The famous Nuits in Irvington, New York was built as a summer home by textile importer Francis Cottenet in 1853. The home is made of brick faced with Caen stone, a light yellow limestone from northwestern France near the city of Caen and brought to America in Cottenet’s ships. The home was built in two stages with the north extension including a Lord and Burnham conservatory added on in 1860. The home was designed by architect Detlef Lienau, and in 1980 was placed under the protection of the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a place of significant historical importance. Nuits is 14,000 sq. ft. on 4.78 acres that include a carriage house with two-car garage, swimming pool and utility shed. The main house includes 10 bedrooms, 12 fireplaces, 16 sets of French doors, living room, dining room ad the original ballroom which is now the gourmet kitchen, dining area and family room, billiard room, gym, butlers pantry room and of course, the light-filled conservatory.

Nuits is listed at $14.25 million.

The Bader House is billed as the ultimate bachelor house and indeed, I think just about anyone would swoon if invited inside. This home is the ultimate in modern design and Hollywood glam. Located in the hills in West Hollywood and perched above the Sunset Strip, this one has all sorts of features designed to tempt. The floor-to-ceiling walls of glass show off sparkling nighttime views. Super sexy architectural details includes a parking spot in the living room, a mechanical dining room table, and a sensuous fire elevating from an open pit. The home has just two bedrooms but it does have a home theater and a gourmet kitchen.

The beautiful Chinquapin Plantation in Thomasville, Georgia is a distinctive piece of real estate offering both formal garden spaces and plenty of unspoiled land. The plantation was owned by Alexandra Kauka and her late husband, German cartoonist, Rolf Kauka. A Worth article from 2006 details Kauka’s decision to donate some of the land next to the estate. The home itself is located a bluff overlooking the Ochlocknee River. The Mediterranean-influenced main-house offers nearly 18,000 square feet of wide verandas, porches, public rooms for entertaining and numerous private wings and suites. The home was completely remodeled by its present owner in 1981 and then restored and expanded in 2000. The property includes a separate three-bedroom guest cottage located across the motor court from the main-house, six tenant houses, a pool house with solar-heated saline pool, four-car detached garage, barns, stables, kennels and a skeet range. The listing doesn’t give a price.

A vintage Harrie Lindeberg and John Staub design built in the early 1920s (and on the National Register of Historic Places), but the current owners have created an inviting abode full of a variety of art to ogle and shelves of books to browse through. This eight-bedroom home is on 1.7 beautifully landscaped acres with formal gardens and a greenhouse. The home includes a dramatic entrance hall with a floating staircase,large living room, library, garden/media room, dining room, gourmet kitchen w/morning room and wine cellar. A new pool and pool house were constructed in 2002. There is also a carriage house with staff quarters. This home is listed at $11.3 million. The AOL home value tool estimates it at just $2,307,393.

Actor Jamie Foxx hasn’t lived in his Tarzana, California home for a while, moving on to a 40-acre spread in Thousand Oaks. This three-bedroom in Tarzana had been his home since 1997 when he bought the home for $930,000. As the Real Estalker mentions, the home has been the site of some of Foxx’s famous wild parties and the police were once called over a nude basketball game being held on the home’s half court. The home has been customized by Foxx with details such as aquariums in the living room, a game room in the basement, a media room and a recording studio. The home has since gone through a major renovation which explains the blandness of the current decor.

The backyard includes a large lawn, pool and pool house, sunken spa and that infamous basketball court. This home is listed at $2.23 million.

The property is located on the beautifully scenic Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands in Washington. This estate spans 161 acres and includes six separate tax parcels with six houses, six drilled wells, three cabins, a cookhouse, shops, garages, barns and other outbuildings. The land has a total of e approximately 3,200′ of shoreline and comes with a deepwater, drive-on pier, a float and two boathouses with a workshop. The island can be reached by private boat, ferry or plane. $20 million will get you your own island retreat.

This “lower” penthouse on Fisher Island Drive in Miami has some of the most striking interior design I’ve seen in Miami. The four-bedroom penthouse is over 8,000 square feet. The interior design by Lorraine Letendre is a pleasing mix of spare and luxe combining contemporary art and a neutral palette with details like French Oak wood cabinetry and goat skin paneled doors. This home has the most amazing man’s closet I’ve ever seen. There is also a large balcony to take in the ocean views. This home is listed at $13.9 million.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Trump has sold the property he bought in 2004 from Abe Gosman for his desired price. Trump bought the home for $41.35 million and spent another $25 million in a renovation headed by Kendra Todd, winner of the third season of The Apprentice. He first put it on the market for $125 million which made it the most expensive home for sale in the U.S. but even Trump knew that price was optimistic and predicted three years ago that it would go for $100 million.

The home has nine bedrooms, a ballroom and a conservatory as party of its 62,000 square foot expanse. It also has a 48-car garage. Believe it or not, the unnamed buyer might tear down the huge mansion and subdivide. The waterfront property has been a prized piece of land for over 100 years and has the current house, Maison de L’Amitié, was only built in 1990. The property is appraised at $58 million by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office, meaning the 2007 tax bill at $980,033, is higher than the price of many homes in America. Trump’s sale comes after a rash of big home sales in Palm Beach including Jones Apparel Group founder Sidney Kimmel who recently sold his home in the area for its $81.5 million list price.Read more

The gorgeous Grace Bay Club in the Turks and Caicos has unveiled plans for The Estate, a collection of 22 “custom-designed ultra-elegant residences” set to debut in November. The luxury resort is building the deluxe dwellings on its prime parcel of 11 oceanfront acres just steps from the beach. Each 4500-sq.-ft. unit will have four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a steam shower, a library/media room and wraparound terraces; floor plans are customizable. The Estate development also includes a multi-tiered oceanfront pool, luxury cabanas and a Personal Concierge program. Prices range from $2.8 million to $5 million-plus for a penthouse.

The luxe all-suite resort is also home to the “longest bar in the Caribbean”, which stretches 90 feet across the Grace Bay Club beach with its cabanas and spa tents. Constructed of black marble, the infinity design “creates the illusion that the entire structure is floating above the Caribbean sand and extending indefinitely into the ocean.” We’re getting thirsty just thinking about it.

Check out the gallery below for more pix and renderings of the Estate project.

Located within a tranquil neighborhood in the heart of Paradise Valley, this magnificent 14,000 square foot estate sets a new standard for quality, elegance and unsurpassed style.  Stunning views of Camelback and Mummy Mountains create a beautiful setting while the walled and gated 2.2-acre compound offers a true sense of privacy and security.  The floor plan strikes the perfect combination of gracious sophistication and family-friendly warmth.  Formal spaces are comprised of an elegant great room with fireplace and a large dining room, which are served with a wet bar and wine cellar.  A spacious family room, billiards room and home theater make up the casual entertaining spaces. 

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