Kathie Robidou
Coldwell Banker Advantage One Properties
333 Village Main Street, Suite 670, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 370, Eugene, OR 97401
541.484.2625 | kathie@kathiesells.com | www.eugene-oregon-homes.com | www.kathiesells.com
Kathie’s high energy level and her enthusiasm for helping people have propelled her to the top of her field in the real estate industry! A Coldwell Banker franchise owner and a top agent specializing in upper end and luxury homes, her expert marketing and promotional techniques are second to none and her knowledge in all aspects of real estate sales have made her one of the most successful and respected agents in Eugene-Springfield. Kathie has consistently been the No. 1 Listing Agent and Production Agent on a Team and is in the top 4 percent of agents globally. Kathie is affectionately known throughout Lane County as “KathieSells” and her team sales have well exceeded $200 million in just the past decade!
Listing by Kathie Robidou
Eugene, Oregon
32810 Sisters Loop | 3 BD | 2 BA | 2,054 SQFT
Custom-built home on 20.2 acres with views, gated entry and privacy! Flexible floor plan with 3rd bedroom as den/office. Main-floor living except bonus room and unfinished room used for storage. Fully applianced kitchen offers an island, eating bar and breakfast nook. Wraparound covered deck!
Kathie Robidou originally appeared as an Elite agent in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See her page here.
Early reports of the death of the townhome appear to have been greatly exaggerated.
A private garage for two cars; flex space ideal for teens, guests or an office; a light-filled interior with generous rooms between multiple levels. Decks, porches and patios, open interiors to the outside. The feeling is expansive and private. Welcome to the new townhome.
“Back down. The townhome is dead” was cautionary advice Jeff Benach, principal of Chicago-based Lexington Homes, often heard during the recession. But that wasn’t the experience for his firm, which, he says, always had been “pretty strong on townhomes.” They continued to offer this option. “A couple of years later in 2011 and 2012, all of a sudden the townhome is becoming the it property type,” he says. Few other types of residential housing have had a resurgence of interest as town-homes, and few others have undergone as many fundamental changes in architecture, floor plans and finishes. Elevated design and dynamic architecture are only part of this newfound appeal. Cost, location, and lifestyle — which often is more important than price for buyers — also come into play.
Long perceived as second best, town-houses are no longer viewed as merely a less costly alternative to single-family homes. Instead, the appeal extends to a surprising span of life stages and lifestyles from entry-level to move-up to affluent.
No Longer Second Best
“We’re starting to see, and I’ve seen more of lately, something I never saw in my 30-plus years of doing this, and that is families, young families with kids looking for a townhouse for school districts or other reasons,” explains Benach. “This obviously signals a shift in who is buying townhomes, whereas before it was first-time or move-down buyers.” Also, school districts have become a much bigger factor for potential buyers, which, Benach says, reflects a much greater acceptance of townhomes as a longer term, grow-to product.
“Luxury townhouses in New York City are increasingly offering homeowners more options and choices when it comes to their lifestyle. A townhouse generally provides homeowners more living space and the opportunity to have a residential experience that is closer to a single-home lifestyle, which is hard to find in a metropolitan area. The townhouse can offer a family room to grow and more flexibility as needs change in the future,” explains David Dynega, CEO of Detail Renovations in Great Neck, N.Y.
PHOTO COURTESY KOBI KARP ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Walls of glass bring the tropical landscape into the experience of this townhome on Fisher Island.
The ability to lock and leave without compromising on outdoor connections and privacy is another incentive. “Living in a townhouse-style building, I literally lock my door and leave. I’m walkable to downtown and I have no anxiety about maintaining or the lawn or yard or snow removal. It’s taken care of. I think that’s the benefit for a more transient society, especially people with multiple dwellings,” shares Michigan architect Wayne Visbeen, principal and founder of Visbeen Architects.
“The keyword in townhome is home,” observes Kobi Karp, principal of Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design. “It’s a very habitable home, a house within the town. That’s really the way we see it, and it’s traditionally, historically been as such,” he says reflecting on the tradition of grand urban residences from the era of the Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan. “A lot of our projects are infilled in urban spaces, and people are using town-houses to be unique destinations for their family within the urban center,” he explains.
“The townhouses you see now are designed much more like a single-family home, and people want a single-family feel even to an attached home,” says Michael Stone, senior designer at Bassenian Lagoni Architects in Newport Beach, California. While attached multi-story dwellings, traditionally called row homes, are what many still envision at the mention of townhouses, this option today has a range of iterations. “It seems like each week we are seeing a new spin on the attached product,” shares Stone.
Today, townhouses can be clustered on small lots. Some are freestanding, like some historical homes in New York City, or they might be attached. They can also be part of a highrise building. “We create them on lanai decks; we create them on rooftops,” says Karp. Location is key and an address in a highly desirable, prestigious neighborhood in cities including New York or Miami adds to the appeal and the cachet of the property. Being part of a high rise also usu-ally enables townhome owners to enjoy all of the amenities of the building.
Even new master-planned communities — usually with diverse property types, prices and sizes — often include town-houses in walkable locations close to the hub of activity.
Getting More With Less
Kobi Karp lives in a townhouse. Wayne Visbeen lives in what might be considered a new vision for townhouses. His is a three-story live-work space. “I think the thing that is similar between townhouses and single-family homes is we’re all trying to figure out ways of getting more for less. So how do you use space efficiently, no matter how luxurious? It is something that even my very-high-end clients are looking for,” he says. His own home is only 20-feet wide; yet, he says, people are shocked when they learn how narrow the home is. What makes the difference? Ceiling heights give volume and expansive windows bring in light.
Visbeen, who has won design and architectural awards for both custom and production homes, tends to think about space innovatively. A good example is a large room in his home designed to be adapted to multiple uses, including a rec room, a guest suite and a conference room for his business. This type of space is something Visbeen says he is incorporating into almost all new designs from townhouses to single-family residences.
What makes a townhouse today differ-ent from one designed decades ago? Light, maximizing square footage, floor plans oriented for privacy and indoor/outdoor connections. Even entries have been reorganized with direct access to a residence from a private garage, which is more often than not, spacious enough for two cars and additional storage.
It’s All About The Light
Interiors infused with light dispel any sense of compromise regarding square foot-age or the size of a lot, even for attached homes. For example, in a recent plan created by Bassenian Lagoni, individual town homes were attached along the rear wall. The entries faced opposite streets and the orientation allowed for the placement of windows, large banks of windows, on three sides.
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / PHOTO_HAMSTERMAN
Strategic positioning of stairs connect levels and enhance light in new townhome designs.
Often, stairways are open and positioned to transmit light through two or more levels of the home and to also visually connect multiple levels without sacrificing valuable interior space. For upscale properties, elevators are becoming a non-negotiable item, particularly in new construction on sites where the enhanced value derived by the location and the land often more than exceeds the cost of an elevator.
A new spin on townhomes from Lexington Homes, is something Benach describes as a bit of a hybrid. “It’s a town-home in that the main footprint where people live is about a 40- by 22- or 21-foot footprint, times three stories.” In a typical old-style townhome, the garage would be in front or in the rear but still integral to the building. But in Benach’s hybrid model, the entire house is “all living space.” The back door opens to a rear yard and a garage that fronts on an alley. “So, it’s just like a city single family home, except they are attached. And there is a weathered-board fence between each one, so you’ve got your own little private back yard,” along with a garage, he says.
PHOTO COURTESY KOBI KARP ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Whether a covered deck, garden, pool or simply a small patio, outdoor spaces are some of the most desired amenities in townhomes.
Outdoor Attachments
A small outdoor space, especially in urban centers, is one of the most desired amenities offered by townhomes. It’s something many do not want to sacrifice just because they live in a metropolitan area.
Equally fundamental to an experience akin to single-family are decks, patios and porches, often on multiple levels of the home. Not only do they provide an essential connection to nature, but they extend the square footage, often via stacking or telescoping doors that completely
merge inside and out. Often, for homes located above parking garages or in high-rise buildings, they create opportunities for outdoor living — even small gardens or play areas in locations and sites where such access is almost impossible. Being able to walk outside or dine, possibly in a covered outdoor room, brings an entirely new dimension to the townhome experience. The latest “must-have” outdoor amenity is a rooftop deck, which in many locations maximizes views. Outdoor kitchens and dinning, gardens, pools, and play areas make this amenity space even more desirable.
Outdoor Living Inside The Home
Another strategy architects employ to create outdoor connections and infuse natural light into the center of townhouses is interior courtyards, often sited next to a side yard or the rear, with the home grouped around it in a U-shape. In addition to opening ground-level spaces (often via disappearing doors) to the outdoors, they create opportunities for additional windows and even large expanses of glass on upper levels. In all price ranges, the use of transom glass at the top of walls or over windows and doors further opens interiors on upper levels.
Private courtyards within the townhouse also evoke historical ties to turn-of-the-century townhomes in New York. “Those homes were highly glazed with interaction and connectivity to the landscaping, and to the gardens,” says Karp.
In addition to outdoor living options, having square footage distributed between multiple levels is a main differentiator between a flat and a townhouse.
The interaction between indoors and outdoors also differentiates a townhouse from a flat as does having living spaces on multiple levels. Both create value and enhance privacy and the essential sense of home. “It gives you a little bit of separation. It’s physical and mental privacy,” says Karp.
“Additionally, particularly for high-end homes, taller rooms often found in town-homes are ideal to display art,” observes Karp, a feature increasing desired by affluent owners.
Even for the affluent, especially in urban centers, Karp says, “a big house and land isn’t necessarily as financially feasible as it is to maintain a luxury townhome in a town center where you live it and you use it in a more efficient manner. You live and you use every room of the townhouse, where I give you a sprawling house in the city and there’s rooms you never walk into.”
This editorial originally appeared in The High End Winter 2020.
65 E. Goethe Street Unit M102, Chicago, Illinois, United States
This magnificent residence lives like a single-family with approx. 5800 square feet on 2 floors and a private street entrance, yet offers the 24-hr. security, maintenance, and management services of an 18-unit luxury, boutique condominium building… the best of both worlds! It showcases the finest designer finishes, creating a timeless oasis in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. The space flows easily from a formal living room, dining room, library, bar area to an inviting family room, all surrounding a dramatic entry foyer with 11′ ceilings. The 30′ kitchen and breakfast area, designed by de Giulio, opens to 1300 square feet of private, landscaped outdoor space. The 2nd level includes a master suite, his/her baths, dressing rooms, office/study, 2 add’l ensuite family bedrooms. The 4th ensuite bedroom is located on the 1st level, perfect for guests. This elegant, unique home is surrounded by landmark mansions and the lakefront, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive areas of the city.
Basic Details
Price: $5,989,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 5
Half Bathrooms: 1
Square Footage: 5,800 Sqft
MLS: 10382629
Featured Agent: Sherri Kramer, Broker
Coldwell Banker Global Luxury | 676 N. Michigan Ave. #3010, Chicago, Il 60611 cell 312.513.4280 fax 781.609.0169 sherri.kramer@cbexchange.com www.lakefrontlivingchicago.com
www.facebook.com/SherriKramerChicagoRE
If you’re searching for a home in Chicago, you’ve come to the right place!
SHERRI has been a realtor in Chicago since l986 and top producer with Coldwell Banker Residential for over 20 years. Her business is based on repeat and referral clients, providing the best support through the complicated process of purchasing or selling a home. She is 100% committed to helping her clients make one of their most important financial decisions and believes that ‘listening’ to her client’s needs is her top priority.
Sherri specializes in residential properties in Chicago’s Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, Old Town, DePaul, River East, Lakeview, River North, Lakeshore East, West Loop & South Loop neighborhoods. She is skilled and up-to-date on the luxury market, new construction, market & financing trends, technology, social media…and always has a ‘pulse’ on the market.
Both regionally and nationally, Sherri enjoys helping her clients anywhere in the country through a vast network of trained and skilled Coldwell Banker agents in every marketplace. She enjoys a great reputation among her colleagues, in addition to her clients, who know they can count on her integrity and professionalism.
As a Seller, it is crucial to have the right realtor assist in staging and accurately positioning the home within the marketplace, as well as provide the best marketing support. As a Buyer, the right realtor provides guidance through the process, within the confines of the buyer’s budget and lifestyle. Sherri has always focused on being the ‘right’ realtor.
For 30 years, Sherri has been committed to being the ‘real estate professional” in her clients’ lives. “The most important thing we have in business, as in life, is our reputation” according to Sherri. Her clients know they can always count on her!
Formerly owned by tenor Titta Ruffo, this astonishing penthouse in Rome, Italy was recently redesigned by “starchitect” Dante Benini to grant the comfort of a yacht.
“The home offers an ancient atmosphere on top of Monti Parioli with modern furnishing mixed with an overall touch of elegance, all of which make you at your ease,” says Andrea Barbera of Coldwell Banker Barbera Group International Real Estate, who is listing the property for 6 million euros.
Offering smashing views, this home features three levels with a private elevator, four bedrooms, five baths and a terrace that is nestled between the rooftop loggia and the turret.
“Visitors enjoy the view of the city because the terrace overlooks the north side of Rome, including Flamino Stadium and Monte Mario,” says Barbera.
In a quiet, gated community in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, this grand home offers 24-hour security. Inside, the welcoming stairway at the entry leads to the great room and main living, which open to the pool area.
“As you walk down the stairway entrance you feel like you are walking into a grand ballroom,” says listing agent Jaime Gould of Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty.
The home also features three bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a one-bedroom apartment and a two-car garage.
“This home is good for people who like to entertain and have guests stay with them,” says Gould. “Each bedroom has its own area, so if you need to get away or have peaceful quiet time you can.”
Photo courtesy of Alexander Jospeph
It seemed as if the interior designing industry has exhausted all of the various designs used in kitchens — until the new trend of all-black kitchens became the new fad and shifted the paradigm. Here’s how designers are getting into the trend and making blacked-out kitchens feel warm and inviting at the same time.
Dark cabinets and countertops not only add a beautiful composition to the space, but they actually make the room feel less blank and minimalistic. Ironically, the dark colors add a certain vibrance and texture to the space rather than washing it out. Utilize natural light with large floor-to-ceiling windows to give the black cabinets a hint of blue dark blue for a more colorful style. The sunlight on these cabinets keep they style modern and sleek without making it bland and boring.
Photo courtesy of Original BTC
Photo courtesy of Viva Lagoon
Another perfect way of styling blacked-out kitchens is adding gold accents. Not only do they add the perfect contrast, but they vary the textures used, making a refined and finished look. The reflective material of the gold cabinets create an open and war atmosphere.
Regardless, if a completely blacked-out kitchen isn’t your style, then look toward making a stark contrast between black and white. Not only does it create a striking composition, but it brings a unique flair that’s sure to be a conversation piece. The blacked-out island at the forefront of this otherwise white kitchen is a perfect example, and will make sure to invite people in.
Photo courtesy of PullCast
Imagine traveling to anywhere in the world for the most incredible, once-in-a-lifetime trip. Imagine experiencing the culture of the community that resides there, the thrill of seeing a new corner of the world, and the beauty of nature around you. Now imagine being able to give back in the process. Companies are sprouting up, giving individuals the opportunity to have an exceptional trip while giving back to the community they travel to.
Photos courtesy of Off Season Adventures
Off Season Adventures allows clients to travel to destinations such as Uganda, Tunisia, Ethiopia and more — all while being immersed in the communities they’re giving back to. Tanner C. Knorr, the owner and founder of Off Season Adventures, has always had a vision of giving back, saying that “if we all contribute just a little bit to the communities and environments while we’re traveling, the world would be a better place.”
Off Season Adventures is unwavering in its belief of making the communities its clients travel to a better place than before. Earlier this year, the company installed a solar panel water pump system in the village of Kakoi, located in Tanzania. Because of this work, 15,000 people now have access to clean drinking water.
Photo courtesy of Off Season Adventures
Photo courtesy of Elevate Destinations
Not only do these companies give back in considerable ways, but the extraordinary landscape of the destinations and the connections made with the communities that reside there are already reasons to book a trip. Dominique Callimanopulos, the founder and president of Elevate Destinations, believes the most rewarding aspect is simply the connections made between the travelers and the community members of the area. “It tends to be really an exchange, it’s not just one way,” she says. “I think the travelers get at least as much out of the exchange.”
She recommends Africa more so her clients than any other destination, as she describes it as “just like nowhere else. There are very few places you could see such amazing beauty of untouched landscape.” She emphasizes, however, that Elevate Destinations is not into “one-off” visits and investments — and that the company is deeply invested in long-term community development of the destinations clients travel to.
Photo courtesy of Elevate Destinations
For some companies, there is also a focus on the environmental impact of traveling to the provided destinations. andBeyond, a company dedicated to providing luxury travel with a deep focus on environmental sustainability, offers private tours of the stunning landscapes in Africa, South America and Asia.
Photos courtesy of andBeyond
Clients are finding these trips to be evermore fulfilling and meaningful. Not only are they giving back to the communities they travel to, but there’s an underlying consensus — they get back even more in return.
Stacy Gottula, one of the premier luxury real estate brokers with the Agency, a firm located in Beverly Hills, has officially redirected her career toward working with the Eklund and Gomes team associated with Douglas Elliman.
This is just three months after the Eklund-Gomes team expanded into Los Angeles, where Frederik Eklund, the long-time star of the hit TV series “Million Dollar Listing New York,” moved in order to dominate the West Coast.
“I’ve been chasing her and we’ve been talking for a long time,” he said of Gottula to The Real Deal. “What she’s bringing, which is something I really need at this point is the experience pitching big, big listings.”
Photo courtesy of Tigran Tovmasyan, One Sixty Studios
Gottula credits her decision to transfer onto the Eklund-Gomes to wanting to work in a team atmosphere again. At the Agency, she worked solo on most projects — and she told The Real Deal that after seeing the team at Douglas Elliman, “it felt right.”
This is another big hit for the Agency, as Stacy Gottula brings the firms’ lost brokers to a count of 45 in Los Angeles.
By the end of 2023, the aromatherapy industry is expected to hit over $4.3 billion, as reported by Reuters. And with candles being the quintessential form of aromatherapy, luxury homeowners are making room for this new form of wellness. Here are ways in which artisans and craftsmen are using candles to elevate the wellness industry once again.
Decreasing stress is one of the top priorities for people in demanding careers — and everyone is turning to scented candles for a natural and easy remedy in creating the perfect escape from the pressures in the world. Heating and Plumbing’s wide variety of scented candles does just that. The “Herb Garden and Hops” candles generate a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Adding scented candles to various rooms in your home can help you relax and unwind after a busy day.
Photo courtesy of Heating & Plumbing
Photo courtesy of Garden Trading
Photo courtesy of Garden Trading
Just in time for the holidays, make sure to include candles in your decorating process. They’re not only the top product in the wellness industry but, when styled right, can leave a festive impression. These scented candles from Garden Trading are the perfect design for the upcoming holiday season.
Buckley and Phillips Aromatics has also been one of the forerunners in the boost for candles in the wellness industry. With candles like these, decoration is key. Candle centerpieces work perfectly for the holiday or year-round decorations to brighten the atmosphere. Or, just have the candles by themselves for a simpler and more minimalist design. Either way, candles like these are sure to bring a calm and inviting mood to the space.
Photo courtesy of Buckley & Phillips Aromatics
For those who are looking to find more storage for their clothes and accessories, or those who simply want to elevate the style of their home, look toward making the dream walk-in closet. Not only can it be practical by offering ample storage, but it can also be a reflection of your style, so don’t forget to make it yours. Here’s how:
1. Sleek, Organized Design
When it’s completely organized, having all your clothes on display can add vibrant color and a beautiful composition to your walk-in closet. But practically, it can be a challenge to keep the storage space that organized all the time. So instead, look toward stained cabinets with a matte finish. Use gold to add a pop of color and a simple design for a sleek finish.
Photo courtesy of LUXXU Home
Photo courtesy of LUXXU Home
Photo courtesy of PullCast
Photo courtesy of Brabbu Designs
2. Not Just a Closet (seating, too!)
When you have the space, add in comfortable seating as well. Not only does it elevate the luxury-end of the design, but it functions well when changing or putting on shoes. Add a comfortable bench or chair for the same effect.
3. Effortless Impact
When designing a walk-in closet, there’s one word that’s a must: effortless. Whether it’s more monochrome or vibrant in color or more spacious or closed off, let the room be yours. Let it reflect your personal taste — both in fashion and design.
Photo courtesy of Chaplins Furniture