in her parents' luxury Bel Air home (above).  According to property records, the home is nearly 7,000 sq. ft. with 7 bedrooms and 7 baths.  Hmmm, 7-7-7!  Wonder if they spend a lot of time in Vegas?

The foyer below is unremarkable--even if we visually delete the previous owners' ugly decor.  (These photos were taken just before the Prinzes moved in.)  What's with the fake flowers over that hideous cabinet anyway?   The mirrored-wall behind it only makes matters worse!

We like the wood-paneled study (below) though, which we assume has been redecorated to lighten it up and remove all that dull 1980's plaid:

Freddie (or Sarah!) will need a place to escape during those sleepless nights with the baby.  And the study surely looks cozy enough.

While we don't have photos of Charlotte's nursery, we do know that Sarah Michelle purchased most of the furnishing for it from Argington, a children's furniture shop.  Here's the stylish crib she selected:

Judging from the crib and some of the other pieces we found on the store's website, we think Charlotte will have a very chic nursery--one fit for a California princess!

We're thrilled for the family and wish them the best!

Top photo by Claire Greenway/Getty Images.

Crib photo by Argington.

John Krasinski Says 'Away We Go' -- He's Selling His West Hollywood Home

John Krasinski -- that cute guy from The Office and the recent flick Away We Go (who isn't even all that cute, but that's what makes him so cute!) -- is moving on. He's asking $1,245,000 for his little english country-style 3BR/3BA house in West Hollywood.

We're guessing he needs a bigger place since he just got engaged to actress Emily Blunt of The Devil Wears Prada fame. This one's pretty small at less than 1,300sf.

It's also possibly a little overpriced to be located right across the street from an apartment complex. But at least it sits behind a tall hedge, giving it that feeling of seclusion.

Unfortunately, the house has been stripped bare of all personality in preparation for sale. Krasinski actually could have benefitted from a home stager to give the house some warmth. Notice how there isn't a single tchotchke on any table surface below?
And although the kitchen and bathroom are perfectly adequate, both look like standard Home Depot specials from earlier in the decade:
Nevertheless, the home has its small charms like the built-in china buffet in the dining room:

But, again, how about putting something on that dining table and buffet, like some freakin' china?!!!

Oh well, we get the feeling John was more of a chinese food take-out kind of guy anyway. And he's so cute (did we say that already?), we'd buy his house if we could!

If you want to see more of his home, here's the listing. We wish him luck!

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze Dies of Cancer at 57

Popular movie actor Patrick Swayze, who rose to fame for both his acting and dancing abilities in the 1987 movie classic Dirty Dancing, died after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

In the words of Jennifer Grey, his costar in that film: "Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace." We agree.

Patrick went on to star in numerous other films, most notably Ghost with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. He also recently starred in the well-received A&E TV drama The Beast.

Patrick spent his later years living with his wife of 34 years, actress Lisa Niemi (shown with him above), on ranches in both California and New Mexico, where they raised Arabian horses. The California ranch is below.

Our condolences go out to Lisa and their entire family.

R.I.P.

Alec Baldwin's NYC Coop Up For Sale

Alec Baldwin -- star of NBC's 30 Rock and dozens of feature films -- has placed his coop in the El Dorado building on Central Park West up for sale. He's asking $7.5 million for this 3BR/4.5BA gem, which boasts an eat-in kitchen and maid's quarters.



Notably, his home doesn't appear to be "staged" with generic furniture. Instead, it looks like his furniture pieces were acquired over time and reflect his own sensibilities of comfort and style.

Ben Stiller's Mediterranean House Up For Sale

Funny film star Ben Stiller has placed his Spanish mediterranean style Hollywood Hills home on the market for $12.5M. He shares this home with his wife, actress Christine Taylor (above) -- who co-starred with him in Dodgeball, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder -- and their two kids.

Although the listing provides few glimpses of the home's interior, we dug up some interior shots on our own. It just so happens that their home was featured in the book, So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces by Margaret Russell, editor in chief of Elle Decor magazine.

Check out the study above and the living room below:

We must admit we never particularly cared for the interior design of this home. We always thought it was a little too dark. Looks like they were trying for some sort of moorish/moroccan feel, which contributed to the overall darkness.

Nevertheless, we bet it's a very relaxing environment. There are lots of outdoor spaces like this to unwind:

If you want to see more photos of the outside, definitely check out the listing. The grounds are especially lush!