Name: Lezli Clendening Location: Vicenza, Italy Size: 1,614 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Walking into Lezli’s second floor Italian apartment is like walking straight into a museum. With artifacts from all around the world, beautiful canvases from artists (some of whom she is related to) and even bones, insect display cases and taxidermy pieces, it certainly could be mistaken for one of the coziest exhibits ever.
Name: David and Katy Kippen, and dogs Violet and Wally Location: Laurelhurst — NE Portland, Oregon Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 12 years, owned When Katy and David bought their 1922 Craftsman bungalow in Portland a dozen years ago, they visualized a place where they could enjoy privacy and calm, despite their home’s very urban location. With time and patience they have created their ideal space: modern, minimal and inspired by “nature, open spaces, and contrast.
Name: Angel and Ben Location: Fremont — Seattle, Washington Size: 580 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting The first thing you notice when walking into Angel and Ben’s Fremont studio is the huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the space, letting light pour into their living area.
Name: Holly Location: The Mission — San Francisco, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting The first thing you notice when you open the door to Holly’s apartment in San Francisco’s popular Mission neighborhood is the light in the hallway that runs two-thirds of the length of the space. Windows all along the right side — some stained glass — make it feel very airy and ethereal.
Name: Matt and Ali Murray, daughter Tennyson, 2, and Lucky, the Mini Aussie Location: Newberg, Oregon Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: Owned, 5.5 years Six years ago, Matt told Ali that he found their dream home in Newberg, a small town in Oregon’s wine country about an hour from Portland. They had previously lived together in downtown Portland, and later owned a house in a southwest suburb of the city…and weren’t actually in the market for a new home.
Name: George Marrone Location: Wilmington, Delaware Size: 4,300 square feet Years Lived In: 7 years, owned George discovered this stunning house — just outside of Philadelphia — while helping a friend look for properties online. He works in healthcare, but has always had an affinity for architecture and design. Today, this artist-built 1959 gem is set along a creek among gardens in a setting that’s utterly captivating. But the house itself was near ruin when George found it.
Name: Kirsten Schofield and Eric Ng Location: Vicenza, Italy Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Some apartments have good bones, and some apartments feature inhabitants who know good design. Amazingly, Kirsten and Eric’s apartment in downtown Vicenza features both! With thoughtfully chosen items from estate sales and antique stores around Europe and the U.S., this couple has quite the collection of beautiful things from their travels around the world.
Name: Fabiola, Javier, Claudia (5) and Guillermo (2) Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,720 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned When Javi and Fabi first saw this space on the top floor of a beautiful duplex in the family-friendly neighborhood of Eixample, it was completely different. All of the fixtures were outdated and the layout needed to be reconfigured. Undeterred, they saw the potential of the space and decided to do a complete overhaul.
Name: Lucia and Paige Location: Highland Park — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, rented Roommates Lucia and Paige have a decorating motto when it comes to treasures from thrift stores: If you want it, you get it! That’s how they were able to create a pretty home even though they don’t have a big budget. The roommates say they complement each other perfectly: Paige is good at solving problems and Lucia is the handy one.
Name: Andy Barlow, and his cat Cavanaugh Location: Eliot Neighborhood — Northeast Portland, Oregon Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Andy and his cat Cav live in one unit of a Portland duplex that was built in 1890 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Andy is a multi-talented real estate agent, freelance interior designer, and professional home-stager, who never thought that he would end up living in and loving a 127-year old home.
Name: Glenda and David Pedersen Location: Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue — Quebec, Canada Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 18 years, owned Glenda — a most charming woman — finds the best inspiration from her dreams when it comes to decorating. She has a thing for the quirky, the retro, the playful, and the unexpected.
Name: Bonney Johnson and Lou Patrick, and son Hal Location: Arbor Lodge Neighborhood — Portland, Oregon Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned After living in a series of apartments in California that were that were sad, gray boxes, Bonney and Lou found a 1904 home to call their own in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood of North Portland, just a couple miles north of downtown.
Name: Kim Location: Capitol Hill — Seattle, Washington Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Having great style kinda comes with the territory when you’re a successful jewelry maker (and the owner of a business like Fresh Tangerine), but Kim has a particular brand that you just don’t see very often. She describes her home’s look as quirky Parisian with some PNW cozy mixed in. And it’s so true!
Name: Whitley Glasgow, her husband Josh, and pup Maxwell Location: Vicenza, Italy Size: 4,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting When Whitley and her husband, Josh, first imagined themselves moving to Italy, they knew they had to find a place with character. When they came across this rental apartment—a part of the Villa Fracanzan Piovene—they found it in spades.
Name: Tami, Gleb and their two-year-old daughter, Mia Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 915 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, own Imagine relocating to a new city where the language, culture, and landscape is completely different from your own and with only three suitcases in hand for both you and your partner. This is exactly what Tami and Gleb, a young couple from Moscow, Russia, did just four years ago when they decided to uproot themselves to the sunny city of Barcelona.
Name: Anna Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 754 square feet Years lived in: 13 years, owned Anna has a degree in geography and has worked for 13 years as a publicist for IKEA, but after finally finishing her apartment’s two year-long renovation, I think it’s safe to say she also has quite the passion and expertise for design. Responsible for all of the design decisions in the 754-square-foot space, the biggest priority was a roomy and functional kitchen.
Name: Andréa Crofts and Stefan Jovanović Location: Toronto, Canada Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, owned Andréa and Stefan’s home is a 700-square-foot unit in a modern condo overlooking the beautiful skyline of Toronto’s downtown. The eastern view is what sold the couple on this particular unit, and you can’t blame them. Even if the condo was completely empty, it would still be gorgeous with that view.
Name: Line Tiller Location: El Clot — Barcelona, Spain Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Stepping into the home of Line (pronounced Lee-Nuh) Tiller is like stepping into a cozy retreat in the middle of the city. “Warm and cozy are the main ingredients of a Norwegian home because it’s cold in Norway,” says Line, originally from the Scandinavian country.
Name: Raul, Igone, Nora and Naida Location: Sagrada Familia — Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned As their children grew, Raul and Igone started to look for a bigger apartment where their two girls could have more space to run and have fun. House searching was not easy, however, and it took Raul and Igone three years to finally find the place. Though the apartment certainly didn’t look like it does now when they first viewed it.
Name: Steve Schappacher & Rhea White of SchappacherWhiteLocation: Shelter Island, New York We bought this 1904 fisherman’s cottage 5 years ago. Originally planning to use the home as a weekend retreat from NYC, we now spend most of our time in the 1,100 square foot house, a block from Cockles Harbor.
Update: Grey Gardens has found a buyer, according to the Washington Post. Owner, journalist Sally Quinn, hasn’t disclosed who is purchasing the property or the selling price (it was reduced to $17,995,000 in April), but mentioned that “she’s ‘happy’ with the contract and the new owner ‘really understands the house’ and plans to preserve it.
Well, old sport, now you can live that West Egg fantasy life. This over the top mansion on Long Island was the inspiration for the titular character’s estate in the 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. And the price? You’ll need Gatsby’s fortune to match, because this place is listed for $85 million.
Before people threw shade and sent subtweets, they built spite houses. One of the more famous real estate clap backs is Boston’s Skinny House, and it is currently for sale. Spite houses are exactly what they sound like: real estate built to spite someone else by blocking a view, annoying a neighbor, or to get around a zoning law. There’s usually an interesting story attached, and who doesn’t like a home with its own legend?
It’s been almost 60 years since Paul and Helen Olfelt hired iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to build their Minnesota house. Now the couple are in their 90s, and are selling the—totally untouched!—place for $1.295 million. The three bedroom, two bathroom home sits on 3.77 “extremely private acres at the end of a quiet cul de sac” in St. Louis Park, just seven miles from downtown Minneapolis.
They say everything is bigger in Texas, even—nay especially—the boots. Case in point: There’s a cowboy boot so large you can live in it. And it’s available for rent. Located in Huntsville, a city about an hour north of Houston, the footwear inspired house and the adjoining bungalow were designed and built by local artist Dan Phillips, who specializes in constructing homes with recycled and salvaged materials.
If you love mid-century design and also the work of master architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this Texas home is the design mashup you’ve been waiting for. Take a look inside for yourself. David Foster George, who lived to be 100, was a Texas-based architect who was a fan of the Craftsman style and studied under Wright at Taliesin West.
Looking to live that Usonian life? One such home in an Frank Lloyd Wright designed community in Pleasantville, New York is ready to make your dreams come true. Wright used the term Usonian to refer to his vision for the landscape of the US, including city planning and architecture.
Starchitect Zaha Hadid was a tour de force of contemporary architecture and design, creating everything from iconic buildings to vases and tableware—even a sneaker. Now, her Miami Beach condo is on the market, and some of her one of a kind furniture is up for grabs as well. The 2,299 square foot condo at the W Hotel South Beach is almost entirely windows, with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. The place comes with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and as few interior walls as possible.
Wondering what the former President and First Lady have been up to after their much-memed Tropical vacation on Richard Branson’s private island? Well, the answer is house-hunting. Fortunately, for the Obamas, they didn’t have to hunt very far before finding their new dream home. Ok, so “new” might not be entirely the right word. See, the Obamas just purchased the DC-area home they’ve been renting since leaving the White House.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday is this week, and luckily we get to peek inside Tirranna, an astounding private home in Connecticut, that happens to be on the market for $7.2 million. Tirranna—which means “running water” in the language of Australia’s Aboriginal people—is a horseshoe shaped property overlooking the Noroton River in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Ever wonder how Oscar winning actor Natalie Portman relaxes? Based on her latest real estate acquisition, we’re guessing that staring at the ocean factors in heavily. The Jackie star recently purchased a vacation home in Montecito, a town on the California coast northwest of Los Angeles near Santa Barbara. Check out the property for yourself. The modern vacation home, designed by Santa Barbara architect Barton Meyers, set Portman back $6.5 million.
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who start their day with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s morning show Today, we wouldn’t judge if you feel like you’re already friends. And now, Savannah’s Tribeca loft is on the market, and you can peek inside. The 2,691 square foot condo, which has three bedrooms plus an office and four full bathrooms, was purchased by Guthrie’s husband, political consultant Michael Feldman, in 2012 for $3.8 million.
Oprah Winfrey’s estimated net worth is $3 billion, but one of the properties in her real estate portfolio is surprisingly modest. The media mogul is currently selling a house in Chicago’s nearby Elmwood Park suburb—for under $400,000. The 2,250 square foot brick colonial has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an attached garage. Originally built in 1941, Oprah purchased the property in 2001 for $298,000, but has never lived in it.
When it comes to real estate, Jared Leto is no Joker. The Suicide Squad star just sold his home in the Hollywood Hills for $2.05 million, $50,000 over the asking price. The 4,021 square foot four bedroom, three and a half bath home was built in 1955. Leto purchased the property in March 2006 for $1.65 million. The floor plan shows that there is a master bedroom and two connected guest bedrooms on the first floor, along with the kitchen, dining room, and living room with a fireplace.
A tiny cottage to escape to might be on your wish list, but this one is a bit out of the ordinary. The cedar shingled dwelling is actually on a rooftop in the East Village, and it can be yours—if you have the funds to buy the penthouse below for $3.5 million. Curbed NY was the first to report the story, and while rooftop cottages are a rare New York feature, this isn’t the first one we’ve seen.
Michael Graves’ first ever commission is on the market. The Modernist property in Fort Wayne, Indiana is listed for the (affordable for its pedigree) price of $264,888. Designed for his friends Jay and Lois Hanselmann, the Hanselmann House was completed in 1971, and not much has changed since then.
The New York apartment of actor Jon Hamm is now available to rent. After recently purchasing a home in California, the Mad Men star decided to rent out the two bedroom, 1,000 square foot penthouse—for $14,995 a month. Recently renovated, it still has plenty of pre-war charm and, most importantly, offers you a connection to Jon Hamm.
The legendary Frank Lloyd Wright designed some unique properties in his day, but we’ve never seen one quite like this. Needless to say, the starchitect proved he was a fun guy with this mushroom-esque structure, now for sale for $1.5 million. The Sol Friedman House is part of Wright’s Usonia community in Pleasantville, New York—just 50 minutes north of Manhattan.
Name: Santa and Mrs. Claus Location: North Pole Size: 2,500 square feet, with multiple 150-square=foot cottages on 25 acres Years lived in: 195 years, owned Move over, Martha. When it comes to decorating inspiration for the holidays, there’s only one influencer who truly makes their mark on every home, and his name is Santa Claus. Santa, a toy company entrepreneur and delivery man, works one day a year. The rest of the time, you’ll find him — along with his wife, Mrs.
Our latest peek into the fascinating real estate ventures of celebrities is the recent sale of model-entrepreneur couple Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber’s beachfront Malibu house. The new owner dropped $45 million on the pair’s former digs in a transaction that was finalized last month. Crawford and Gerber originally listed the 3.
According to the Boston University sustainability department, an average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute. That means if you shorten your shower by just 2 minutes each day, you can cut your water use by 10 gallons at a time. It really adds up–with major impacts to your wallet and the environment. Whatever your goal–lowering your bill or just your water usage overall–it’s quite the challenge to try and shorten your time in the shower.
