August 5, 2008
Remarkable Luxury Home for sale in Chicago
Regular readers will know of my fondness for Seth Godin, and his maxim that to be successful, one must be “remarkable.”
This particular luxury home for sale on Chicago’s north shore, is one that I consider to be “remarkable,” and the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw it was “attention to detail.” The specifications are too numerous to list in full, but the basics are: 4 bedroom, 4 full baths & 1 powder room, 2-story, 4,688 square foot English Colonial-style all brick home (6,685 w/finished basement) with 2 car attached heated garage, hardwood floors, custom crown molding, trim and baseboard throughout. 11′ ceilings on the first floor, 10′ Ceilings on the second floor, and 10′ ceilings in the basement which includes a 34′ recreation room, fully equipped media room, full bath and Sauna Room. The list goes on and on, and a full brochure is available for download from the builder.
The other most remarkable feature of this home is the successful transition from indoors to outdoors with the six separate patios, two outdoor fireplaces and screened porch off the breakfast room. The “feel” is almost Japanese in the way nature and artificial landscaping combine to bring the “indoors” outdoors, but in a very English style. I understand more than 100 truckloads of earth were removed to create this garden.
The attention to detail carries all the way through the house from the 8 foot tall solid mahogany front door to the hand carved solid marble fireplace mantels. The list of appliances and fittings reads like a who’s who of luxury interior design companies, although I am not too enamored with the bar - that would have to be replaced - Dark wood paneling and Chesterfields methinks. 
The property is situated a short walk from the Lake Shore Country Club, downtown Glencoe, and two blocks from lake Michigan. For those non-Americans reading, a block is an arbitrary distance which would equate to “about 5 minutes walk.”
Glencoe itself has a whole subdivision of Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses with the third largest collection of Wright houses in the world, based on the famous Fireproof house for $5,000. A some what tenuous connection to this property, the price being just a tad more than $5,000.
$2,744,000 more to be exact. Although, I am hard pushed to see how they are making a profit at this price. Either way, the listing agent is Gloria Matlin at the Glencoe IL office of Coldwell Banker’s residential brokerage.
Filed under Luxury Home Builders by Mark Knowles
February 23, 2008
Landmass London
Landmass is a luxury residential property company that specializes in the acquisition, design, refurbishment and development of luxurious apartments and houses in prime London locations such as Mayfair, Belgravia, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill and Kensington SW1, SW3, SW7,SW10, W1 AND W8.
The company offers a number of client services ranging from acquisitions to a full service including Space Planning, Lifestyle Blending, and Finishes. “A 110% solution for 100% of our clients’ requirements.”
Landmass concentrate their efforts on premium quality and claim “not to be the cheapest developers around.” According to the Managing Director, Alan Waxman:
“Development has always required design flair, an attention to detail and application of processes and actions to get the job done on-time and on-budget – this is especially vital in property development and I strongly believe that these skills have been fundamental in allowing Landmass to grow to what it is today.
“My passion for this company comes from many places but it would be fair to say that the variety of properties and clients that I have, and continue to work with, makes each day a new and exciting challenge. Combine this with a fantastic team and developing properties in one of the most famous and important cities in the world makes me feel very proud of what Landmass has achieved to date.”
Landmass has a very small team of experts in-house: Tara Ford, interior designer; Damien Paul, construction manager; Francesca Matthieu, Acquisitions Director and the MD, Alan Waxman.
Their recent projects include a stunning 3-4 bedroom apartment in 3 Sheridan Court, Kensington, London, SW 5. The property was completely refurbished to the highest standards and sold for £2.25 million after completion.
Landmass have been written up by The Times, The Sunday Express and several up-market luxury real estate magazines. The articles are available for download from their website.
Unlike the larger luxury real estate development companies, Landmass offer bespoke, personal service
Filed under Luxury Home Builders by Mark Knowles
February 17, 2008
Bezzina Group
Bezzina is a small Australian Luxury real estate developer based in New South Wales. Michael Bezzina established the company in 1986. Initially the company concentrated on the small residential market in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, then progressed to medium density projects in Southern suburban areas such as Kirrawee, Gymea, Jannali, Caringbah, Sutherland and Cronulla.
Bezzina create almost exclusively luxury apartments - Tara, Mia, Lani and now Jade on Surfers Paradise beach and Sienna at Point Piper are some of the developments in their luxury portfolio.
The founder, Michael Bezzina, spent his early years learning the carpentry trade, working his way from contract builder to being one of Australia’s pre-eminent luxury apartment developers – building luxury homes in Australia’s most desirable locations, from Surfers Paradise in Queensland to Point Piper on Sydney Harbor.
The Jade Tower was launched in spectacular fashion in 2006, including flaming cocktails and a “Volcano” erupting on the beach and with Mr. Bezzina, affectionately known as a ‘Scruffy Mongrel,’ being thrown in the swimming pool. This didn’t stop the penthouse apartment selling for a rumoured $20 million – a new Australian record at that time.
Jade Tower:
The company has completed 30 luxury real estate developments since 2005. Largely residential, with a small number of commercial projects. Bezzina does most of the work in-house, employing a small team capable of taking the project all the way from the architect’s drawing board to landscaping the gardens and showing a healthy respect for the natural environment.
Bezzina employs a full-time architects - Victor Robert Bryce Lake (B.Arch (Hons), A.R.A.I.A.) and Architectural designer, Donna Pye (B.Sc (Arch) University of Texas
M. Proj. Mgmt. UNSW) along with an impressive array of experienced luxury building contactors.
Bezzina has won over 12 awards over the years for its apartment and townhouse developments.
1996 - Tiana, a ground-breaking multi-storey apartment development on the Cronulla beachfront was named the Housing Industry Association’s Best Apartment Building.
2004 - the Tara development won the ultimate accolade – the HIA People’s Choice Award for Best New Residential Development.
Company details:
Bezzina Group
Level 1,
4-6 Kingsway
Cronulla
NSW
2230
Australia
T: 02 9544 0054
F: 02 9527 4293
Email - info@bezzina.com.au
Filed under For Professionals, Luxury Home Builders by Mark Knowles
