Category Archives: Modern Style Houses

Jennifer Aniston Buys Modern Bel Air House

[one_fourth]Price: $22,000,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 8,500 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 4[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 6.5[/one_fourth_last]

Aniston’s role on Friends may the first thing people recall about her, but her smart real estate selections are now giving her a new legacy. Her latest purchase was an 8,500 square foot mansion designed by A. Quincy Jones and built in 1965. The mansion sits on a three-acre grassy knoll that offers not only a grand view of the downtown area, but also a great view of the ocean. In fact, the grounds are quite unique, containing a vineyard, koi pond, guest house, pool, covered kitchen area, several ponds and lots of walking paths through landscaping that can only be described as natural rather than planned—even though it probably took a lot of planning to get it to look that way.

While the mansion has a look that’s a combination between office building, Chinese Zen and Ultra-modern, Aniston got it at a steal for a mere $22 million. The original market price set last April was $29 million but dropped to $24.9 when the mansion didn’t move. While she only shaved $2.9 million off the present asking price, the final offer was a cool $7 million less than the original price, almost a 25 percent discount.

The interior looks as though someone spent plenty of time to make certain the feng shui was just right. Following the exterior design with the all white home accented by a building high red door, the interior contains the same theme.

The rooms are white, the floor is wood and there’s either a red dividing wall or prominent red accent piece in each room. Red is the Chinese color for luck and happiness and according to feng shui, indicates luxury and richness. However, it’s an energy color of arousal and passion, so you don’t want too much around the house, lest you get nothing accomplished except..well, you know. Too much also makes people burst out in anger and feel restless.

It will be interesting to see if Aniston changes this carefully created décor or leaves it just as it is. Either way, the mansion with its floor to ceiling windows, spacious open floor plan and dramatic view is another feather in her new real estate mogul hat.

More Photos of Jennifer Aniston’s Bel Air House

source: Realtor.com

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Scarlett Johansson & Ryan Reynolds List Former L.A. Love Nest

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[one_fourth]Price: $3,650,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 2,835 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 2[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 3[/one_fourth_last]

In August 2010, two years after they married in 2008, Scarlett Johansson (“The Horse Whisperer” and “He’s Just Not That into You”) and Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern” and “The Proposal”)purchased the home they would live in for the rest of their marriage, which lasted only a few more months more. The divorce was final June 2011 and the house is just now on the market.

While the couple only paid $2.9 million for the home, they’re now asking $3.65 million. There’s a good reason for that price hike. They did massive upgrades to make the home more eco-friendly. The addition of solar power, adding more security features, upgrading the kitchen and even securing plans to add a second story to this 2,835 square foot single-story post and beam style home.

The listing shows only two bedrooms and three baths, perhaps the reason for the second floor plans, which sits atop .44 acres with a view in all directions, allowing them to see both the beach and the downtown area of Los Angeles. It also has a 2-car attached garage, which is rather smallish for most stars’ abodes.

Inside you’ll find wood everywhere. The ceilings are wood, the floors are wood and there are wood posts and beams everywhere. It doesn’t take away from the attractiveness of the home, if you happen to like the distinct style. The kitchen has an open concept with a U-shaped wooden counter, which contains the gas cook top. The other appliances are chrome and built into the walls of the kitchen, giving it a sleek look.

The master bedroom has many people talking. It comes complete with a walled garden adjacent to it and a luxurious outdoor shower. One can only imagine the freedom of showing outdoors without worrying about anyone seeing you…except people in low flying airplanes and helicopters.

The house has its own name too. Locals call it the “Wong House.” It seems the Wong House was the “wong” purchase for Scarlett Johansson & Ryan Reynolds, but if they sell it for the asking price, it could make this home purchase far more palatable.

More Photos of Scarlett Johansson & Ryan Reynolds Former Love Nest

source: Keller Williams + Realtor.com

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Rose McGowan Buys Hollywood Hills Home

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[one_fourth]Price: $1,390,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 2,927 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 4[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 3[/one_fourth_last]

It was no wonder that Rose McGowan desperately tried to repurchase her 1928 Los Feliz Spanish-style house. It was phenomenal, had character, color, impeccable décor and even had an eye-catching lavender, black and white tile bathroom. She believed she had an allergy to something in the house, but once she sold it, found it was the down pillows she took to her new home. McGowan went through trials and tribulations that didn’t end with the allergies; she served a snack for the realtors her housekeeper had left with a note, “enjoy.” She decided these would be the perfect treat, until she found out much later after a strange call from her realtor; the brownies contained a special ingredient, marijuana.

Her new home in Los Angeles, described as a mid-century house, meaning it was built in the 1960s, doesn’t hold a candle to the old one, when it comes to quaint and romantic, but is attractive in its own right. While it has the look of many of the homes built in the 1960s, it also has some dramatic features that make the $1.39 million purchase a good investment.

The first thing you notice when you look at the interior is the enormous see through beige brick fireplace with a marble hearth separating the dining room and living room area. It’s a great touch and one that sets off the honey brown hardwood floors. The living room has a sliding glass entry to the back yard terrace, as does the dining room.

This 2,927 square foot home has four bedrooms and three baths. While comfortable and spacious, they offer no personality. In fact, I’m sure I’ve seen that bedroom layout in one of the casino hotels in Vegas. However, when you’re selling a house, often sterile and ordinary is the way to go, leaving the buyer the right to see his or her own possibilities.

The front of the house is similar to three boxes stacked next to each other with the middle one all glass and recessed. The staircase on the interior is open and made of concrete slab and metal, which wraps up to the second floor. Neither of these are favorite features. The kitchen is so-so as are the bathrooms.

Aside from the fireplace, does the home have any redeeming qualities? Yes indeed it does. The backyard terrace is magnificent and has a dramatic view of the hills. It’s a place where you could contemplate the universe or simply allow your mind to wander. While a good decorator could change any of the other features and make the house dazzling, no amount of money could create the same ambiance that Rose McGowan has in her own back yard.

More Pictures of Rose McGowan’s Hollywood Hills House

image source: West Hollywood Real Estate

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Chris Brown Buys Hollywood Hills House

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[one_fourth]Price: $1,550,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 2,473 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 3[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 3[/one_fourth_last]

Chris Brown’s ex-neighbors in his West Hollywood condo are having a party in his honor, but he’s not invited. It seems this R&B singer wasn’t the most popular due to wild parties and even dog racing in the halls. There were a reported 117 parking infractions due to Brown parking in handicapped areas, 95 of which the judge dropped because it seems the spots came with the apartment, and weren’t public handicapped spaces. Realizing he simply wasn’t the right cut for community dwelling, Brown purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills.

The new home is both attractive and unusual. It looks like you glass encased a Lego-built home. However, it has a quirky coolness to its ultra modern design and plenty of glass that suits this writer’s taste. Even the garage has a glass door. (Let’s hope Brown doesn’t throw stones now that he lives in a glass house.)

There are three levels with the glass-doored garage facing the street. Beside the garage is a set of stairs for only the young and fit, for all others, a handy elevator whisks you up to a glass enclosed walkway high above the smallish but impressive-when-lit pool. The 3-bedroom, 3-bath house climbs 100 feet above street level and contains 2,473 square feet of true man-crib, with no girly décor and lots of gadgets.

The master bedroom is this writer’s idea of excellent. It’s open. There’s no door to the bathroom making this seem more spacious and the only door for the shower is clear glass, giving the room a more expansive, yet less private look.

The glass enclosed guest bedroom is a little creepy, looking like a holding cage for one of the creatures on Sanctuary. However, the layout of the living room with the balcony sitting room above, full wall of windows and easy access kitchen makes up for the unusual bedroom. While not everyone will love the look, it does fit Chris Brown, a male pop star with too much money and a desire to party.

More Pictures of Chris Brown’s Hollywood Hills House

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Matthew Perry’s Malibu House Hits Market

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[one_fourth]Price: $13,500,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 3,677 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 4[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 5.5[/one_fourth_last]

[box] Matthew Perry, another “Friends” millionaire who’s done a whole lot more since the series, is putting another of his properties up for sale. While there may be speculation at his net worth, this author’s guess is that owning several properties just isn’t financially sound, particularly when other investments are flushing down the potty.[/box]

Maybe the decision came after his recent stint in rehab, his ongoing battle with attaining an optimum level of sobriety and decided the pressure to maintain so much real estate wasn’t in his best interest at the moment. In related real estate news: Matthew Perry recently sold one property at the Sierra Towers for $2,850,000 just a mere $145,000 below asking price, a good deal in a slow real estate market. Now, he’s putting his fabulous 3,677 square foot home in Malibu up for sale. Of course, he still has other real estate.

Perry purchased the home back in the spring of 2005 for a mere $6,550,000 and now plans to sell it for $13,500,000. It sits on 2.32 acres of prime land and has four bedrooms and five and a half baths. The asking price is almost double the purchase price, so the sale may be just another way to pad his retirement fund and remove some of the financial burden of maintaining several residences.

The Pier House, the name of the home he’s selling (When a house has its own name, you know it’s high dollar.) is noted as an architectural statement located right above the Malibu Pier. It offers multiple outdoor play areas with sliding glass doors in the living areas giving quick access.

There’s a huge viewing room containing theatre projection and an exceptionally comfortable-looking couch for ample seating, plus a bed in the back… a questionable decorating decision at best. Tasteful décor and architectural intricacy grace the other rooms with an open air feeling that most people would give up their first-born to experience in their living accommodations. In fact, the bathroom, containing stone walls, an open feeling glass shower also has a bird’s eye view of the ocean.

The house is gorgeous but the view and connection to the landscape is worth a minimum of the asking price, with the living accommodations thrown in free. It seems like Perry made good real estate decisions, even if not all his personal decisions were the wisest.

image source: Partners Trust Real Estate