Judd Apatow Gets His Beach On

BUYER: Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
LOCATION: Malibu, CA
PRICE: $10,950,000
SIZE: 2,550 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama first heard this latest bit of property gossip about wildly prolific writer/producer Judd Apatow from Yolanda Yakketyak but we see now we've done been beat to the celebrity real estate punch by the long-legged gal at Trulia Luxe Living (and subsequently the tireless kids at Curbed). None the less we're gonna get on this horse and ride anyways, just like we planned.

Mister Apatow, in case y'all live in a hole, is hardly a neophyte Tinseltowner having executive produced The Ben Stiller Show in the early 1990s. He went on produce The Larry Sanders Show, the short-lived but beloved Freaks and Geeks, a handful of money minting comedies with Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and/or Seth Rogan (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express to name a few). More recently he produced the screamingly funny Bridesmaids and he currently executive produces Lena Dunham's naughty, mildly existential and highly controversial tee-vee program Girls. He and his actress missus Leslie Mann—who appears primarily in Judd Apatow produced projects—are, to put it mildly, rolling in professional and financial clover.

Not only do Mister Apatow and Missus Mann own a swanky spread in Brentwood they quietly bought off market in mid-2009 for a very A-List $18,250,000, last June they dropped $8.6 million for a vacant one acre residential flag lot on the bluff overlooking the ritzy Riviera Country Club in Santa Monica and last month they shelled out another $10,825,000 for a beach front house in the exclusive, guard-gated Colony community in Malibu.

Mister Apatow's increasingly baller-style real estate ways must really chap the ego of writer/producer Mark Brazill who once had a fierce feud with Mister Apatow. In a serious of emails Mister Brazill accused Mister Apatow of plagiarism and actually wished cancer upon Mister Apatow. Cancer! Who does that? Seriously. Anyhoo, Mister Apatow seems to be laughing the last laugh since Mister Brazill hasn't had much showbiz success since That '70s Show was canceled in 2006. As it turns out, Mister Brazill recently put his own house in Los Feliz, the one formerly owned by Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani, on the open 1market with an asking price of $5,195,000.

A careful parse of listing information from the time of the sale shows Mister and Missus Apatow-Mann's newly acquired beach house in the Bu is an East Coast-y 1930s cottage with three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 2,550 square feet, plus an additional bedroom and bathroom atop the detached two car garage.

A tiny but inviting tree-shaded flagstone courtyard leads from the entry gate to the front door that somewhat awkwardly opens directly into a roomy and completely renovated center island kitchen/family room combination space. The kitchen is equipped with a mahogany topped center work island, a pixilated tile back splash that reaches all the way to the ceiling around the glass-fronted upper cabinets and—natch—the customary complement of high-grade stainless steel appliances Your Mama and every other property watcher associates with beach houses that cost nearly $11 million.

The open concept main living/dining area has white floors (of unknown material), a bookcase flacked white brick fireplace in the dining area, a second, much more massive white brick fireplace in the living area that also has an extra-wide picture window with sea and sky views. An adjoining sun porch with wrap around windows and wood-framed glass doors has a party-sized built in sofa banquette that Your Mama thinks looks goddamn for foggy afternoons fueled with gin, tonic and a pound of penny candy.

Upstairs according to a listing Your Mama managed to scare up on the internets shows the there are two bedrooms with private bathrooms on the main house's upper floor as well as a master suite that spans the full width of the house with fireplace and full wall of glass that connects the room to an L-shaped seaside terrace. A spiral stairs links the upper level terrace to the lower level outdoor living areas that include a sunken dining area and an elevated sunbathing deck with direct ocean access and view.

A quick perusal of property records reveal the seller was the estate the late, four-time Emmy nominated film and television producer Laura Ziskin who may not be a household name or tabloid staple like that April Fools faux-pregnant Lindsay Lohan whose fame has become sad and puzzling but shepherded a few handfuls of money making movies like The Eyes of Laura Mars, Pretty Woman, Spider-Man 1,2 and 3 plus The Amazing Spider-Man. She was also the first woman to produce the (74th and 79th) Academy Awards extravaganzas. Presumably Miz Ziskin shared the beach house with her man-beau and husband, two time Oscar winning screenwriter Alvin Sargent (Julia, Ordinary People, Spider-Man 1,2 and 3 plus The Amazing Spider-Man).

listing photos: Hilton & Hyland

Celebrity Real Estate: No April Fools Joke, Kevin James Lists Second Encino Home

[Update October 9, 2013]: This home was purchased by actress Donna Scott which was discussed briefly here. 

[Update June 5, 2013]: This home sold for $5,550,000 on May 8, 2013 which was $5k above original asking price and translated into a $2,350,000 profit from the original purchase price of $3.2 million on August 14, 2003. James also sold his other Encino home for $1,660,600 on March 29, 2013.

[Original Post]:

Images courtesy Partners Trust Beverly Hills

Image courtesy Google Maps

The newest celebrity home to hit the MLS is an Encino home owned by funnyman Kevin James (real name is Kevin George Knipfing). Surprisingly or not, Kevin James just sold his first Encino home (shown below and discussed here) on March 29, 2013 for $1,660,000 which netted a profit of $210,600 above his original purchase price back on August 8, 2002.

First Encino Home. Above image courtesy Partners Trust Beverly Hills

Kevin James is best known for playing "Doug Heffernan" on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens which originally started on Everybody Loves Raymond. James is also known for playing roles in comedy films such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, Zookeeper, Hitch, and Here Comes the Boom. James is currently working on Little Boy, Grown Ups 2, and Valet Guys scheduled to be released in 2013. 

The home measures 5 Beds/9 Baths on 11,291 sqft on a total lot size of 2 acres built in 2003 which is currently listed for sale at $5,495,000 on April 1, 2013. 

A true, resort quality, custom estate set privately behind gates, on a cul-de-sac street south of the Blvd. This impressive retreat welcomes guests w/ a comfortable scale, open floor plan and the finest amenities - which include a state-of-the-art home theater, Crestron Home Automation, a massive gym, luxurious spa and gourmet chef's dream kitchen. The master suite is a sumptuous sanctuary offering a sitting area w/ fireplace, his and hers baths, and a dressing room equally befitting a posh boutique on Rodeo Dr. Experience quintessential California living, w/ walls of glass doors opening to the large, lush lot, complete w/ entertaining areas for all occasions. Expansive views of the valley & mountains beyond act as an exquisite backdrop to the magnificent pool & spa. Come, escape to paradise.

Kevin James first acquired this property back on August 14, 2003 for $3.2 million as a new home barely one year after acquiring his first Encino home. If James sells at today's asking price, he stands to profit an amazing $2,295,000 before taxes, commissions, carrying cost, and any other home upkeep expenses. 

With Kevin James having already off-loaded one Encino home and now selling the second and possibly last CA property, it seems like he is permanently moving to Florida (assuming he has no other property elsewhere). James just acquired a Delray Beach, Florida mansion back in August 2012. The Florida home was purchased for $18,500,000 which measures 26,509 sqft with 8 Beds and 9 full and 3 half bathrooms. This home was discussed in greater detail at the Realestalker.

James  faces some serious competition at the high end as the Encino market has been hit lately with high priced celebrity as well as non-celebrity homes which are currently available:

1. The late Warren Cowan, who was a publicist to the stars, just sold for $2 million on March 2013.
2. Shirley Jones of the Partridge Family is currently available for $2.1 million.
3. The late Fred Travalena's long time Encino home currently listed at $1,425,000. 
4. David Hasselhoff's long time Encino Mansion currently priced at $3,795,000.
5. Joe Simpson's Royal Oaks Mansion which is currently listed for $4,395,000
6. The former Al Jolson Estate which was owned by Charlie Sheen at one time is listed for $6.5 million. 
7. The former home of Selena Gomez just sold for $3.5 million in December 2012.
8. Heidi Saban Stills (father is billionaire Haim Saban) home just sold for $2.4 million in February 2013.
9. The former Macy Gray home is available for $5.9 million.
10. The former Joey Lawrence home just sold for $1.875 million in February 2013.

There are many celebrities who previously or currently call Encino home like Tori Spelling (former), Scott Baio (former), the Jackson Family compound, Leighton Meester, Annette Funicello's fire destroyed home, Brian Bloom, Tamar Braxton and Vincent Herbert (former), Vampire Diaries Director (former), Jennifer Morrison (former), Dave Grohl, Donald Penn, and Shirley MacLaine (former) to name a few (or several).

You can view more Celebrity Real Estate here.

Your Mama Hears...

...from a well-connected source—let's call her Helen A. Hightower—that innovative superstar fashion photographer Steven Meisel is surreptitiously shopping his done, done and all did up but good mid-century modern abode in Beverly Hills (CA) with a $15,000,000 price tag.

Supremely sited in on just over 1.5 acres in the upper reaches of the ever so dernier cri Trousdale Estates area of Bev Hills, the zig-zagging, single story city view sprawler was snapped up by Mister Meisel for $2,750,000 in the fall of 2001, before the neighborhood's most recent phoenix-like resurgence as a brutally expensive hot bed of West Coast real estate über-desirability.

Once the haute epicenter of 1950s and 60s upscale modern architectural extravagance in Los Angeles, the hoity toity 'hood was once home to a slew of business world magnates, political potentates and Tinseltown luminaries such as Groucho Marx, Frank Sinatra, Richard Nixon, (aviation bigwig) Bob Six, Nancy Sinatra and Tinseltown deal maker extraordinaire Irving "Swifty" Lazar, to name just five. Prices never really fell to a level that a middle class person would ever call cheap but by the turn of this century the hillside neighborhood at the eastern border of Beverly Hills had fallen out of real estate favor with well heeled Angelenos who came to prefer much larger, more sterile and obsessively uniform mock-Med and faux Tuscan mansions farther to the west in Bev Hills, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades and etc.

Some might say Mister Meisel single handedly put Trousdale Estates back on the map. Not because His Photographic Highness bought a house in the nabe but because he prominently featured an art-filled 1960s Trousdale Estates time capsule* for the gloriously haughty and instantly iconic advertising images for Versace's fall/winter 2000 campaign called Four Days in L.A. starring Amber Valletta and Georgina Grenville. Remember those photos, puppies? That was some out and out Fashion World history, for sure.

Anyhoo, the L.A. County Tax Man's records show Mister Meisels house, glassy and perched on a ridge line with panoramic views over the city, has three bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,524 square feet but those figures are not likely an accurate reflection of the supah-suave residence's current size and configuration.**

Mister Meisel's house was featured in the October 2012 issue of Architectural Digest with lush photographs by Roger Davies and text by the always snappy Mayer Rus. The article reveals that the house was originally designed and built in 1963 by little lauded architect George MacLean for an unnamed race car driver and his model wife. Mister MacLean, in case any of y'all might care, also designed a low-slung home above Benedict Canyon on Beverly Estate Drive (in Bev Hills Post Office) that was owned for a brief spell in the mid-1950s by a young Elizabeth Taylor and her second husband, English actor Michael Wilding.

At the time Mister Meisel bought his spectacularly sited house in Trousdale Estates it was blessedly untouched but much in need of a re-fresh. He engaged the pricey and revered services of the Ron Radziner of the firm Marmol & Radziner who completely rebuilt and sensitively added 2,300 square feet to the existing city view mid-century modern residence then selected celebrated and much published decorator Brad Dunning to chic up the day-core but "maintain the integrity" and "ambiance" of the residence's original 1960s swagginess.

Although the day-core speaks the language of the sixties—the mica wall in the living room, for example—this is very much a 21st century residence with all the expected luxuries, conveniences and accoutrement. The children will take particular note of Mister Meisel's unusually spacious and positively unorthodox "hybrid home office/master bath" finished with walnut, heavily veined green onyx and—here's the peculiar part—includes a sitting area/office where Mister Meisel can make calls and check emails between showering, flossing and toenail clipping.

In case any of the children aren't feeling so bullish about Trousdale Estates and are concerned Mister Meisel's (alleged) asking price of (around) $15 million might be a tetch too high Your Mama suggests y'all keep in mind that in August 2012 mid-priced ladies' shoe and handbag magnate turned prolific property investor Bruce Makowsky dropped $12,650,000 on an almost 7,000 square foot house on a shy acre*** that he's already ripped down to make way for something larger, slicker and presumably much more expensive.

In December (2012) former movie producer turned high end property developer Nile Niami—arguably L.A.'s sleeker and slightly less decadently minded version of London's (in)famously recherché Candy brothers—coughed up $9,800,000 for Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne's long time residence that he plans to raze or—at least—extensively remodel and, no doubt, flip back on the market with an astronomical price.

The fabled—and, let's be honest, decoratively dated—former home of Elvis and Priscilla Presley was also sold last December for $9,800,000 to hotelier and restaurateur Peter Morton. Your Mama heard though the real estate gossip grapevine that Mister Morton, much to the chagrin and outcry of mid-century architecture buffs and Elvis fan(atics) around the globe, wanted to raze or at least substantially alter and renovate the existing home. A later report by the ever-intrepid kids at Curbed suggests that may not, in fact, be possible due to a newly approved Beverly Hills ordinance that protects the work of "Master Architects" like Rex Lotery who designed the 5,400 square foot single story dwelling in 1958.

In New York City Mister Meisel owns a couple of adjoining condominiums that comprise about 4,000 square feet and the entire floor of a very grand, limestone clad 1911 Neo-classical palazzo with white glove services on lower Park Avenue. A similarly sized and fully refurbished full-floor spread on a lower floor of the same building is currently listed with an asking price of $20,500,000—and nearly ten grand a month in taxes and common charges, which should give the children some idea of what Mister Meisel's combo condo might be worth.

Your Mama's caveat: Mister Meisel's house in not currently listed on the open market and until such time—or one of the more respectable celebrity real estate gossip outlets report it, probably with attribution—his is all just some celebrity real estate rumor and gossip. Got it?

*The house used for the Versace campaign was owned at the time by Charles Skouras Jr.and wife Diane who sold it in 2002 to hotelier Brad Korzen and decorating dervish Kelly Wearstler. They, in turn, sold it in spring 2006 to former CIA analyst turned Emmy winning film and television producer Bob Cort (Jumanji, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Runaway Bride) and his top-tier literary talent agent turned media executive wife Rosalie Swedlin who sold it last year for $17,400,000 to frequent house hoppers Ellen Degeneres and wife Portia de Rossi after they sold their multi-residence Beverly Hills compound for $37 million to  to squeaky clean (and newly single) Tinseltown tycoon Ryan Seacrest. 
**An article in Architectural Digest (Oct. 2012) stated Mister Meisel "added 2,300 square feet to the existing 4,000-square-foot dwelling."
***A "shy acre" is real estate speak for a parcel of just less than a 43,560 square foot full acre.

photograph: Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Style Advice - Plated Wall * Dicas Em Estilo - Parede Empratada

Dear Blogfriends,
Today was a day of running like crazy in preparation for the new series of the TV Show comming in May. Shopping days are allways like this and I manage to shop on to seven stores in a day... oh well, do not be sorry for me because I like this decorator's stress and adrenaline. It's not all roses cause it can be very stressfull too sometimes when I cannot find what I want and have to do it on a tight budget. By the end of the day I find myself tired of making furniture puzzles in my head!  

That's why I couldn't come to the blog yesterday but I had this post prepared for some time. One of my blogfriends, asked me for ideas for a 'plated wall' and there I've been preparing this post for her. Hope it's usefull to you too.

***

Queridas Blogamig@s,

Hoje foi um dia de correria já nos preparativos dos projectos da nova série do Querido. Nestes dias de shopping para o programa, chego a correr 7 lojas num dia... É obra! Mas vá, não tenham pena de mim que eu gosto do stress e da adrenalina, e de andar a correr nas lojas a fazer 'bonecos na cabeça'. Nem sempre encontramos o que queremos, ou nos valores permitidos no programa e lá andamos nós a puxar pela criatividade e a fazer puzzles com móveis mentalmente!  

Foi por isso que não consegui vir ao blogue ontem mas tinha a ideia para fazer este post há algum tempo. Uma das minhas blogamigas, que também tem um blogue (ela sabe quem é), pediu-me ideias para 'como empratar a parede' e lá andei eu a preparar estas dicas. São as minhas. Espero que sejam úteis!

1 .

As much you would like to use all Grandma's dishes. 
From every single one of her china pieces, one of each kind. 
Not so much.
You might be better off with some consistency in color or pattern as the first image with the gold ones.You can choose 2 or 3 different colors, but not much more than that.

 *** 
 

Por muito que encontrem em casa da avó 30 pratos 'girissimos' todos diferentes,

e vos pareça um boa ideia, encher a parede com um de cada nação. Menos!

Controlem-se por favor!...

A ideia não é fazer tiro aos pratos, mas sim obter um resultado pensado, e até estilizado

com alguma coerência na côr ou no padrão, como os pratos dourados da primeira imagem.

Pode escolher 2 ou 3 tons diferentes, mas não muito mais do que isso.

 

2.
As much as you like to be creative and display them randomly all over the wall. 
Unless you you have a well-trained eye for, balance, shape and color.
So do not be so random and you are better off with a more or less balanced scheme 
as the ones in the images.
The best way is to do a test with  paper circles first, as shown in photo five.

*** 
 

Por mais que lhe apeteça fazer a coisa da forma mais aleatória possível,

mas não tem o olho bem treinado para questões como, equilíbrio, formas e cores. 

Então é melhor não ser assim tão aleatória e atirar os pratos para a parede, 

que depois logo se vê onde vão calhar. 

Então é melhor fazer um esquema, mais ou menos equilibrado como os da imagem.

A melhor forma, é fazer primeiro um teste com circulos feitos em papel, 
como ilustra a foto cinco.

3.

You can add other elements that are not just round plates and you can get a
 more dynamic setting. Use your criativity and you can go with old tiles, 
platters or small vintage objects.

***

Acrescente outros elementos que não sejam pratos, porque podem ajudar na dinâmica

do conjunto. Azulejos antigos, travessas, pequenos objectos decorativos de parede antigos...

Enfim dê largas à imaginação. 

4.

Last of my tips, notice what all the images have in common?

 ... Go back and try to figure it out...

...

...

...

Noticed?

All the walls are painted with a color shade because it help the 

vintage elements to have a contemporary approach and it makes such a great 

backdrop, doesn't it?

I love every single one of these. Even the black wall.

I hope these tips were usefull to you. Questions?

***

Por fim, e embora seja a última das minhas dicas neste assunto, reparem no que todas estas últimas imagens têm em comum... 

Voltem atrás e tentem perceber...

...

...

...

Repararam?

Todas as paredes estão pintadas com uma cor. 

O que faz com que o conjunto, se torne no elemento

vintage mas com uma abordagem contemporânea,

e dá muito mais destaque aos pratos em si.

Espero que tenham sido úteis as minhas dicas para 'empratar paredes'.

Ah! Só mais um detalhe, para quem não sabe. 

Para colocar os pratos na parede, existem uns arames em aranha 

com umas molazinhas agarradas,

 disponíveis na Leroy Merlin.

Espero ter ajudado.

Dúvidas?

Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes

(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Images via pinterest, houzz, living etc.

Expedit Bookshelf

I am in desperate need of a bookshelf or two as my selection of books for Our Little Place grows. 

But as I am starting a new business, I am on the search for something that is cost effective, practical 

to fill the need but also look good! 

I've been going back and forth with the infamous Ikea Expedit bookshelf. 

So I went on the search for some images that may help with the decision.

 

I think the above image is the decider  for me.

The whole office space is beautiful, clean lined, modern but still warm. 

I also really like how they have made the smaller units more substantial by

 layering them above each other - perfect!

 

 

 

 

Laying one down horizontally also looks great and will give me a space to place 

the larger format books that won't fit into the shelves.

 

 

What do you think?

all images via pinterest

Russell Simmons Decamps NYC for the Left Coast

BUYER: Russell Simmons
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $5,877,500
SIZE: 5,979 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Looks like music, apparel and interweb tycoon Russell Simmons has himself a phat new crib in Tinseltown. According to the ever so well informed real estate yenta Yolanda Yakketyak, Mister Simmons—along with a spiritual guide or yoga master or something*—recently moved into a 1930s era two story Spanish style casa just above the Sunset Strip that he picked up last month for $5,877,500.**

Listing details Your Mama dug up on the internets show the walled, gated and high-hedged residence has five bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms in 5,979 square feet of completely renovated interior space that includes at least three fireplaces (plus one more outside), loads of custom wrought iron work, scores of vintage light fixtures, scads of (inlaid) tile and stone flooring and a richly panelled 1,500 bottle wine cellar and tasting room hidden behind a secret door.

Listing photos from the time of the sale show the residence all done up in a mostly earth-toned and unspeakably generic day-core that screams of the handiwork of Staging Lady in a Pink Toyota. Howevuh, hunties, Your Mama fully expects the house will soon be filled to the brim with modern artwork and the sorts of carved wood and stone Buddhas and other religious iconography for which every real estate gossip in the world knows Mister Russell has a serious decorative thing (see listing photos for his perennially for sale triplex penthouse in Manhattan).

The front entry and circular stair hall lead to a formal living room with stone tile flooring, a stone-manteled fireplace, large windows with green, garden view and a (partially) coffered wood ceiling from which hang vintage light fixtures. The floors switch to dark hardwood in the formal dining room where an over sized arched window also has a verdant garden view.

The wood floors continue into the center island eat-in kitchen that's expensively equipped with two-toned slab marble counter tops and high grade commercial style stainless steel appliances but switch again to an inlaid stone tile in the airy adjoining family room that also has a vaulted ceiling with exposed wood beams, a second stone mantel fireplace and (at least) six sets of French doors that allow the room to spill effortlessly out to the various and private outdoor living areas.

There are, according to listing details, a total of four upstairs bedrooms. Three family/guest bedrooms have private attached bathrooms (and at least one has direct access to a covered balcony) and the roomy, wood floored master suite has another fireplace, vaulted ceilings with heavy duty exposed wood beams and trusses, a large walk-in closet, a "spa-like" bathroom and a private balcony.

In addition to the swimming pool and elevated spa, the lushly landscaped backyard also includes a vine-covered arbor that leads to a secluded outdoor lounge area with massive tile-accented outdoor stone fireplace.

A quick perusal of property record reveals that some of Mister Simmons's new neighbors in Lala Land include a handful of successful Showbizzers who include Emmy winning writer/producer Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City, Men in Trees, The Big C); movie producer Charles Roven (The Dark Knight, Man of Steel, Twelve Monkeys); film, television and stage writer/director Roger Kumble (Pretty Little Liars, Cruel Intentions, Pay or Play); and up-and-coming producer and Hollywood scion David Katzenberg (Beetlejuice 2, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Survivor).

Mister Simmons must really dig this neck of the (West) Hollywood Hills because not only is this not only the first time he's owned a house above the Sunset Strip it's not even the first time he's owned a house on the very same street on which his new house is located. He and his ex-Missus Kimora Lee Simmons briefly owned a 5,818 square foot Mediterranean mini-villa just 1/3 a mile farther up the street that online resources show they bought in August 2005 for $5,250,000 and sold in August 2007 for $5,655,000.

Although Mister Simmons publicly stated he planned to keep his 3.67 acre estate in the tony seaside enclave of East Hampton (NY) that he scooped up in late 2007 for $1,521,564, property records and previous reports suggest he quietly sold the 7 bedroom and 5.5 bathroom traditional—the site of his annual Art for Life fundraiser—in January of this year (2013) to an as yet unidentified buyer for its full $6,995,000 asking price. Maybe he decided to downsize in the Hamptons? Or, maybe upsize? Hello? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Bueller?

Mister Simmons continues to own a sprawling, quadruple exposure triplex penthouse in Manhattan's Financial District (FiDi) he's had on and off the market for more than a decade at prices ranging from eight to twelve million clams. At one point, so the stories go, Sean "Puff Whatever" showed some real estate interest in the deluxe apartment but never moved forward with a purchase. Current listing information shows the 7,175 square foot penthouse has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms (plus an additional staff bedroom and bathroom), 12 foot ceilings and a sweeping, vertigo-inducing sky-lit main staircase, two kitchens, three terraces on two floors that total 3,500 square feet of planted and fully furnished outdoor space, a meditation chamber, a small screening room and more Buddha statues and figurines than Your Mama has fingers and toes.

The children will recall the lavish living lefty liberal hip-hop honcho took a stomach-churning $3.5 million loss (not counting carrying costs, improvements and real estate fees) in February 2011 when he and his blingy model turned fashion designer ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, finally unloaded their ostentatiously opulent 35,000 (or so) square foot mega-mansion in the bucolically suburban community of Saddle River, NJ. The still convivial former couple first listed the palatial, Euro-style pile way back in 2007 with a wildly optimistic $23,888,000 price tag but, after four years on the market with ever decreasing  price tags finally agreed  to sell the lavish spread for $10,000,000 to an unknown corporate entity with an address that—for what it's worth in interest to anyone—links directly back to an multi-specialty ambulatory surgical facility in Clifton, NJ.

*Don't nobody bother to ask Your Mama how Yolanda knows Mister Simmons is shacked up—or. more likely, temporarily bunking with—with his yoga master or spiritual guide or whatever because we can't tell you.

**Mister Simmons's recent acquisition above the Sunset Strip isn't a complete surprise to celebrity and real estate gossips since he told the New York Post back in August (2012) that he planned to relocate to the West Coast in order to spend more time with his two daughters and get more involved with the film and television industry. The property was purchased, natch, through a somewhat cryptically named trust that features the initials of both his daughters—Ming Lee (ML) and Aoki Lee (AL)—and links back to a New York City address associated with Mister Simmons and his Phat Farm business.

listing photos: Coldwell Banker

Fredonia Apartment #9 by Ray Kappe in Studio City Sells

3625 Fredonia Drive #9

2 Beds/2 Baths on 1,347 sqft built in 1963 by renowned architect Ray Kappe in Studio City. This condo was listed on January 10, 2013 for $449,000 and later sold on March 4, 2013 for either $449,000 (MLS) or $453,000 (public records). 

Ray Kappe was born in 1927 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He 1972, he left the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona to start the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) with a group of faculty and students. He has designed many mid-century modern homes in the Southern California with a good number in the SFV area. You can view his complete list of accomplishments at favorite architecture site Triangle Modernist Houses and LA Curbed.

The listing description states:

Presenting an architectural treasure. This 1347 square foot mid-century modern was designed by world-renowned architect Ray Kappe in 1963. Flooded by natural light, the high glass front wall provides a breathtaking view of the Valley lights at night. A spacious living room, wet bar and remodeled bath occupy the main floor. Three steps up is a dining area that seats six and an oversized, recently remodeled galley kitchen. On the top level are a loft/bedroom, master bedroom, and remodeled bathroom. In addition to the very comfortable indoor living space, the unit offers two, inviting patios that feel as if they are nestled in a forest. All remodels feature top-of-the line appliances, fixtures, and materials, including copper re-piping throughout unit. Must see. Attractively priced at $449,000.

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here.

Images courtesy Rodeo Realty