Hip-hop artist Drake reportedly paid about $2.8 million for a sprawling complex in Hidden Hills, CA. The 3 acre property has a wealth of attractions, including a 12,500 square foot main house, stables, and an extraordinary swimming pool, complete with waterfall and a torch-lit grotto (top and above). To me, the home looks like an amusement park mash-up of Snow White and California Adventure’s Grizzly River Run – but hey, to each his own. I’m sure living in Disneyland can’t be all that bad.
During the average work week, we spend a lot of time looking at listing photos here at REALTOR.com. Thousands of kitchens and crown moldings and office/guest rooms pour across our desks each day. But every once in a while, amongst the piles of living room pictures and stacks of backyard pool photos, we get the unexpected – animal photobombs. While these cute, furry creatures may not come with the house, they sure make the looking more fun. Here, for your enjoyment, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites:
One would expect a home named after “Wavoka,” the mid-19th century Northern Paiute mystic who founded the Ghost Dance movement, to evoke a certain whimsical charm. However, the Glenbrook, NV weekender of late casino magnate Bill Ledbetter goes above and beyond with a modern mash-up that resembles something more along the lines of Middle Earth meets geometric form.
Built in neo-classical style in a nod to all things medieval, this palatial estate measures in at a whopping 27,816-square-feet, with a total of six bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 9 fireplacesfound littered throughout. The home wastes little time in flaunting its majestic side, starting with a two-story foyer lined in marble with wrought iron staircases running on both sides, and a fantastic overhead rotunda acting as a beacon to the gods.
Designed as a tribute to Eames, with flairs of Neutra and Schindler intertwined, the Los Angeles, CA home known as “SteelHouse” is a dynamic expression of new-age green living in mid-century modern form. A construct of the Swiss-American firm agps architecture, the home was meticulously designed to offer both a sustainable and flexible living environment – and now sports a more flexible price tag after being re-listed in recent days for $1.695 million.
Oh, Kentucky, how I love thee. We have a new frontrunner for Zombie Apocalypse Fortress of the Year and it resides in the Bluegrass State. Tucked away in the city of Versailles, KY, a small town just south of Lexington, is thoroughbred farm of baronial proportions. No, your eyes do not deceive you. That’s a legit, fortified castle found on the 232-acre property, and it could be all yours for the modest sum of $30 million.
It’s amazing how many gems of houses are hidden among the rolling, oak-dotted hills of Malibu, CA. Browsing the listings from this small seaside town produces a new piece of architectural beauty every day. Take this sunny, Moroccan-spiced mansion, for example. Tucked along the cliff tops near Point Dume, this is the perfect place “to let your inner naturalist run wild!” crows the listing. Yes, it is just that cool.
Holy Monday, thank you Tom Phifer and Partners. Taking away our back-to-work blues this fine afternoon is a stunning modern compound in Taghkanic, NY designed by the New York-based architectural firm. Appropriately named the “Taghkanic House,” Phifer’s award-winning modern construct, which has been listed for $6.75 million, is an elaborate modern mash-up of glass and steel, but one that takes a rather ingenious, subterranean twist.
The Seattle, WA chapter of NBA All-Star Kevin Durant’s life is coming to a close. Drafted 2nd overall in 2007 by the Seattle SuperSonics, KD played a lone season in the green and gold before owners of the Emerald City franchise up and left for the greener pastures of Oklahoma City, OK. Now a bona fide superstar in just fifth season in the league, the OKC Thunder forward has apparently decided that he no longer has use for his Mercer Island, WA home, and, as TMZ reported over the weekend, has listed the property for $2.799 million.
Reports indicate that Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone, and his wife, former model Jennifer Flavin, are looking sell their La Quinta, CA mansion for $4.5 million.
Horse-lovers, feast your eyes on this extraordinary 22-acre equestrian facility, designed by Backen, Gillam & Kroeger, one of Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Architectural Firms for 2012, and located in Calistoga, CA.
With Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott expecting an addition to the nest, the Hollywood couple has put their colorful Malibu, CA farm bungalow on the market.
This sleek 4-bed, 5-bath modern penthouse enjoys a prime location off Wilshire Boulevard on the west side of Los Angeles, CA and has excellent views of Westwood, CA for $12 million.
Three greenhouses (and the gorgeous estates attached to them) that will kick-start plans for your own seedling sanctuary.
This 6-bed, 5-bath contemporary design really is a beauty. From the bucolic settings, to the fresh interiors, to the fact that the property’s 1.4 acres is zoned for horses, this house has ample ability to make jaws drop. Set in the canyons above Los Angeles, CA, the home was designed to make the most of its peaceful surroundings. The outdoors are warmly welcomed in through abundant windows and semi-transparent fiberglass walls, which admit light while still preserving privacy.