THE OBAMAS BUY A $22 MILLION HOUSE ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD (FOR 1/2 PRICE!)

Former President Obama and his family are now homeowners on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. They just bought a home situated on nearly 30 acres in Edgartown.

The seller is Wycliffe Grousbeck, a private equity investor and owner of the Boston Celticsbasketball team.

The 6,892-square-foot house sits on 29.3 secluded acres fronting the Edgartown Great Pondwith views of a barrier beach and the ocean beyond. It was designed by Bradenburger Taylor Lombardo Architects in San Francisco, and built in 2001.

The home features seven bedrooms, eight and a half baths and several stone fireplaces. There is a two-car garage, a detached barn and a pool.

Rumors of the impending sale have been circulating since late this summer, when the Obamas rented the property for several weeks, who are by now familiar summer visitors on the Vineyard.

The Obamas have spent part of every August on the Island for seven out of the eight years he was in office and they also visited the Island before, including when he was a senator from Illinois.

Although the Vineyard has long been a vacation spot for visiting presidents, including former President Clinton and his family, this marks the first time that a former president has purchased property on the Island.

The Grousbecks bought the land in 1998 for $3.1 million. It has been on the market since 2015, when it was listed for $22.5 million. The price was dropped twice this summer, first to $16.25 million in June, then to $14.85 million in July. 

The purchase price was $11.75 million. Half price deal!

I’ve only been to the Vineyard once in my life, when I spent a week there. It IS hard to get to (not if you have a helicopter) but it’s one of my favorite places in the world. It combines the wild natural beauty of upstate New York (where I now live) and the pristine East Coast beaches of the way too overcrowded and schmancy Hampton’s. It is summer perfection.

(Photos, Sotheby’s, Landvest; via Vineyard Gazette)

THIS UPSTATE NEW YORK PROPERTY HAS IT ALL INCLUDING PRIVACY, 20 ACRES, A GUEST APT. (+ MY WORK)

Full disclosure, I did just restage this house for my friend, realtor/entrepeneur Jennifer Grimesat Country House Realty, but I don’t think that changes what a beautiful and unique property it is. 

The owner custom built the house in 2010 when he had other ambitions and it’s now just too much house for his wife and new baby. With 2 ensuite bedrooms, sunken living room, glass enclosed dining area, chef’s kitchen, pantry, wine cellar/game room/ media room/ gym, pool room and library/ bridge connecting to a one bedroom guest apartment, it’s a LOTTA house at just under 5,000 square feet. But perfect for entertaining year ’round with views in in every direction that puts on a show all 4 seasons. And not another house or neighbor in site.

This listing says,

“Banyan Hill has been built to an incredibly high standard, including over 100 Loewen movable and fixed windows. All lights on dimmers and can be programmed as well as be adjusted with the flip of a button. Radiant floor heat throughout and master control panels in all rooms for a house-wide sound system. 

With 20 private acres of lawns this in farm country, among the scenic rolling hills of North Branch (part of Callicoon in Sullivan county) at the edge of the Catskill Park, where barns and silos sprinkle the landscape.”

I did “sprinkle” my work throughout the house (hey, it was available and, if you ask me looks good) and reconfigured a few elements, but the architecture is top notch as are all of the materials.

Price: $1,1490,00

JACKIE GLEASON'S UPSTATE PAD, “THE MOTHERSHIP” WAS DESIGNED AS A PARTY HOUSE (MARILYN PLAYED THERE)

Do you kids remember TV comedian Jackie Gleason? The Honeymooners? Bang! Zoom! To the moon Alice! Making fun of 50s domestic abuse…?

Just kidding sort of, but at the height of Gleason’s fame he started a project to build a one-of-a-kind party house in the woods just north of New York City. He was fascinated with with UFOs (there’s a Space theme to my posts today) and his home and guest cottage are both round inside and out, including curved floorboards, windows, kitchen cabinets, bars, and furniture. 

The twin buildings were christened “The Spaceship” and “The Mothership.”

Designed by architect Robert Cika, the house was constructed by a Norwegian shipbuilder, who shipped the completed pieces to Cortlandt Manor for final assembly, real estate agent Margaret Bailey told the Journal News.

Gleason personally oversaw the project, which cost $650,000 –about $5 and half million in today’s dollars. It took five years to complete and was a marvel that he shared with his celeb pals like Marilyn Monroe, husband Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra among others.

The Mothership main house was designed to host big parties, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a 14-person, curving bar, which had a baby grand piano and a microphone that would emerge from the marble floor. There was another bar too.

The house, clearly ahead of it’s time in terms of look and tech, had central air and a built-in, surround-sound system, double-sided marble fireplaces and the main fireplace, was a three-sided, 40-foot-tall marble model that weighed 240 tons. Gleason flew Italian artisans in to complete the stonework.

The master bedroom features a round bed and a TV mounted on the ceiling along with a exposed shower.

The kitchen’s stainless-steel appliances and glass cabinetry were made to follow the curve of the room.

Gleason died in 1987 at 71. The current homeowner, a retired orthodontist, bought the 8.5-acre property in Cortlandt Manor, NY, in ’76 for just $150,000. It is currently listed for $12 million.

(via Realtor.com)

FRAN LEBOWITZ'S NEW ($3 MILLION) CHELSEA LOFT IS PLENTY BIG ENOUGH FOR HER 10,000 BOOKS

Writer, cultural critic, New York icon and LGBTQ national treasure, Fran Lebowitz shelled out $3.1 million for a condo at the Chelsea Mercantile, building on a well-known corner in Chelsea. Whole Foods is downstairs.

The 2,268-square-foot apartment, 1 bedroom, 2 bath apartment has a 25-plus-foot long, closet-lined entrance hall, 13.5-foot beamed ceilings, and a 20-foot wide, 11-foot tall wall of windows. The loft-sized living room/ dining room and opens to the kitchen and a long island. The large master suite includes a bedroom with an adjoining dressing room and a large bathroom. A good-sized windowless room, I feel certain will be converted to a library to house some of those 10,000 books. In March, she told The New York Times,

“I just [moved] a year and a half ago. They come and pack the books. That takes three days. But two times before that, it took two months to organize them first. I have many bookcases. They have glass doors. They are mostly 19th-century. The books all go in certain places in my apartment. I like to have fiction in the living room, reference books in the writing room. I have 10,000 books. I know this because I move them. When I move, I go through them and take some out. Many books come to this house unbidden. And unbidden books, I don’t want to keep them. Once the books are all rearranged, I can put my hand on any book. I know where they all are.“

The Chelsea Mercantile, has a 10,000-square-foot roof terrace and a underground garage where the Fran can for a considerable monthly fee, park her 1979 Checker Marathon cab. (She once drove it, as a cab driver…) When she lived at the Osborne on 57th Street, she parked it under the convention center where the Time Warner complex now sits. (I know, I saw it there.) Her new neighbor, Sheila Nevins, President of Documentary and Family Programming for HBOand Cinemax, offices at Time Warner and also owns a handful of units including the penthouse at Chelsea Mercantile. 

Other neighbors include chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay and Kyle MacLachlan and his Project Runway executive producer wife Desiree Gruber. Jane Fonda rented in the building during her short run in the Broadway play 33 Variations and Katie Holmes, set to star as Jackie Kennedy in the TV mini-series The Kennedys After Camelot, famously shacked up in a luxury rental during the much-publicized aftermath of her split and divorce from Tom Cruise.

Shopping for groceries IS convenient, but chances are you won’t catch Fran shopping in Whole Foods, though. They deliver.

(via Variety)

THIS GROOVY 70s PAD WILL HAVE YOU DISCO DANCING IN YOUR CAFTAN!

Designed by architect Eduard Dreier, comprised of massive amounts of wood, stone, and glass and with views of Utah’s majestic Mount Olympus just out the window, this house puts you in that 70s vibe instantly. According to the real estate agent for the 6,200 square foot property,

“It’s the late seventies now, and disco and glam are it. This is a time to entertain. It’s a time to bring people together. It’s a time for family and guests to gather in voluminous spaces. This is pre-Gehry and pre-Hadid. This is the dawn of a time when architecture became sculpture, and the starchitect was born. Ed Dreier saw, and became, the beginning of it all. 

It consist of sweeping rooflines, massive glulam beams that stretch like bows from one end of the house to the other, and large fireplaces you can lean or sit on (with a cocktail in hand of course). All the details we love about Ed’s work are still here: the accordion dividers, mitered glass corners, beautiful tiles, stacked stone walls running from indoor to outdoor, and large spans of floor-to-ceiling windows. 

Some –like this one– are even lucky enough to have a St. Charles kitchen. Staring up toward Mount Olympus from the dining room, in complete awe of the view, you’re reminded that you had the same feeling walking up the path to your front door. This is a stunning home, that’s been as cherished and revered as the memories made in it.“

It only has two bedrooms (but four bathrooms) but it was impeccably maintained and features a flexible layout that includes a great room distinguished by a handsome stone-wood-and-metal fireplace, on the other side of which, a couple of shallow steps us, is a formal dining area with built-in storage.

This flows into a family room, also anchored by a huge stone fireplace, and a kitchen, which features expanses of glass that frame stunning mountain views. The bathrooms are all untouched, with marble countertops, tiled floors, and dark wood cabinets. (Those we wouldn’t DARE touch.)

Downstairs, an enormous, finished basement features the same wood closets and stone fireplace as the main level. Just add a lighted dance floor and vintage soundtrack. 

It can be yours for a cool $1.4 million, provided you want to live, at least part time, in Salt Lake City.

(Photos, via Utah Real Estate)

GARBO'S NYC APARTMENT ON THE MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 64 YEARS –JUST AS SHE LEFT IT

Yes, for the first time in 64 years, Greta Garbo‘s Upper East Side apartment is on the market. (FYI, Garbo, was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the 20s & 30s.) Her family has decided to sell the place and due to the building’s ultra-exclusive nature, interested buyers must pay cash. No loans are allowed at The Campanile, the very high-end (and very exclusive) co-op building.

Garbo was spotted and photographed on the streets around her uptown apartment for years – the Big-Foot, recluse of the UES. This was shot on April 15, 1983 at the UN Plaza. Photo, Getty

It has been home to other famous resident over the years, like actor Rex Harrison and heirs to the Heinz and Rothschild fortunes. But its most famous resident was surely screen-icon Garbo, who bought the fifth-floor residence in 1953, and lived there until her death in 1990 at 84.

The apartment itself is a 2,855-square-foot three-bedroom, with three bathrooms, a home office, and stunning views of the East River. Her great-nephew, MarketWatch founder Derek Reisfield, told the Times. He and his siblings are selling the place after inheriting it from their parents,

“It’s very reminiscent of where she grew up in Stockholm—close to the water and with lots of sunlight. She decorated her home in a way that was very comfortable.””

The pink-and-green color scheme and furnishings that she chose for the space is largely intact, and many of her personal decorating touches, like the peach Fortuny silk living the bedroom walls, are still there.

Garbo earned a reputation for “wanting be alone” (something she reportedly never said in real-life) but she WAS actually something of a recluse. And she did live in one of the city’s most private buildings, as the Campanile has just 16 apartments.

Reisfield says,

“She loved New York and found she could go out with relative anonymity.”

Want to be alone in Garbo’s apartment? It could be yours for just $6 million. Cash.

THE NOVOGRATZ FAMILY GO "BEACHSIDE BOHEMIAN" IN TRANCOSO, BRAZIL

Robert and Cortney Novogratz are lifestyle designers that famously have 7 beautiful kids. They used to live around the corner from me in NYC and now they have a castle in L.A.. They’ve kindly bought my work for projects before and just commissioned a painting for a new Greenwich Village townhouse they designed that I delivered last week. I just saw them at their book signing at Rizzoli in NYC where I picked up my copy of their latest project. It’s a lushly illustrated book called Beachside Bohemian all about their beach retreat in Trancoso, Brazil. Robert has said about the place and house,

“Years ago, a design friend brought me to Trancoso. It was such a magical place. Beautiful. Not over developed and with amazing beaches, nature and wonderful people. It was so different and felt instantly right.

The tree house is probably the best part of the house. It is very unique in comfort and design as well as more private than the rest of the home. I am also pleased with how the stone shower turned out.”

We try go to the beach everyday. Nothing is better than a fun lunch on the beach with a bottle of wine or two. Just hanging out with family and friends and soaking up the beautiful surroundings and atmosphere.“

Looks like heaven to me. This is the same area of Brazil (and the same builder) where Anderson Cooper has his place too, you know. (See pics here.) So, now is it becoming a hot spot? Well, before it’s gets TOO overrun, I should take a look, right? It says right there on the cover of their book “for family and friends” so, do you think it’s tacky if I hint in public about an art trade for a little beach time at Casa Novogratz? Nah. That’s what friends are for…

9 INSPIRING INTERIORS WITH 2 THINGS IN COMMON –BROOKLYN & HIGH STYLE

A new book, Brooklyn Interiors by Kathleen Hackett, ($45; Rizzoli) proves that Brooklyn isn’t defined by any single aesthetic. With homes in neighborhoods from Bed-Stuy to Dumbo to Ditmas Park,  there’s diversity in the people and their styles in this borough of New York City that is now known world-wide. A living room with an antique map and surfboard and another decorated with leather sofas and industrial pendant lamps.

Cary Richardson's Clinton Hill brownstone. 

I’ve thrown in the one (above) which is not in the book. It’s my former brownstone in Clinton Hill, now owned by my oldest friend, chef Cary Richardson. It features my paintings and artwork, as well as wallpaper that I designed for this room –and later sold through Anthroplogie Home– along with a rug and pillows featuring my work. It was just the scene of a fun birthday party this spring, when the book just came out. I hope the author doesn’t mind I included it here, I think it fits in nicely, in that it’s a unique Brooklyn interior.

(Photos, Matthew Williams; via Architectural Digest)

TOM FORD'S 20,000 ACRE NEW MEXICO RANCH HAS ITS OWN WILD WEST TOWN

We’ve known of Tom Ford's Tadao-Ando designed home for a bit, but it’s news that he’s put on the market. It’s called the Cerro Pelon Ranch  located in the Galisteo Basin not far from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Yes, it covers over 20,000 acres, and includes it’s own landing strip, equestrian facilities like you’ve never seen before, and even its own old west town used in such movies like Lonesome Dove, All the Pretty Horses and Wild, Wild West. The wild, wild west of Tom Ford’s vision has been tamed and it can be yours for $75 million. (All the pretty horses, not included.)

THE PERFECT WEST VILLAGE BROWNSTONE –$22 MILLION

The West Village is one THE most desirable spots to live in a brownstone, if you can afford it. I live in the village myself, and once co-owned a brownstone in Brooklyn so, I can appreciate townhouse living. And I know the downside, as well. (Too much constant up and down for me.)

Owners Jos White, a Brit technology entrepreneur in his early forties and his wife Annabel,the former director of The Rug Company have put the place on the market for $22 million. Jos sold his tech company MessageLabs for over half a billion in ’08, so the couple bought their dream home. These pics are from a few years ago from House & Garden UK. The Whites’ neighbors, Anna and Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair and his wife, who live a couple of doors away, and Anna Wintour and her family who also live nearby, are presumably staying put. 

If you want 21st century living in a 19th century townhouse, to me this is pretty much perfection. Obviously, no expense was spared, and they have VERY nice rugs and art, but the style here is chic, casual English, and not show-off tech zillionaire.

It’s six-story layer cake and the cherry on the top of is Jos’s home office. Because of the building’s landmark status, no additions can show from the street, not a single brick. So the office had to be set back. On the garden side, it has an angled wall of glass windows, like an artist’s garret, which cantilever up to go outside using a hand crank. 

Have a look around. As I said, it’s pretty perfect, if you like this sort of thing.