Mariann Cordova

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

111 Corporate Dr., Suite. 210, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694
Phone: 949-307-4040 | mc@southorangecountyliving.com | www.marianncordova.agent.bhhscalifornia.com

Mariann is a multi-award-winning Realtor and marketing expert with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Her goal always has been successful marketing of residential properties, employing professional ethics, sound planning, persuasive skills and a strong support system. With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California and a certificate of interior design from the Los Angeles Design Center, Mariann carries years of in-depth real estate and current market knowledge. Her fluency in English and Swedish and working knowledge of Norwegian, Danish and German are valuable assets in assisting international clients and those looking to relocate.

Listing by Mariann Cordova

Coto de Caza, California

23111 Maravilla Lane, Coto de Caza

Stunning Georgia estate is situated on 5.8 acres. Visit www.23111Maravilla.com for more information.

Video: https://vimeo.com/273382691  |  Brochure: https://bit.ly/2tveiOj

Offered at $15,900,000.

Mariann Cordova originally appeared as an Elite Agent in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See her page here.

Depending on the place you call home, the changing seasons may bring cooler weather, warmer fashion, and the beginning of holiday festivities.

If you’re looking to upgrade your closet, find a gift, or treat yourself, here are a few luxurious must-haves for the upcoming months of fall foliage, breezy temperatures, and autumn decor.

Must-Have Sustainable Coffee Mugs

Sustainable is a concept that is here to stay. The increasing awareness about single-use plastic and our threatened environment has sparked an interest in sustainable everything. If you’re switching from iced coffee to steaming tea and hot cocoa, try a ceramic travel mug that will eliminate single-use cups. The ceramic mugs are stylish and functional.

Photos courtesy of Kim Wallace Ceramics

A Wraparound Shawl/Pashmina

These travel wraps are perfect for breezy mornings that require a few extra layers. Muted tones and woven from fine merino wool, these scarves can add a touch of style to your outfit. Later in the day if the chill is gone, the items are lightweight and can easily be stowed away in your bag or in your desk.

Photos courtesy of Tolly McRae

Photo courtesy of Sophie Allport

Art and Greenery

Photo courtesy of AUDENZA

Shorter days, cooler nights and less time to spend outdoors can leave some days feeling rather dull. Brighten up your space with a touch of greenery, such as a new plant or a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers. A low maintenance option would be a cheerful piece of art that brings life into rooms that can feel drab in the upcoming months.

For similar content try; Four Concepts Trending for Your Bath This Fall, Holiday Gifts to Delight Design-Lovers, Luxurious Gifts for Dad, Stretch the Limits With New Workout Equipment.

Peter Barkin & Mark Gilman

Compass, Barkin-Gilman Group

1200 E. Las Olas Blvd Suite 103, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Peter: (954) 675-6656 | Mark: (954) 557-8777  | www.barkingilman.com

Peter Barkin and Mark Gilman have been successfully supporting the real estate dreams of buyers and sellers in South Florida for more than 20 years. In 2002, Peter and Mark teamed together to create the Barkin-Gilman Group, a highly respected and successful brand within the South Florida real estate community.

Listing by Peter Barkin & Mark Gilman

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

AQUABLU

There are 2-bedroom and 3-bedrooms available at the beautiful development, as well as dockage.

Starting at $1,395,000.

Peter Barkin & Mark Gilman originally appeared as Elite Agents in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See their page here.

While kitchen backsplashes are known to be composed of simple tiles that blend into the background, interior designers are diversifying them with different materials and bold color palettes. Instead of overlooking backsplashes, the forerunners of the industry are bringing them in the spotlight. Here’s how:

Photo courtesy of Lime Lace

For a less busy design, look toward simple, geometric tiles with a dash of color. These blue tiles create a beautiful backsplash for a more relaxed style. Simple countertops and cabinets also won’t wash it out, as the bold color adds a subtle yet effective contrast. Both offer a charming addition to the kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Original Style

For a more Modern Farmhouse design, look toward subway tiles with an intricate yet subtle design. These light blue tiles add a bright color to the room, while incorporating small, intricate design that makes it appear more unique overall. Each tile brings a more comfortable and warm atmosphere to the room. Pair tiles like these with a finished wooden countertop for an even warmer and chic composition.

Kitchens and bathrooms are established markers of luxury — without updated, high-end versions of these important rooms, a home is likely to quickly decrease in value regardless of how elegant its other elements may be. However, the most luxurious homes need more than just above-average indoor spaces to be considered grandiose.

An entertaining, opulent addition to a large backyard, outdoor kitchens have become popular staples among luxury homeowners. From small-scale pizza ovens accompanied by an understated seating area to a fully furnished kitchen tailored to outdoor cooking, having access to a means of preparing food in an outdoor space is crucial to high-end homebuyers, especially in warm
weather states.

Russ Faulk, Chief Designer and Head of Product at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, says that one of the biggest outdoor culinary trends is cooking on a live fire. 

“Live-fire cooking isn’t new; in fact, it is the oldest form of cooking,” Faulk says. “But more recently, people are re-embracing wood-fired cooking and its primal nature. It started with the chef community. Restaurant menus described dishes as wood-fired or wood-grilled steaks, seafood, vegetables, and even dessert. It was all about capturing the char, smoke and unique flavor that comes when you grill using wood. Now people can capture that same experience right in their backyards.”

Outdoor kitchen design used to capitalize on the novelty of the out-in-the-elements nature of the space, but lately, Faulk has seen homeowners transition their outdoor kitchens to mirror their indoor ones.

Photo courtesy of Brantley Photography.

“We’re seeing indoor kitchen trends move into the outdoor kitchen. That includes more transitional designs, more cabinetry drawers versus doors, and more color,” he says.

These spaces can serve as a poolside dining area made for entertaining, or more simply as a peaceful place to cook on a summer night. The versatility and unconventionality of an outdoor kitchen makes a statement even among the most luxurious of homes.

Photo courtesy of AUDENZA.

A black, smokey shower door is an unique and stylish way to add allure to your bathroom. Other ways you can create drama is to mix stone walls with a wood floor, or install a clawfoot bathtub for additional luxury.  

Photo courtesy of Merlyn Showering. 

Little touches like Gothic-style light fixtures give any space old-world sophistication. A hand-finished chandelier or brass candle holder bring a stunning effect.

British lighting company Besselink & Jones recently introduced a new line of Gothic light fixtures. Their Empire lamp shade, pictured below, features Gothic-style pleating and Ecru silk fabric which together produce a glamorous effect.  

Photo courtesy Besselink & Jones. 

This trend isn’t exclusive for Middle Age castles — investing in one or two pieces will bring the style’s lavishness to your living space. 

Photo courtesy of The French Bedroom Co. 

A recreational, or rec, room can be the perfect space to have fun and enjoy time with others. But recreation can have many different forms. From a game room to a movie theater and so many other possibilities, it can be difficult to find the perfect design and style for you. Here are four steps that’ll help you do so:

2. Finding the Purpose

It’s always crucial to think about the room’s purpose. For a more family-friendly setting, more comfortable seating and a fun atmosphere may work better. For those who appreciate a stronger sense of sophistication, a more refined look may be more suitable. For this style, an antique pool table with a polished finish can do just the trick. Darker walls add a dramatic backdrop to the space, incorporating the style even more so. If you’re a television junkie, a movie theater with ample seating may be more useful. Whichever purpose the room is used for, make sure it’s suits your interests and hobbies.

4. Have Fun With It

 The most important aspect of any rec room is to ensure that it serves its purpose, while also keeping a playful vibe. A bold color palette with a variety of textures and decorations can bring the room to life. Add funky decorations and avant-garde furniture to invite creativity into the space. In the end, remember to just have fun with it!

With prices for residential real estate hitting and then exceeding $250 million, stratosphere was the word often used in recent years to characterize the pinnacle of the market. This year, prices for the most expensive in the U.S. are holding steady, perhaps moderating slightly (Refer here for last year’s lists). With the ultimate price remaining at $500 million and the lowest of the top 10 at $135 million, down from 2018’s $138.8 million, it would seem “holding steady” would be an appropriate sobriquet this year. 

When the first edition of Ultimate Homes was published 14 years ago, the highest-priced property in the U.S., an extensive estate in the Hamptons with a huge array of amenities including a golf course, was $75 million. The prospect of a $100 million home was denitely on the horizon, but anything nearing a billion was not even on the radar. Yet, for the last two years, the reported asking price for a mega mansion touted as “the most expensive home in America,” has been $500 million; the lowest price among the top 10 exceeded $100 million for the last four years. Geographically, Ultimate stars have appeared in many of the country’s top luxury locales. Recent years have seen a move toward the West with L.A.’s million-dollar meccas dominating the top group. Timeless blue chip estates, many with extensive pedigrees including notable architects, owners and visitors, comprised most of the top 10 in the initial years.

Billion-Dollar Building Lot?

Undeveloped land without a house does not qualify for the Ultimate list, but it’s worth noting that last summer a $1 billion listing was posted in the multiple listing service for a 157-acre mountaintop spread in Beverly Hills. Since then, the price has been reduced by 35 percent to $650 million. Also, not on the Ultimate list is a $150 million parcel, One Enchanted Hill, that was the estate of Paul Allen, also in Beverly Hills. The property has many improvements including roads and two entrances, but the main house was razed.

Many see prospects for the premier market, particularly in L.A., as positive. Three years ago, Gary Gold with Hilton & Hyland sold the Playboy Mansion for $100 million, a record at the time for Los Angeles county. “Ever since then, we’ve seen more really big sales than ever before,” he observes. “The reason I think the ultra-luxury market is going to do well this year is there happens to be product worthy of big numbers. If there is no product available, nothing is going to trade, just because there’s nothing available. And there happens to be enough really nice, expensive big houses that are going to trade.”

Over the last 10 years, wealth globally has had a remarkable surge. Stephanie Anton sees growth in the number of ultra wealthy as a driver pushing the evolution of luxury, particularly in the highest-priced echelons. As buyer profi les evolved, luxe penthouses in new super towers along with newly constructed mega mansions created new residential categories and pushed prices upward. Properties with provenance such as Chartwell and Beverly House, along with classic estates, still have a place among best of the best. The “ultimate trophy and legend cherished for generations” is the way Beverly Hills broker Jade Mills characterizes Chartwell, a Bel Air legend designed by Summer Spaulding in 1930. A French Neo Classical exterior comprised of symmetrical cut limestone imparts a timeless presence. Henri Samuel, whose work includes estates owned by the Vanderbilts, Rothschilds and Valentino, refurbished the interior in the late 1980s. Located in the heart of Bel Air, Chartwell sits on 10.3 acres and is often described as the crown jewel of
Bel Air. 

The property also includes a guesthouse designed by Wallace Neff and acres of manicured gardens. Multiple agents including Jeff Hyland and Gary Gold of Hilton & Hyland; Joyce Rey, Jade Mills and Alexandra Allen with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; and Drew Gitlin with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties are representing the property. “Chartwell certainly ranks as one of the most prestigious and beautiful properties I have ever represented. Additionally, the acreage is most unusual with four separate parcels and the exceptional panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific,” comments Rey. This property would appeal to a very specific buyer, explains Jeff Hyland, “one who has class, sophistication and taste.” 

Prime Assets

Steller architecture along with extensive and amazing amenities are a prerequisite for every top property. They add value and promote an over-the-top lifestyle, but architecture and amenities alone will not merit prices at the very top. Where they are located still matters and almost every property this year has a prime address. 

“Location is still a top consideration for potential buyers,” says Rey. Also important for long-term value, according to Rey, is the land. Just five minutes from the Beverly Hills Hotel, with over seven acres, Villa Firenze is the largest single property in Beverly Park, the largest collection of single-family mansions to be built in the U.S. in the last 50 years. With its own street, the property is its own Italianate village and includes two guest houses in additional to a 20,000-square-foot mansion. 

Villa Firenze, Beverly Hills, California. Photo courtesy of Tyler Hogan. 

Irreplaceable

In nearby Manalapan, a 15-acre estate dubbed Gemini offers approximately 1,200 feet of dune-lined beach on the Atlantic and 1,300 feet on Lake Worth. A series of tunnels, including one that is a 15-foot-wide gallery, connects the two. The site, perched on top of a dune, offers 360-degree views, yet it’s only minutes to Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. In addition to the main house, it offers two, four-bedroom beachside cottages, a seven-bedroom house, and an additional staff or guesthouse, making it a true family compound with more than 30 bedrooms. Like Gemini, many Ultimate properties would be diffi cult to replicate. Agents call them “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.” Mesa Vista, a massive ranch in East Texas, is another such property. Billionaire Boone Pickens has devoted more than 50 years to transform this 100-square-mile expanse of Texas panhandle into an unmatched oasis and wildlife habitat.

Improvements include 20 lakes over the course of 20 miles. In addition to a 12,000-square-foot main lodge, there is a 33,000-square-foot lodge and several other houses, plus housing for staff. The chapel, a site for both weddings and funerals, is stunning, and a 6,000-foot runway and hangar facilitates getting there. The ranch is listed at $250 million.

“It seems impossible to comprehend all of the improvement made to this property, whether it is structural improvements, water enhancements, landscape or wildlife conservation features. To our knowledge, no other ranch can replicate Boone’s Mesa Vista Ranch,” says Monte Lyons, managing director of Hall and Hall, who is representing the property along with Chas. S. Middleton and Son.

Super-Sizing Luxury

In addition to being the most expensive, The One is also one of the largest homes in the country, with an estimated 100,000 square feet. The estate is nearing the end of a half-decade-long construction process, and agents expect completion in the next few months. It also reflects a new bent for ultra properties, particularly in Los Angeles, which takes the term “trophy property” to a completely new level. In addition to expansive views, a huge number of very premium amenities from multiple pools and elevators to garages, these estates include almost everything a newly minted billionaire might want, taking the idea of a turnkey home to a new level. 

Billionaire, once again No. 6 on the Ultimate list, is priced at $150 million after a $38.8 million price reduction. It’s completely furnished, staffed and decked out with a huge array of indulgent features and additions, including more than 100 curated art installations, two stocked wine/champagne cellars, a multi-million dollar collection of cars in a custom design gallery and a 40-seat 4K Dolby Atmos Theater. Unlike custom homes which are designed for an individual buyer, new mega spec homes are geared toward a group of buyers with a great deal of specificity.

What hasn’t changed over the years are the diverse features of every Ultimate home, although what were once perks are now considered a “must-have,” including all of the tech bells and whistles, as well as privacy and state-of-the-art security. Wellness has always been a consideration, but now expands beyond space for gyms, yoga and massage. Priced at $135 million, 2571 Wallingford Drive is located in another prime Beverly Hills location and offers a one-of-a-kind indoor sports complex with basketball, pickleball, gym, a boxing ring, sports bar and outdoor lounging, according to Ginger Glass with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Meadow Lane Oceanfront, Southampton, New York. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty.

“These are consumers who can afford anything they want, but that is nothing new. Ultra high-net-worth consumers want it all, and they can afford it all,” says Anton. “Today in the ultra premium category, we are seeing demand for a lot of square footage in a beautiful setting, and/or view lots with fabulous outdoor space for entertaining and plenty of room to entertain guests, among other things. People are looking for homes that meet the needs of their busy, over-the-top, social, connected lives, but also for their home to be a safe refuge to get away from it all.”

On three occasions Joyce Rey sold the most expensive home in the nation, establishing multiple benchmarks for price — in 1978 for $4.2 million, 1990 for $19.9 million, and 2010’s $50 million record. Last year, the highest priced sale was a $110 million oceanfront compound in Malibu, which was also the most expensive sale ever in Los Angeles. So far, 2019 could be seen as a record-setting year, with the sale of a $238 million penthouse residence at 220 Central Park South in New York, which was an Ultimate top property last year. The sale set a record for a U.S. residential property. Designed by Robert Stern and located adjacent to Central Park, the building has become one of Manhattan’s most renowned properties. The price is more than impressive and surpasses other records for the U.S., which include a $147 million estate in the Hamptons that sold in 2014 and Copper Beech in Greenwich, which sold for $120 million also in 2014. Both eclipsed previous records, including a Woodside, California, estate that sold for $117.5 million in 2012.

When it comes to indications of what might occur in the future, and even the correct context within which to understand the present market, a look back doesn’t always provide the best insights. Regarding this year’s recent record sale price, appraiser Jonathan Miller cautions in his blog that the price may not be an indication of future trends because the contract was finalized in 2015, at the height of Manhattan’s supertall and super-luxurious building craze. However, Jeffrey Hyland believes there are several good indicators that bode well for future ultra-luxury sales in California. He estimates a large number of IPOs this year. “All these people are going to have so much money they will be looking to dispose of.”

This editorial appeared in the Unique Homes Ultimate ’19 Issue. 

See the Top 12 list here.

OUR EXCLUSIVE GUIDE TO THE MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES FOR SALE IN AMERICA

This is the 15th year the editors of Unique Homes have published Ultimate Homes. Our comprehensive list of every property for sale in the U.S. for at least $25 million starts on page 52 of our recent Ultimate edition, and remains the only of its kind. Below, you will find a list of the top 10 most expensive properties featured on this year’s list — starting with a $500 million estate in Bel Air, California and ending with a $135 million property in Manalapan, Florida.

$150 million
Billionaire
Bel Air, California

$135 million
La Follia
Palm Beach, Florida

Featured photo courtesy of Tyler Hogan

Although the interior design trends are headed toward bolder, more vibrant colors, neutral greys and tans are always in style. ‘Neutral’ doesn’t necessarily mean boring: here are three different ways to make a room with less vibrant colors still have a bold impact.

Photo courtesy of Sweetpea Willow

Don’t count out natural lighting, however. Bright sunshine can bring the neutral colors to life. The high glass doors allow for the natural light to shine through, and create a more lively and vibrant room in the process.

2. Contrast of Colors

 The trick with designing rooms with neutral colors is a variation of those hues. Too much of one shade can make the entire space blend together, creating a boring look. Different shades of the same tones, however, can create a more vibrant style while also keeping a calm and comfortable atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of DelightFULL

3. Varied Textures

To allow more variation in a space without getting too busy with the colors, look to diversifying the textures. Include different fabrics, tiles, stones, wood and more to add a more attractive style. The leather couch, painted mural on the wall and glossy wooden floors add variation to this space. But no matter which are used, the diversity of the textures will always give the room a beautiful, elegant design.

Photo courtesy of DelightFULL