Luxe Living

You might not know his name, but if you’re a music fan you most likely have purchased something from him. Irving Azoff is one of the most influential people in the music business, with a recent article in Billboard naming him as THE #1 most powerful.

Azoff got his start managing musicians and his former clients list looks like a who’s who of the music world, with names such as:  Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, Van Halen, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely Dan and New Edition.

After managing all these luminaries, Azoff also served as CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment and Executive Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment. So, even if you weren’t buying music from any of these artists you have likely been to a concert that required buying tickets through one of these other companies.

One can assume that Mr. Azoff has been well compensated for his work over the years and this $16m mansion proves it. The home is located in the increasingly swanky Holmby Hills area, on a massive 1.5 manicured acres. The sleek, modern styled villa is situated behind a gate and designed for privacy. It features 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms with high ceilings and large windows throughout.

The chef’s kitchen is stunning and includes all of the high-end appliances that you would expect. After dinner, retire to the master wing that features a large master bedroom, his and her baths and a study that overlooks the grounds.

The home is rich with amenities including formal dining and breakfast rooms, library, family room with bar, covered outdoor patio, full-sized gym, pool, spa, pool house and guest house.

Images via the MLS.

The Biggest Loser‘s breakout star and ‘America’s Toughest Trainer,’ Jillian Michaels, is selling her gated home in the Hollywood Hills! Purchased by the trainer-to-the-stars on February 15, 2008 for $1,565,000, the 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 2,701 square foot home has just been pushed onto the market with a $2,450,000 price tag.

The home has a great open kitchen, and the floor plan and open dining and living rooms make it perfect for entertaining. Necessary for any Hollywood Hills home, incredible city views can be seen from the downstairs as well as the master bedroom. The large master bedroom suite features a walk-in closet, bath with separate tub and steam shower. Michael’s home also has two additional bedroom suites, one of which Michaels currently used as an office. Move-in ready for any other celebrity, the home also features a pool, security system with cameras and pre-wired sound system.

Michaels has certainly built herself into a household name over the past few years through her work on “The Biggest Loser” and other endorsement deals. On the personal front, she and her partner Heidi Rhodes have two young children, one they adopted from Haiti and one biological child.

After her high-profile split from Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough reportedly has a new “Safe Haven“: a $3 million mansion purchased by Ryan as a parting gift when their two year relationship came to an end in March. According to our source, Ryan pulled a move similar to his American Idol costar Simon Cowell, who gave his ex-fiance a high dollar mansion in the wake of their split. Details on Hough’s new home are still under wraps, but the “Dancing With The Stars” dancer and budding movie star reportedly decamped to the new gift mansion shortly after moving out of the $37 million-dollar compound she shared with Ryan for the past year. Their former love nest was purchased from Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi in May 2012 and seemed to signal to the world that Seacrest was finally ready to settle down and build a family life with Hough.

Reports on their breakup cite his hectic schedule and inability to kick his workaholic ways as the main impetus for their split. He must have loved her in a major way though, since he allegedly spent some serious coin on her new bachelorette pad.

While Hough was mid break-up and likely closing on her new Los Angeles home, she found the time to list and sell her Nashville condo. Located at 900 20th Avenue in the heart of Nashville, Hough paid $649,000 for the 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,829 square foot condo in 2009. She relocated primarily to Los Angeles in the past couple years, and likely had the property leased out to a tenant. Property records do show that she managed to dance out of the property and make a pretty penny. She sold the condo on January 7, 2013 for $900,000.

Images via the MLS.

Vince Vaughn, comedic actor and everyone’s favorite “Wedding Crasher” is settling down a bit more these days. On the heels of the news that he and wife Kyla Weber are expecting baby #2, the Chicago native has just scooped up a 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 5,563 square foot home in La Cañada Flintridge on April 25, 2013 for $3,925,000.

The Vaughn’s new estate sits behind gates on an approximately 3/4 acre lot. Very, very traditional up first glance, the Colonial-style home combines classic design with fine craftsmanship. The large gourmet kitchen is fully equipped and each of the five large bedrooms comes complete with their own bath. The home also has a library, family Room, formal dining room and living room. The park-like grounds include sweeping lawns, swimming pool and sport court – perfect for their growing family!

Eccentric actor Joaquin Phoenix has purchased his next door neighbor’s home on March 29, 2013 for $1,390,700, as indicated by property records. The 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2,511 square-foot home sits directly next to his existing property on top of the Hollywood Hills at Mulholland and Laurel Canyon. His existing home was purchased on November 7, 2006 for $4,835,000.

Phoenix’s longtime property is rather ordinary by Hollywood standards, and can been seen extensively in scenes from Phoenix’s “mock-umentary,” “I’m Still Here,” in which he famously duped his peers and the public into thinking he was quitting acting to become a famous rapper.

No telling why he needs his next door neighbors digs too, but perhaps it’s because he’s following the trend among celebrities of creating a compound comprised of multiple high-priced properties.

As it stands, Phoenix’s new addition to his Los Angeles property portfolio is a “a very special charmer re-done to perfection.” The gated property features a living and dining room that open to peaceful, beautifully landscaped grassy yard with custom outdoor fireplace and stone waterfall. An eat-in kitchen with huge center island and high-end appliances opens to a family room and additional large patio with canyon and city views. The Master suite has built-ins, a huge closet and re-done bath. Also included on the property is a bonus room with new bath and its own entrance, which would make a perfect office, gym or maids quarters.

Images via the MLS.

Katy Perry is selling her “California Girl” estate for $6,925,000. Purchased by the songstress on June 24, 2011 for $6,500,000, Perry intended to make the 3-acre estate compound near the famed Chateau Marmont her and then-husband Russell Brand‘s marital love nest. Amid rumors of an impending divorce and before the moving vans could even get in the front gates, the duo split for good – and the home remained vacant. Perry was reportedly secretly hoping to find a buyer for her unlucky love nest without having to officially list the home for sale. Perhaps she was asking too much money or people just didn’t want the bad juju associated with the home, but Perry couldn’t find her buyer.

Now, the home, dubbed “Park Hill,” is officially for sale, as first reported by The Real Estalker. Built in 1921, the estate is comprised of a significant Mediterranean residence with two-story grand entry that continues into two-story living room overlooking all of Los Angeles and the city’s dramatic skyline.

Additionally, the property has a separate two-story guest house that was formerly a caretaker’s apartment on the lower level and a Carriage House on the second level for auto storage. In 2004, another guest house was built and could be used as a private residence, as it comes complete with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

The lushly landscaped backyard has a lagoon-style pool with waterfall and small bridges. Adding to the allure of this property, the home neighbors Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Storer House.

SNL alum Chris Parnell, who is also known for his role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC‘s Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock and his co-starring gig as Fred Shay on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory, has just purchased new home in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Property records show the actor/comedian closed on the deal on March 15, 2013 and paid $1,700,000 for a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2,482 square foot home.

Common for the neighborhood, Parnell’s home is a 1920′s Spanish Revival home that got a modern day makeover. Prior to Parnell’s purchase, the home was majorly overhauled. The integrity of the basic structure and character of the house was maintained while the interior was expanded and reconfigured to incorporate the prior owner’s extensive library and art collection. The resulting floor plan organized all the rooms around a new central atrium with a large oculus and surround by an arcade of book shelves.

Outside, a drought tolerant California native landscape was designed using the existing mature trees on the property. Inside, features include: custom lighting with graphic eye controls, whole house filtration system, wood and limestone floors, kitchen and bathroom fixtures from Waterworks, Viking appliances and a 14 panel photovolactic solar system.

This isn’t the first home Parnell has purchased in this hip and happening Los Angeles neighborhood. He also owns another property on Silver Lake Blvd that he purchased on November 20, 2007 for $620,000. That 1,360 square-foot home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. With this new Parnell purchase, it’s likely we’ll see his older, smaller home pop up on the open market soon!

Kanye West and reality star girlfriend Kim Kardashian may be looking to name their unborn child “North,” however, West’s buyer of his $3.3 million dollar Hollywood Hills home has gone south. A Hollywood insider has whispered to us that Kanye’s unique, 4,124 square-foot estate, that was relisted just last month, has quickly gone in and out of escrow in a matter of weeks. Will Kanye have to ramble up his real estate “clique” and relist yet again or will he put it aside for now and just focus on his new $13 million, 9,000 square-foot property?

Located in the coveted Hollywood Hills, the three bedroom, four-bath home is a dream for a fan of modern architecture, especially if you have an art collection that you would like to display. In fact, the home looks a lot like a gallery and is a fabulous place to entertain, whether you are drinking Corvoisier and going to the Grammy’s or not. He first purchased the three-story modern property in December of 2003 for $1,750,000.

Images via Alexander Davis of Hilton & Hyland.

Funny lady Tracey Ullman has just taken on a brand new mortgage when she bought a seriously beautiful home in Los Angeles for $2,566,000! Ullman, who has been entertaining the world since the early 1980′s, gained major notoriety for roles in shows like her namesakes, “The Tracey Ullman Show” and “Tracey Takes On…,” as well as “Ally McBeal” and innumerable others.

Her stunning new retreat is just minutes from the famed Sunset Strip and behind a walled gated entry. The estate is a private and unassuming ‘post and beam’ architectural that comes alive through the courtyard entry. Dramatic and modern style with warm wood tones keep it cozy and inviting, yet, the two story glass windows in the living room have sweeping views from the Getty, canyons, mountains and city below – making it an undeniable showstopper estate. There are three bedrooms, including a great master with an indoor/outdoor bathroom.

Additionally, there is is a large great room off the kitchen, a formal dining room and a TV room and fire pit. Living spaces all flow to outdoor spaces including a huge patio. Ullman’s new house has been published in both the LA Times and California interiors and was refurbished by celebrity and White House designer Michael Smith as his personal residence.

While her new place is rather impressive, Ullman still owns a prime Palisades Riviera home that she bought on September 8, 1988 for $1,800,000. That home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,574 square feet. Three years ago, she briefly put that home up for sale for over $5 million before quickly taking it off the market.