Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Heidi Klum (Sort Of) Downsizes

BUYER: Heidi Klum
SELLER: Ed. Weinberger
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $9,875,000
SIZE: 11,600 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Shortly before German-born supermodel turned Emmy-winning Project Runway super-mogul and fecund sartorial entrepreneur Heidi Klum split with her musician ex-husband, Seal, the once-happy couple shelled out $14.2 million for an approximately 12,300 square foot mock-Med villa with 8 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms on just over 12 acres in the Brentwood Country Estates, a super exclusive guard-gated enclave in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles where some of the other multi-acre estates and massive mansions are owned by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, sitcom super-producer Kevin Bright, and—directly across the road from Miz Klum—fellow supermodel Gisele Bündchen and her professional pig skinner hubby Tom Brady.

As far as Your Mama knows, after the erstwhile couple parted ways Miz Klum remained in residence in the Brentwood family manse, presumably along with her beefy and rugged new bodyguard/boyfriend Martin Kristin. Howevuh, hunties, according to the ever-bounteous real estate yenta Yolanda Yakketyyak, the Klum clan is on the move and, as rich and/or famous people so often do after a marriage slides down the garbage disposal of lost love, the super-rich 40-year old mother of four bought a new house, a (slightly) smaller mansion on a whole lot less land in a smaller and less glorified guard-gated enclave in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles for which she paid $9,875,000.*

Property records (and other online resources) show the ridge-top estate was sold by nine-time Emmy winning writer/producer Ed. Weinberger (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, The Cosby Show) and his wife, former actress Carline Watkins, who custom built the three-story red brick neo-Georgian mansion in 2000 and had the property on and off the market for more than three years at a variety of prices as high as $15 million.

The 11,600 square foot mansion sits on a 4.82 acre parcel with long and wide views down the steep canyons and over Sherman Oaks and the San Fernando Valley, a view that many who can afford to pay $10 million for a house would not want, according to the sometimes snobbish Yolanda, because "it faces the wrong way." A long private driveway cuts between a couple of mansions and forks awkwardly as it nears the symmetrical front of Miz Klum's new and stiff-shirted abode. To the right there's a featureless parking lot-like motor court and to the left a secondary motor court on the side of the house where there's also a detached two-car garage with self-contained one bedroom apartment above.

The center hall foyer will impress traditional architecture loving guests with lustrous chevron-pattern wood floors, the exact sort of sweeping floating staircase for which trail-blazing architect Paul Revere Williams is known and adored,* and glass doors at the back that open to a small veranda that overlooks the backyard. In addition to the graciously scaled formal living and dining rooms—both with wood floors, fireplace and elaborate moldings—lower level living spaces include a pair of offices and a library with yet another fireplace, French doors with semi-circular transoms, and a bunch of bookcases that may or may not be built in, we can't tell.

Family-oriented spaces include a generous family room that opens to the back yard and a spacious, eat-in kitchen that's expensively decked out with white cabinetry, marble counter tops and the customary suite of commercial-style stainless steel appliances that include side-by-side fridge/freezers, a 48-inch range plus wall ovens, and an under-counter wine cooler.

Listing information goes on to indicate there's a (less-than-ideally shaped) media room with angled ceiling and built-in wet bar/candy counter and, somewhere in the house, a temperature-controlled (and sorta dank-looking) wine cellar with stone-tiled walls and floor. Up on the (at least partially) finished third floor there's a home gym/dance studio and the basement, as per listing details, allows for further expansion.

Four guest/family bedrooms with en suite facilities occupy the mansion's second floor along with a roomy master suite that's complete with fireplace, a private deck with view across the entirety of the San Fernando Valley, dual dressing rooms, and two bathrooms—"his" with a vaguely vintage barbershop-y vibe and steam shower and "hers" with lots of mis-matched marble and a super-size soaking tub in front of a Palladian window. (Let's all cross our fingers that Miz Klum or her team of lady and/or nice-gay decorators has the good sense to do away with the cotton candy pink walls in the "her" master bath.)

The landscaping around the mansion is fairly simple with some clipped hedges and, besides total privacy from neighbors, outdoor amenities include an over-sized heated swimming pool sunk into a pancake flat swathe of lawn, several covered and shaded terraces, and an outdoor kitchen off the family room/kitchen. Listing details suggest there's room for a tennis court but we really have no idea if Miz Klum will undertake the installation of such.

We expect Miz Klum with sell her giant house in the Brentwood County Estates but, at this point, Your Mama has no inside intel on her plans. Until mid-2008, when she sold it for $5.35 million, Miz Klum maintained a two bedroom and two bathroom penthouse pad on Bank Street in New York City's Far West Village. We're not sure where the statuesque Miz Klum and family bunks when in New York City but our research suggests—but does not prove—it's a series of high-priced downtown rentals.

*While the property is, address-wise, located in Bel Air's prestigious 90077 zip code, some might say that the north of Mulholland Drive property ought to be in the relatively affluent (and star-soaked) but far less celebrated 91423 zip code of Sherman Oaks.

**We don't know who is responsible for the architecture of this home but it was most assuredly not Paul Revere Williams who met his great drafts(wo)man in the sky in 1980.


listing photos: The Agency

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Blech! Another ugly McMansion. As she would say on PR--there is nothing modern or sexy about this!

Anonymous said...

I love this place
yammieee

Anonymous said...

hmm this is the house on the hill surrounded by small houses. i think it might be somewhere near hidden hills. really nice 360 view :)

Anonymous said...

This house is a hot mess. I have seen this house before. It looks nice until you look at it on bing maps or google maps. When you see the bird's eye view you see that it is in a neighborhood with a bunch of small houses. Also you have to go behind one of the small houses and go down some long road to get to this house. It is a really weird set up and the other houses do not look fitting of a celebrity.

lil' gay boy said...

Sweet Baby Jesus...what an expensive teardown. And one cannot even cite the location as ideal.

I'm sorry, but a $10M tract home is still just that...a tract home.

It resembles nothing so much as every other McMansion in "Upper" (because they'd die before being called "Lower" anything) Brookville -- but at least they have the provenance of being built on a former polo field or an old Quaker farm.

Anonymous said...

Pretty lame for a guy with Weinberger credentials$$$$$

Anonymous said...

Faces the wrong side of the hill? HA, some people are so miserable. It's basically in Sherman Oaks and have killer views of the Valley, the snobbery is kinda pathetic. The days of making fun of the Valley are over, but I'll guess you guys can see for yourself.

Anonymous said...

That same snobbery is the reason people hate living in LA.

Anonymous said...

I hope LGB is correct that Ms Klume is going to tear this down. Otherwise I am VERY surprised she would live here. Her taste level (at least I thought) and bank account warrant a much more special property.

Anonymous said...

This home is amazing, Yoloanda needs to hush it with the snobbery, it's not that big of a deal, and offers killer views. Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, Bruno Mars, etc. All live on that side of the hill. It's beautfiul both ways. Geesh. It's a $10 Milion dollar home for godsakes, and nothing but bad remarks?! Jealous much?!

Carla In California said...

This home was featured on "Beautiful Homes and Great Estates" this past Sunday morning on tv. I didn't like the fact the pool was off to the side, but loved the view. This house isn't so bad. It just needs paint color changes to a few rooms and an expansion to the kitchen. She's not keeping the furniture, thank God. :)

bentley said...

Oooooh, this place gives me the sweats.

Floating staircases, which normally arouse me to the point of, well, you know, here leave me feeling blue.

The pool is nice, but yeah, if I lived in LA I would consider it facing 'the wrong way.'

Girl should have stayed put. The old place was a stunner.

Anonymous said...

So the Katy Perry house didn't pan out for her, looks like a five minute drive to the Mulholland Estates to see Charlie...

Anonymous said...

You people are all ridiculously stupid. This is a gated community and this is the pinnacle house. However, a house sold on the same street for $12-13m within the last couple of years. The fact that this house is accessed down a long driveway on a flag lot off the road and totally private is a positive not a negative to the retard who said that. The views form this property are superb... while they maybe vValley... they are killer. And not one of you could afford the lot, let alone front door of this place. The house is eh, but could be re-decorated into a nice house. Nothing earth shattering but certainly better than your tri-level vinyl sided matchbox in DesMoines

Anonymous said...

Zomtimes you are in and zomtimes you are aut....Sorry Heidi but zees is aut.

Anonymous said...

Is groovy about Charlie Sheen, Paris Hilton. They are classiest Americans. Very good post it commenting by classiest 11:34.

Rosco Mare said...

Eventhough good landscaping is nowhere to be found, I kinda digging the house. The day-core is not my bag, but it's not terrible or inappropriate....it's comfortable elegant day-core for older rich people. I would hire decorator Michael Smith to "make it work." I would also paint it Georgian white to resemble Paul William's super elegant work.

Maybe I like it because I went to a memorial today and am looking for anything to cheer me up. Just thinking about Paul Williams architecture has kinda done the trick. Thanks Mama Dearest.

Anonymous said...

Dear Rosco,

I'm sorry for your loss. May your memories become a source of comfort and blessings for you.

Sincerely,
Hedda

Rosco Mare said...

Many thanks for your kind words dear Rabbi Hedda.
Blessings
Rosco Mare

Anonymous said...

The Rabbi is imagining the former Weinberger/new Klum residence with a two-storey porte cochere.

Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Petra's said...

$10 million and no bridal staircase?!?!

Heidi, guuuurl...

Anonymous said...

Now, Petra,

Heidi's new home does feature a tasteful...single...debutante/prom staircase!

Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Anonymous said...

This is not good.

Anonymous said...

Dull, Dull, Dull

Anonymous said...

did Tim Gunn approve this purchase?

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Anonymous said...

Forgive my ignorance (I am not from the USA) but what is a tract home? I'm thinking it is what is referred to in Ontario as a subdivision (read cookie cutter homes all brand new in row with no trees). Thanks Dahlinks!

lil' gay boy said...

Anon 5:09,

Pretty much...

Anonymous said...

Just horrible.

Unknown said...

They might be McMansions surrounding ze newt Zome but they are 3 Million and up to 13 Million. not shabby !