Emily Laura Blog's

Thursday, 1 October 2020

NY Country Compound Is Wallpapered to the Rafters—and Comes With Karaoke

A designer with 120,000 Instagram followers has juggled two goals with a compound that she and her husband have just put on the market for $2,025,000.

“I feel I have single-handedly tried to revive the wallpaper industry,” says Cristy Lee McGeehan, the designer of the two homes that make up the Bruyn Estate at Red Mills Farm, in Wallkill, NY.

“Wallpaper has come so far, and I’ve always loved it. And I just knew any wall that wasn’t logs would be [covered with] wallpaper.”

Besides resuscitating the reputation of wallpaper, her other goal was to create a retreat where people want to go and relax.

Two distinctive homes sit on the property, which is almost 25 acres. One is a lovely 1835 Greek Revival farmhouse on the National Register of Historic Places, and the other is a newly constructed log home. Each measures in at about 2,500 square feet.

“It’s such a unique property. Some people just aren’t going to get it, or they’re going to need an explanation of how to use it,” says McGeehan, who, with her husband, Colan McGeehan, bought the property in 2013.

Exterior of farmhouse in Wallkill, NY
realtor.com

The couple moved from Manhattan into the farmhouse and began updating it.

“Our approach was: We kept everything intact—all of the historical features of the home. We didn’t go and remove walls and make it open concept. We didn’t put in new windows. But at the same time, we did things like turn the original summer kitchen into a speakeasy with a karaoke bar,” Cristy Lee says.

The farmhouse has three upstairs bedrooms, a formal dining room, kitchen, and office on the first floor, and a wine cellar, gym, and the karaoke lounge in the basement.

All those features in a great locale meant guests. Lots and lots of guests.

“Cristy was calculating that in the prior year, we had 135 nights of friends and family here, which prompted us to build a guesthouse,” Colan explains.

He adds that Cristy Lee designed every inch, served as the general contractor, and did a lot of the physical work.

They broke ground for the log house project in May 2018, and it was completed in October 2019.

“In hindsight, it is wonderful, but throughout the process, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do—and I still don’t know if it was harder mentally or physically,” Cristy Lee says.

The McGeehans had been a part of a few episodes of “Barnwood Builders” on the Discovery Channel and DIY Network.

Much of Christy Lee’s design for the guesthouse included using logs from old barns to create a log house.

The folks from “Barnwood Builders” sourced the logs from four different structures dating from the 1840s to the 1860s. The brick for the chimneys is also all reclaimed.

“There were two things I wanted in the guesthouse. One is, I wanted it to feel like it had been a part of the property for as long as the farmhouse had been. Then I also wanted it to feel like an extension of our home,” Cristy Lee explains.

“So even though [the two houses are] very different, they have the same feel when you go there. I would use the word ‘enchanting.’ It really feels like a Disney enchanted home in the middle of the woods, where things come alive at night to hang out with you.”

The guesthouse features a large hearth room, an open kitchen, as well as large dining and living spaces. The master bedroom is on the main floor and has a separate entrance.

There are four more bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom and one quirk.

“We have no clocks in any of the rooms, and even our parents will sleep like teenagers when they’re here,” Cristy Lee says.

“It’s just kind of this old-fashioned way of reconnecting. We always say there’s really no substitute for hanging out in your jammies in the morning.”

Each room in both homes is also unique, mostly thanks to the wall treatments.

“Who I am at my core in terms of design aesthetic—it’s all about pattern and texture,” Cristy Lee explains.

“I like the idea of people wanting to touch everything around them and it being an immersive experience, where you really feel like you understand the people that live there.”

Much of the wallpaper in the homes, in a nod to the property’s natural surroundings, is dotted with insects, bugs, and animals.

Some of it is hand-painted and costs hundreds of dollars—and another wall might just be $2 wrapping paper, Colan jokes.

“Every luxury purchase is offset by something that is so dirt cheap and affordable,” Cristy quips back. “So many people think that wallpaper is terrible, and I’m like: ‘That’s just because all you know is ’80s and ’90s wallpaper.’”

Outside, there are woods, trails, a barn for animals, a fire pit, and an outdoor bandshell, perfect for events and gatherings.

“You can go out there, and there’s a disco ball. And you can sing karaoke outside in the middle of the woods, with all the farm animals running around you,” says Colan.

Cristy Lee jumps in, “And then it converts—because, why wouldn’t it?—into a faux drive-in theater with a huge screen, sound system, and everything.”

The two had thoughts of putting in a pool and outdoor kitchen on their dream property, but instead decided to sell it and move to Tennessee.

“We truly thought we could die at this property, but the bottom line is this: With COVID happening, like everyone else, we’re re-evaluating our priorities,” Cristy Lee says.

They’re moving closer to family and finding another place to create another dream home.

With their proximity to New York City and the nearby amenities, the homes would make a perfect family retreat or work-from-home space, Colan says.

“I work in tech, and so when we first moved here, we wanted this to be the smartest old house in America,” he says, noting that the home and grounds include several high-tech flourishes.

“We put in a mesh network, so now you go out in the middle of the woods, and there’s Wi-Fi now.”

The post NY Country Compound Is Wallpapered to the Rafters—and Comes With Karaoke appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/ny-country-compound-wallpapered-to-the-rafters/

Train Car for Sale in Marfa, TX, Could Be a Cool Getaway Plan

The tiny town of Marfa wasn’t always a hip area for artists. Before the migration of creative types to this small speck of desert in west Texas, Marfa was a train city with lines rumbling right through town.

Even today, “the train is such a presence in Marfa,” says Lauren Meader Fowlkes of Far West Texas Realty. She’s the listing agent for a decommissioned caboose now on the market for $285,000. “We’re a town built around the rail line.”

Now, in a fun nod to the town’s railroad history, this Santa Fe Railroad steel caboose seeks a new owner. Built in 1948 as one of three for the rail company, the caboose was pulled out of service in 1984. The train car weighs just shy of 60,000 pounds.

The current owner has owned the caboose for years.

“She bought it for her 40th birthday,” explains Meader Fowlkes. “They’ve had it in their backyard in Hamilton, TX, for all these years. Other than the Union Pacific, they are the second owner.”

They recently relocated it to Marfa, and are now ready to bid it a fond farewell.

Local zoning already makes bunking in this 400-square-foot caboose legal, and it’s classified as a single-family dwelling.

“These train cars were built for someone to live in every day,” says Meader Fowlkes.

Wondering why there’s no cupola atop this particular caboose? There’s a reason: A cupola would have made passing through the tunnels on the Santa Mita rail line impossible.

What will need to be done to turn this caboose into a home?

While there’s a half-bath in the caboose, the stove was taken out of service, says Meader Fowlkes. “In order to live in this, you would need to do some upgrades to the plumbing, and add a shower.

“It’s truly a very robust structure,” she says, likening the caboose’s aesthetic to Marfa’s Crowley Theatre, which is located inside a former feed store.

“It’s deteriorated in a very attractive way,” says Meader Fowlkes, who adds that the buyer could either strip it down to the metal “Airstream-style” or retain its distressed and weathered exterior.

“Maybe this is a really fantastic office?” she suggests. Or perhaps a unique Airbnb listing?

“Our short-term rental market has maintained strong during the pandemic,” she adds.

And bonus for a buyer: The caboose sits on a double lot with room to build. So a buyer could erect an additional structure and keep the caboose for guest quarters, or relocate it altogether as the sellers just did.

“Lots of people use cabooses for the backyard. It would be possible to use this on another lot,” says Meader Fowlkes.

The post Train Car for Sale in Marfa, TX, Could Be a Cool Getaway Plan appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/train-car-for-sale-in-marfa/

Mel Brooks’ Former L.A. Home on the Market for $3.85M

Mel Brooks Los Angeles — Nils Tim, Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

No joke. This midcentury marvel in Los Angeles was once owned by the comedy legend Mel Brooks and his wife, the actress Anne Bancroft. It’s now on the market for $3.85 million.

And since Brooks and Bancroft sold the place in the 1980s to its current owner, the structure of the midcentury modern abode hasn’t changed.

“This property is steeped in Hollywood history,” says one of its listing agents, Andreas Elsenhans with Douglas Elliman.

“The owners made sure to keep the pool and fireplace untouched, as an ode to a different time. As you walk through the home, you can still feel the vibrant energy of all the Hollywood superstars who may have partied there. It truly is timeless.”

The funnyman’s secluded former pad is seriously nice. Nestled on a hillside, it has three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.

Mel Brooks’ former L.A. home
Credit: Nils Tim

Built in 1958, the home features an open plan with a living room and adjoining dining room. The great room is dominated by the original three-sided fireplace, and its oversized windows and glass doors make indoor-outdoor living easy.

A library/den comes with wall-mounted bookcases and hillside views. The home’s open kitchen includes a center island, maple cabinetry, a butler’s pantry, and high-end appliances.

The spacious master suite has a bathroom, walk-in closet, and built-ins. Another en suite bedroom comes with outdoor access.

For a buyer in need of help, there are also staff quarters on the premises.

Outside, the grounds include palm trees and plants, a terrace, saltwater pool, spa, and an outdoor kitchen with barbecue. A private gate and two-car garage complete the property.

Brooks, who was born in Brooklyn as Melvin Kaminsky, is known for his comic classics, such as “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs,” and “The Producers.”

The “2000 Year Old Man,” as he was called in his classic comedy sketch, is now 94 and belongs to the ultra-exclusive EGOT club: He’s been awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony. The Academy Award-winning actress Bancroft, who died in 2005, starred in “The Graduate,” “The Miracle Worker,” and “The Elephant Man.”

Andreas Elsenhans with Douglas Elliman and Zac Mostame with NestSeekers hold the listing.

The post Mel Brooks’ Former L.A. Home on the Market for $3.85M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/mel-brooks-former-home-on-the-market-in-los-angeles/

Foodie Filmmaker David Gelb Orders Up a Couple of Real Estate Deals in L.A.

David Gelb Los Angeles home — realtor.com, Erik Voake/Getty Images

The culinary content creator David Gelb—the man behind the critically acclaimed film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and the popular Netflix series “Chef’s Table”—has prepped a two-course real estate deal in the Hollywood Hills. Within a single week, he purchased one home and put another on the market.

Gelb closed on a 3,471-square-foot contemporary home near Mulholland Drive in the Laurel Hills area just a week before he put his Beachwood Canyon home on the market for $2.5 million.

The status of the latter home is not clear right now. Initially listed in July, it’s currently off market. It could be that Gelb decided to hold onto the place, found a tenant, or is in the process of closing a deal.

Records indicate that Gelb paid $3.22 million for the latest home on his real estate menu. It was originally built in 1972, but has been recently renovated. The residence now boasts an open floor plan with five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and remarkable views of the San Fernando Valley.

Director David Gelb’s new Hollywood Hills home
realtor.com

His new acquisition also features two master suites and an array of high-tech goodies, including security cameras, an electric-car charging station, and remote controls for its many automated features, including a heated pool and hot tub.

And of course, this gourmet aficionado requires a delicious chef’s kitchen, with a 48-inch, oversized stove, JennAir appliances, a herringbone marble backsplash, and a large waterfall island. The space is perfect for entertaining guests with a gustatory bent.

The multilevel home Gelb put on the market in July also has a chef’s kitchen, with double dishwashers and Wolf appliances. It also offers plenty of outdoor dining space, on decks with classic views of Los Angeles.

In addition, it’s in a location that any true food fan would enjoy—just a few minutes from chic eateries in Hollywood and Los Feliz.

David Gelb’s Beachwood Canyon home
realtor.com

One of the more interesting features of the terraced property is a pristine white wall on one side of the heated pool, which is used as an outdoor theater screen. There’s also a thriving secret garden with lemon trees and herbs.

Gelb isn’t the only notable name to realize the value of the home, built in 1993. America Ferrera, of “Ugly Betty” and “Superstore” fame, once lived there.

She paid $1,415,000 for the three-bedroom, four-bathroom home in 2008, and lost a little cash on it when she sold it in 2012 for $1,240,000 in 2012. Gelb purchased the 3,427-square-foot home in 2017, for $2,175,000.

Gelb, 36, catapulted to fame thanks to his work on the 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” He then went on to helm the horror film “The Lazarus Effect,” and created two Netflix food series, “Chef’s Table,” which has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award, and “Street Food.”

The post Foodie Filmmaker David Gelb Orders Up a Couple of Real Estate Deals in L.A. appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/david-gelb-orders-up-a-couple-of-real-estate-deals/