Photo Credit: Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty

How has the luxury real estate market in Houston been performing so far in 2020?

Luxury homes have been selling well. In particular, the new construction market has performed very well lately.  While our market was affected by Hurricane Harvey, it seems to be recovering well. Luxury buyers are move-up buyers, and the market is strong for the homes that they are moving out of, too.

What are buyers looking for in their homes in Houston in 2020?

It depends on their price range. Mid-level buyers are choosing older homes that have been beautifully remodeled and are in a good school district. There is an in-between market of homes built in the 1990s–2000s that buyers also like to transform to a more current look. Buyers at a higher price point are attracted to new construction with a sleeker look and more modern finishes.  The emphasis on having a large yard seems to have diminished somewhat – although some yard space is desired, with room for a pool along with an outdoor living space and outdoor kitchen for entertaining. Dining rooms with glass-walled wine rooms like you might see in a restaurant are a popular trend.

Which has been a highlight sale for you so far in 2020? 

New construction in a close-in neighborhood within walking distance to shops and restaurants. The buyers moved from an older home on over 2 acres in a highly desirable school district to a close-in area where people utilize excellent private schools. It’s an amazing modern house with a room for a pool, a high-end outdoor living area, and, of course, a glass-enclosed wine room viewed from the dining room.

Are there any new restaurants or other spots in Houston you’ve been loving lately?

Houston has an ever-changing restaurant scene. Areas like City Centre are home to luxury hotels like Hotel Zaza, and the accompanying restaurants that go along with mixed retail and upscale housing development. People eat out a lot in Houston and we have a huge selection of every kind of food imaginable.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

It’s time for spring break. What is a fun activity in Houston?

Houstonians head to the beach for Spring Break. Or to the ski slopes. A large number of people here have second homes in Galveston as well as in Colorado. With two four-star airports within a 30-minute drive, Houston has easy access to air travel. Both airports are rated in the Top 10 in the world, and according to Skytrax, “Houston remains the only city in the Western Hemisphere with two 4-star rated airports. The only other cities in the world with two 4-star rated airports are Tokyo and Seoul.”

The post Patti Garrison Talks Houston Real Estate And Things To Do During March appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Nader Art Centre

Locals and visitors present for the Art Basel Miami during Miami Art Week will have the unique experience of seeing one of the world's most recognizable designs.

A private reception took place at The New World Center to open the exhibit, attended by 200 guests.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Nader Art Centre

Remarks were given by Steven Gombinski, President of the Lincoln Road BID; Lyle Stern, Director of Lincoln Road BID; Howard Herring, President of New World Symphony; Ambassador Paul Cejas; Gary Nader, Founder of Nader Art Museum; and Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. After the speeches, attendees headed to Lincoln Road for the official unveiling of the exhibit. After, a dinner was held at Time Out Market.

The guests included Bass Museum Director Silvia Karman Cubiñá, music mogul Emilio Estefan, Fernando Botero’s son Juan Carlos Botero, real estate developer David Martin, Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola, Michael Comras, architect Rene Gonzalez, Jorge Plasencia, artist Soraya Abu Naba’a, Telemundo TV personality and host Azucena Cierco, among others.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Nader Art Centre

Previous locations that have held exhibitions of the Colombian artist's outdoor sculptures include the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Yebisu Garden in Tokyo, Lustgarten in Berlin and Park Avenue in New York City.

On his own sculptures, Botero once said, "I never give particular traits to my figures. I don’t want them to have personality, but rather represent a type that I create. My sculptures do not carry any messages, social or otherwise. What matters for me is the form, the voluptuous surfaces, which emphasize the sensuality of my work. I like the enormous size; it is the fulfillment of my longing for voluptuous round forms.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Nader Art Centre

The famous works of art to be viewed while enjoying the pleasant South Florida winter weather include "Male Torso", "Adam", "Eve", "Leda and the Swan", "Bird", "Rape of Europa", and others. Gary Nader Art Centre (62 NE, 27th street, Miami, Fla. 33137) will host the "Espacio Botero" painting, drawing and sculpture exhibit starting on December 1, 2019.

The post “Botero On Lincoln Road” Brings The Colombian Artist To Miami Beach appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Our focus here is on sumptuous home environments. Each of these four cities has a magnetism that certainly attracts the crème de la crème, thereby keeping that luxury living allure at an all-time high.

London

Paris

The mansion directly overlooks the Champ de Mars and boasts panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. Recently renovated, it includes a ground-floor foyer that provides access to a most magnificent living room and dining area, which eventually lead into a superb landscaped garden.

With floor-to-ceiling glass doors, the natural light keeps the palatial palace soft and airy. Providing that Parisian flair, no?

To awaken in this bedroom is to experience the best of Paris at dawn.

New York City

This master bedroom sits in elevated solitude amongst the most breathtaking view.

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Tokyo

Sotheby's International Realty

Tokyo is lauded for its parks and outdoor activities, as well as its impressive food scene and luxury real estate. And specifically, this luxury apartment will compel you to bring the activities indoors. Chess anyone? A resounding "yes" is the answer if this is your living room.

Sotheby's International Realty

Cooking in this kitchen elevates Tokyo's food scene to one of elegance, taste and superior quality.

Sotheby's International Realty

It simply does not get any better than toasting Tokyo's skyline from this luxury apartment.

Sotheby's International Realty

Sleeping here allows you to slumber is sensational splendor. High above it all and in high-end luxury style.

With each of these four cities enjoying the status of being "One of the World's Best," it follows that the aforementioned luxury homes contribute to their city’s competitive identity, community well-being and future prosperity - an eclectic real estate trifecta that surely has proven to be a win bet.

Except as otherwise noted, all images courtesy of Christie's International Real Estate

The post Luxury Living Done Right In London, Paris, New York City And Tokyo appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Shimizu’s dream concept, Ocean Spiral, is a self-sustaining, eco-friendly underwater city (fit to accommodate 5,000 people) that spirals and winds down 2.5 miles beneath the ocean’s surface to the seabed, where the complex can harvest all necessary energy from natural resources—like a plant feeding on nutrient-rich soil.

'Ocean Spiral' is a self-sustaining underwater city concept designed to accommodate up to 5,000 people.

Ocean Spiral is estimated for completion by 2030 at a cost of about $24 billion.

The underwater community is sheltered inside of a watertight floating dome that’s one-third of a mile in diameter and umbilically attached to a nine-mile long resin helical structure that twists and descends to the ocean floor—creating what’s called an “earth factory.” Powered by generators along the helix and microorganisms, this factory converts carbon dioxide into methane and regulates temperature differences in seawater to produce additional energy (a process called ocean thermal energy conversion).

The undersea complex would harvest its own energy from natural resources on the ocean floor.

Like any other city, Ocean Spiral would feature business and residential zones, commercial areas, and hotels to accommodate visiting tourists. Seawater in residential zones would be desalinated using hydraulic pressure, and the dome would submerge farther below water during bad weather conditions.

It’s not literally Atlantis, the mythical lost island described by ancient Greek philosopher Plato as being “beyond the pillars of Hercules,” but in reality, it would take a Herculean effort for Shimizu Corp. to construct Ocean Spiral by its 2030 target date (which includes five years of construction and many more years for advanced technology to become available). The project's estimated price tag is $25 billion.

The watertight floating dome is one-third of a mile in diameter and features a hotel and lush green landscapes.

If this all sounds too fantastic, consider Egypt’s ancient pyramids at Giza, the Great Wall of China, and the first Moon landing in 1969. They seemed impossible too. It appears technology is finally catching up to Jacques Cousteau’s ingenuity. The French oceanographer (and marine conservationist and developer of the Aqualung), who opened our eyes to ocean wildlife, had a similar vision more than 50 years ago.

In the 1960s, Cousteau’s Continental Shelf Stations (a.k.a. “Conshelfs”) were the first experimental underwater habitats, designed as human research hubs to observe sea life. Conshelf I (constructed in 1962 and submerged in 10 meters of water near Marseilles, France) was the first inhabited underwater colony, sheltering two aquanauts for seven days beneath the surface of the Mediterranean. Cousteau later abandoned underwater habitat exploitation in favor of conservation.

In the residential area, the complex would offer the usual amenities for living, exercise, entertainment and lounging. Water in this zone would be desalinated via hydraulic pressure.

'Ocean Spiral' would also feature business and commercial zones.

Momentum for underwater habitat’s eventually slowed as it coincided with humankind’s greater fascination with the Cold War space race. Add in the allure of UFO and alien conspiracies, the film 2001 A Space Odessy, and later, panic over the 1975 film Jaws, water exploration drifted to the background.

According to Tech Times, Ocean Spiral was an inspired response to rising sea levels that threaten land communities worldwide. The concept reimagines the vast deep seas as new real estate territories for accommodating human life. These habitats can be replicated as necessary wherever people choose to live. As they say, location location location.

Ocean Spiral habitats (like these) can be replicated and occupy various oceans and seas like real estate in different cities.

Like marine wildlife, the domed habitat can submerge deeper into the water to avoid major storms.

Ocean Spiral isn’t the first undersea project, but perhaps the most ambitious. The Poseidon Undersea Resort in Katafinga Island in Fiji has delayed its opening since 2008 while the Hydropolis in Dubai, United Arab Emirates was already shelved.

Tokyo-based Shimizu Corp. is known for its dream project proposals where imagination supersedes practicality. The company’s other concepts include: a lunar-powered generator called Luna Ring; TRY 2025, a floating botanical city island; TRY 2004, a hovering pyramid city 2,000 meters in the air; and Space Hotel.

Tourists would be able to visit Ocean Spiral just like any other major city.

The company claims Ocean Spiral is more than a dream concept: it’s a blueprint. The concept was developed in partnership with Tokyo University and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

It's human nature to reach as high, far or deep as possible. All that’s necessary is an overactive imagination and a fearless will to try something impossible—whether it’s one small step for mankind in outer space or one league under the sea.

Renderings courtesy of Dezeen

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