News

Open Table just published a list of their reader’s picks for best neighborhood (non-chain) restaurants. Some of my favorites are on the list.

Finally, a little Brad Pitt Malibu house listing action. The 1962 house on the Encinal Bluffs first hit the MLS in August, but it's been bare bones photo-wise until now. Here you go: look around. Pitt bought the four bedroom, four bathroom house in March 2005 for $8.41008 million, according to Redfin (what was that $80 for?), and he "spent years and millions transforming" it, according to the Real Estalker.  He also planned more changes--the listing says that there is "Planning and Coastal approval for additional 2nd story designed by Chris Sorenson." For now, though, the house comes with a tennis...

The Getty-spearheaded region-wide art celebration, Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980, officially begins this October, and for the event, the entire living room of the Eames House, aka Case Study #8, is being reconstructed inside the Resnick Pavilion at LACMA. The living room (seen above) will be a part of LACMA’s ‘California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way”’ exhibit. At The Agency, we believe great design can truly change your perspective on the world, and The Eames House is an excellent example of this notion. Built in 1945 by noted design duo Charles...

Backstory: Gonna Fly Now LA Luxe Group’s founder, Jeff Yarbrough, took a six-year sabbatical from real estate (1990-96) to work as an activist during the AIDS crisis. His work as editor-in-chief of the LGBT news magazine, The Advocate, won numerous journalism awards. He was recently asked to contribute the following update to the magazine after attending a taping of TV hit “Dancing with the Stars.” “My mother wants to talk to you.” It was a sentence I hadn’t heard since I was a schoolyard bully. Only this time, the kid’s mom was Cher. Chastity Bono had poked her head in to my office...

Finally: A chance to showcase some of my fave real estate pics again. After a bevy of open houses and price chops, Christina Aguilera has sold her bordello-esque Bird Streets home for $4.6mil. Aguilera purchased the 6,500 sq.ft. 4BR/7BA mid-century modern pad in 2003 for a $5mil. Many blamed the languishing listing’s “specific” décor for killing buyer interest. Let’s just say an over-abundance of “Jungle Red” may have been a key factor in dailing-down offers.

It was December 2009 when Katy Perry and Russell Brand–then not married–shelled out $3,250,000 for a fully renovated and updated four story house with 4,706 square feet and a city view in the historic Los Feliz area of Los Angeles nestled into the foothills just below the magnificent Griffith Park. Just about 2.5 years later, in May 2011, the pair put the 4 bedroom and 4.5 bathroom house on the market with an asking price of $3,395,000. The couple's house is in escrow and Miss Perry and Mister Brand–now husband and wife–have just acquired a much pricier and more private residence...

Take a look inside the infamous house on the corner of Muirfield and 3rd, which will confirm what you've always known: This “home” exists outside the normal boundaries of space, time, and interior decorating. There are fake dogs everywhere, the dining room furniture is invisible and hanging from the ceiling, and there are either oversized chairs in the foyer or the foyer is tiny. The house has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and 19 “David” replicas on its front lawn. Just listed at $2,400,000. I wish I could tell you there are going to be some open houses, but so far,...

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are moving on…together. Their four bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom 1922 Mediterranean Los Feliz pad is up for grabs for $3,395,000.. Sorry, no shots of the authentic TeePee in the back yard, and no real idea what (or who) Russell does inside of it, but it is huge (25’ or so). Looks like something from Tom Sawyer’s Island. Inside the 4,700 square-foot home: super-pop pieces including a pink refrigerator (and I liked it), a silver Factory-esque sofa, giant Hello Kitty pillows, and a high-heeled shoe collection Carrie Bradshaw would die for. Up in Russell’s...

Bela Lugosi was obviously secure in his typecasting; he didn't need to go living in a Schindler to prove a point. You could certainly picture dramatic lightning strikes above this 1926 house in Beachwood Canyon, where Lugosi lived in the 1940s. Imagine him stalking through the five bedrooms and four bathrooms, cape lifted and teeth bared. Ok, he probably wasn't that committed. The $2,367,000 house, which hasn't been on the market in 40 years, is an amazing restoration opportunity. Creep factor: priceless.

A state-of-the-art green house was recently erected in Joshua Tree, designed by my friend/architect Scott Perry. The structure is composed of five shipping containers and is totally off-the-grid. It's made from recycled steel and has a living roof with native plantings and greywater irrigation, a shade canopy to cut down on sun and wind assaults, and two big water tanks (one 3,000 gallon, one 10,000 gallon). A breezeway separates a studio from the main house, and inside, there're solar daylight tubes, recycled container floors, and radiant heating and cooling. Price: $150 per square-foot to build.