We shake our heads in wonder with the news that legendary Toy Store FAO Schwarz has moved into the custom homebuilding business. With prices starting at $10,000, we scratched our heads and wondered what responses might come from the likes of Toll Brothers, Hovnanian and Centex. What fun might this ultimate toy store have up its sleeve? A little more research reveals that FAO has cleverly moved into the “mini-me”…
Insuring Luxury Homes
Insuring Luxury Homes (and Elephant Hide Wallpaper) by Roberta Murphy I didnt consider luxury home insurance to be that interesting or that blogworthy until I read of an appraiser who tried to figure out the replacement value of the elephant skin wall coverings in a Seattle manse. That appraiser, James King with the Chubb Insurance Group, makes it a practice to thoroughly investigate the luxe and unusual features in Chubbs…
World Class Views
Luxury home buyers are subliminal collectors of natural art. So often, it is a home’s breathtaking views of oceans, lakes and mountains that creates its unique intrinsic value. The attraction? What a gift to awaken in the morning and see the light of a new day as it glints over the water or emerges from behind the mountains. And how better to end the day, when one can relax and…
The Illuminated Bathtub
Want a romantic evening? Forget the candles, turn out the lights and slide into an illuminated bathtub! This surreal bathtub invites meditation, relaxation and wonder. Designer Jan Puylaert with Italy’s imaginative WET Studio has an array of delicious colors for both the Light bathtubs and sinks with matching faucets and accessories. I love the ambience of this bathtub as well as the drain in the middle. It appears the tub faucet would…
Breaking All Barriers, Luxury Homes Reach NINE Figures
by Roberta Murphy There is a class of homes that can only be called, for lack of a better word, the ultimate. These are the extreme and exceptional estates that are among the most expensive in the world. To call them luxury homes is an understatement. These properties have singular presence and price tags that now exceed nine figures. This year, all barriers were broken. Donald Trump’s lavish seven-acre estate…
Free Ferrari To Buyer of Encinitas, CA Home
by Roberta Murphy Buyers have gone through this golf and ocean-view Encinitas Ranch home, and jokingly asked if the the red hot Ferrari in the garage might come with the purchase. Well, as of this afternoon, it does! A free Ferrari goes to the lucky buyer. The owners of both the home and the car are ready to move and had already reduced the price of their singular property, when…
And Just What Is A Luxury Home?
by Roberta Murphy It is a tough task in relativity to define a luxury home. One’s perspective has as much to do with the definition as does the opulence, location or architectural significance of a particular property. One man’s simple home is another man’s castle, and vice versa. Perhaps it is easier to consider what a luxury home is not. It is not a cookie cutter home in…
