Monday, July 13, 2009 11:00AM - By Chris Weiss

Craving more eye-catching style than is available in this world? Stop by DesignCrave for all the latest in edgy, innovative architecture and design. Check out 10 futuristic architectural marvels that will fill you with envy. Not on the list, but equally futuristic and conceptual, the Grid House is raised on stilts and features a bridge over water mirror connecting separate living spaces. Also, don’t miss Audi’s latest precision-tuned machine…a piano, one designer’s distinctive twist on the traditional LCD clock and the most unique sink that we’ve ever seen.
Friday, July 10, 2009 2:10PM - By Joe Wertz

Built just blocks from the Thames in the swanky Knightsbridge district of London, this townhouse on Cheval Place combines traditional, opulent British architecture and furnishings with contemporary luxuries like a Zen-minimal catering kitchen, media room and a commercial car lift and turntable system, which whisks autos to a private underground garage. The 13,000 square-foot townhome has accommodations for three staffers, an on-site security room and a palatial indoor pool outfitted with a “mood altering” lighting system. On sale for $72.8 million, the new owner will also be purchasing charming English-only residential amenities like a drawing room and a cloakroom, which sounds Victorian and really cool, but unfortunately is either a glorified closet or bathroom. [via sothebysrealty]
Continue Reading
Thursday, July 9, 2009 3:26PM - By Joe Wertz

A bowling shrine unlikely to attract the staggering, distended bellies and Bud Light Lime-infused sweaty sheen sopped off hobby leaguers at the alleys that populate most of this country, New York’s newly renovated Brooklyn Bowl is also part restaurant, bar and venue and looks like a ball.
Inhabiting the 23,000 square-foot former warehouse home of Hecla Iron Works, the alley was painstakingly retrofitted to house 16 pristine lanes and a 600-capacity performance space. Touted as the world’s first bowling alley built for L.E.E.D certification, Brooklyn Bowl is wind-powered and uses LED lights, reclaimed cork flooring, recycled truck tire stage flooring and re-purposed wood and glass throughout. Sixteen flat-screen TVs are spread throughout the alley, along with nine projectors and eight HD Cineflex screens and a state-of-the art stage lighting and sound system. The best part: Brooklyn Bowl’s “no bottle” or can policy, which means the bar stocks beers worth pouring into a glass. [via brooklynbowl, pics by Adam Macchia]
Continue Reading
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 1:00PM - By Joe Wertz

With its 11-foot ceilings, trio of balconies and west Manhattan address, the penthouse triplex at 105 W. 89th Street is a spacious, functional oasis at the cluttered city center. Architects at Marble Fairbanks combined two townhouses for the $2.8 million condo, which was built for the founder of a large health-care company. The owner tasked the architects to create a home that could also serve both work functions and social events and be easily converted to accommodate out-of-town business guests. The three-story, 2,450 square-foot condo has a 600 square-foot rooftop terrace, four bedrooms, a large atrium skylight, a pair of wood burning fireplaces, electronic window shades and a home theater and has won awards from the AIA and has been featured in several design publications. [realtor]
Continue Reading
Friday, July 3, 2009 12:00PM - By Joe Wertz

With more than three acres of prime, oceanfront real estate, this 5,000 square-foot Hamptons home was built by architectural icon Philip Johnson and was built in 1946 amid the dunes of Sagaponack. The eight-bed/seven-bath home was built atop wooden piers and has a glass-enclosed living room with expansive ocean views. The $35 million home has 363 feet of covetable Hamptons shoreline, accessed via a long wooden boardwalk and located a good distance from any public beaches. Outside the home, a “freeform” swimming pool, tennis court and chipping/putting green and a basketball court. [via luxist]
Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:00PM - By Joe Wertz

Flanked by Tennessee’s Harpeth River and a 135-acre equestrian estate, the Franklin home at 1301 Moran is a charming and massive empire for the most epic southern spenders. The $38 Million home has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread throughout 18,600 square feet. Built in 1997, the waterfront home sits aside a stocked 10-acre lake and has a boat house so scenic, it could be mistaken for a “Dawson’s Creek” filming location. Also on the property: A swimming pool, 20-car garage, gymnasium with indoor basketball court, a two-bedroom log cabin that overlooks the river and a horse stable and barn with its own two-bedroom apartment… you know, in case Millie the Mare has company. [via realtor]
Continue Reading
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 1:00PM - By Joe Wertz

A rustic getaway with a staircase that descends onto the Pacific sand, this California beach house has uninterrupted ocean views and a historic quirkiness reminiscent of older Malibu. Once owned by Sammy Hagar, the “Red Rocker” of Van Halen and overrated (and overpriced) tequila fame, the six-bedroom, 5,000 square-foot home is surrounded by trees and Nantucket-style gardens. The $10.9 million estate has polished teak floors, hand-carved structural beams and four “artistic” fireplaces. Outside, guests can relax on a bluff-edge sundeck or take in the views of Point Dume and the Santa Barbara Islands from the hot tub. [via luxist]
Continue Reading
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:00PM - By Joe Wertz

Model-turned-“Planet of the Apes” remake actress Estella Warren recently put her Beverly Hills home on the market for a price so reasonable, celebrity real estate blogs have started questioning her urgency. Built in 1959, the “Regency style,” single-story home is small by Hollywood standards — only 2,250 square-feet — and at $1.95 million, doesn’t come with many of the glitzy trappings of other area estates. Though you won’t find a plush media room or giant eat-in kitchen, the home does have quaintness many Beverly Hills homes lack, like French doors, colored glass in the bathroom and charming cabinetry and tile work. The home has been freshened up with white paint, neutral furniture and colorful accents. Fun fact: Warren’s home is just down the street from where the Polanski/Tate home once stood (it was demolished in 1994, thankfully after Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson recorded albums there) at 10050 Cielo Drive, the address that marked the scene for the Manson Family murders. [via luxist]
Continue Reading
Monday, June 22, 2009 12:00PM - By Jared Newman

Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis House for Sale – Fixer upper types looking for a potentially huge payoff should consider Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, which still looks great from the outside considering its dilapidated condition. Wright used pre-cast concrete blocks to build the home in Los Feliz, Calif., giving it the feel of a Mayan temple. The Ennis House took earthquake damage in 1994 and deterioration from heavy rains 2004 and 2005. Locals also aren’t too keen on the place, yet its appearance in the 1982 film Blade Runner made it a favorite spot for tourists until it closed to the public in 2007. Stabilization efforts are partially completed, but the money is gone and there’s more work to be done. For $15 million, plus millions more in repairs, this masterwork is yours, but it’s twice as expensive as anything on our previous list of for-sale Wright homes. [via The Guardian]
Continue Reading