Blanchett and hubby offer piece of history
LOS ANGELES — Oscarwinning actor Cate Blanchett and her husband, playwright and director Andrew Upton, have put their historic home in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, on the market for about $14.75 million US.
Built in 1877, the sandstone-faced home, known as Bulwarra, overlooks the Lane Cove River on an acre in Hunters Hill, Australia’s oldest garden suburb.
Extensively renovated and updated to a more contemporary style, the house is distinguished by clean lines, open space and neutral tones.
Interiors featuring walls of glass and raised ceilings make up formal living and dining rooms, a kitchen with a centre island and a lower level with an office/library. A floating staircase framed in jetblack steel extends to each of the home’s three floors.
The master retreat sits in a private wing and has a skylight-topped dressing room. Public areas and each of the home’s five bathrooms take in garden and landscape views.
Outdoors, tree-topped grounds include a guesthouse, a covered pavilion, a swimming pool and spa and a tennis court. Direct access to the river completes the scenic setting.
Blanchett, 46, is known for her Academy Awardwinning performances in The Aviator (2004) and Blue Jasmine (2013). Among her other film cred- its are The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Upton, 49, has worked as the artistic director for the Sydney Theatre Company for the past five years, creating adaptations of Hedda Gabler, Don Juan and Children of the Sun, among others. He was the associate producer of the 2005 film Little Fish starring Blanchett and Sam Neill.
TASTEFUL IN BEVERLY HILLS
Renowned chef Wolfgang Puck is packing up his leftovers and listing his Beverly Hills house for $8.495 million.
The kitchen of the Mediterranean-style villa may seem on the modest side by professional standards, but it has served Puck for a dozen years. The Spago founder bought the property for $3.675 million.
Set on a quarter of an acre on a tree-lined street, the 6,025-square-foot house is surrounded by gardens, lawn and mature trees. A swimming pool and outdoor living areas with plenty of room for al-fresco dining complete the grounds.
Indoors, a two-storey entry with a wrought-iron railing staircase sets the tone. Thick plaster walls, beam ceilings and a stone fireplace are among architectural details.
Living spaces include a formal dining room, a library/office, a great room, a media room, five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and a powder room.
Puck, 66, has restaurants, cookbooks and a product line.
So where will the restaurateur cook in his off hours? He bought a nearly 12,300square-foot mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Beverly Crest two years ago for $14 million. Former Los Angeles Sparks star and Olympic gold medallist Lisa Leslie has her home court in Calabasas on the market for $2.19 million.
Leslie and her husband, Michael Lockwood, bought the contemporary-style house in a gated community three years ago for $1.7 million.
Set on half an acre, the two-storey house was built in 1996 and has a swimming pool, a covered patio and a terrace entry. The 4,633 square feet of space includes a two-storey foyer that opens to a living room with a fireplace and a formal dining room outfitted with white accents and a crystal light fixture.
Other amenities include a family/game room with a wet bar, a centre-island kitchen and an office/den. A master suite with coved ceilings, a fireplace and an updated bath are among the five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
A swimming pool with a spa and waterfall features, a built-in barbecue and expanses of lawn are within the grounds.
A three-time WNBA most valuable player with the Sparks, Leslie, 43, has deep roots in Southern California, having played for the University of Southern California and before that at Morningside High in Inglewood.
She made eight all-star teams while winning two championships in 11 profes- sional seasons. As an Olympian, Leslie won four consecutive medals for Team USA from 1996-2008. She officially retired in 2009. Television producer and screenwriter Tom Kapinos of Californication fame has put his home in Manhattan Beach up for sale at $4.75 million.
Designed by architect Pat Killen, the three-storey contemporary on a walk street was built in 2001 and sold to Kapinos the following year for $2.16 million, records show.
The open, 4,000-squarefoot space is highlighted by such industrial details as concrete walls and floors, walls of glass and a staircase wrapped in wood and steel. Among the living spaces are a loft-style kitchen with a breakfast bar, a great room, a living room, four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
Balconies and a rooftop deck take in city and ocean views. Elsewhere on the grounds is a four-car garage.
Kapinos, 46, is best known as the creator, writer and executive producer of Californication, which ran for seven seasons on Showtime before concluding last year. Among his other credits is the TV drama Dawson’s Creek, for which he served as a writer and producer, and the upcoming supernatural drama Dead People.