St. Petersburg, Florida
Ovation, a JMC Communities high-rise that was completed in August, overlooks the downtown area and the waterfront and marina. It houses only 45 residences, and all of them feature virtually continuous floor-to-ceiling picture windows and sliding glass doors; the doors open to wraparound balcony terraces.
The flexible floor plans include family and dining rooms that adjoin a gourmet kitchen equipped with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances. Dramatic double doors open to the master suite, which, like the rest of the residence, features window walls as well as a shaded veranda, a walk-in closet, and a master bath equipped with top-of-the-line Kohler fixtures.
Ovation’s communal spaces include a two-story, gallery-style lobby adorned with original art and plush lounge seating. Perched four stories above Beach Drive is a lavishly landscaped pool and cabana deck. Ovation also houses a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Starting at $1.7 million for tower residences (penthouses are $4.3 million). JMC Communities.
Chicago
This spacious, detached, single-family home in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago has four bedrooms and three and a half baths. It also features a huge eat-in kitchen and, on the lower level, a wine-tasting room. The master suite takes up the entire second floor; it has a private terrace, a fireplace, an office, a laundry, and a palatial marble bath.
$2.2 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.
Jackson, Tennessee
This home, called Pecan Grove, is modeled after the Houmas House, an 1828 Greek Revival sugar plantation in Darrow, La. Houmas House served as a setting for many films, TV movies, and commercials, including Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Fletch Lives.
As indicated by its name, Pecan Grove was built on the 18-acre site of a former pecan grove. The property includes a three-stall horse barn. The home has five bedrooms and five and a half baths, and its architectural details include a spiral staircase.
$2 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.
Austin, Texas
An architect built this warm, stylish, contemporary home for himself, displaying an extraordinary attention to detail and to green technology. The home fits perfectly into the landscape in a quiet corner of Austin’s Rollingwood neighborhood. It overlooks a seasonal creek and waterfall.
The upstairs includes space for an office or guest quarters. Other features include mesquite/pecan floors, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, beamed ceilings, wood-framed windows, and a fenced yard with a playscape.
$1.9 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.
Palm Beach, Florida
This cottage compound located in the heart of midtown features two restored and updated houses on a 50-by-160-foot lot. The main residence has three bedrooms and two baths, and the guest cottage houses two apartments that can be rented out.
On one side of the guest cottage are a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. On the other side are a bedroom and a bathroom. Each of the three residences has a tumbled-travertine patio; two are covered with arbors, and all overlook a back courtyard with gardens and pergolas designed by Mario Nievera.
$2.5 million. Sotheby’s International.
Watersmeet, Michigan
This log home is on the shore of Big Lake, in the Upper Peninsula’s Cisco Chain. It features a fieldstone fireplace and a deck that overlooks the lake. The home has four spacious bedrooms, three and a half baths, and two gourmet kitchens. The property includes a sand beach, and the region is ideal for fishing and boating in summer and snowmobiling in winter.
$2.1 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
This home sits on nearly three acres overlooking the lakes and fairways of the 11th and 12th holes of the Sunrise golf course in the Las Campanas community. It has an expansive great room that features a kiva fireplace and rough-sawn decking ceiling detail.
The kitchen includes Verde Fire granite counters, a butcher–block island, a full Viking appliance package, and rich beam work. The home is in walking distance to Las Campanas’ spa and Hacienda Clubhouse.
$2.2 million. Sotheby’s International.
Houston
Built on a lakefront lot, this home has a two-story foyer, a great room, a spacious open kitchen, a library, a wine grotto, and a wet bar. The top floor contains three bedrooms, a game room, and a media room. The home also includes a large covered terrace, a pavilion with a fireplace, and a four-car garage.
$1.7 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.
Phoenix
This hillside home in the gated Biltmore Mountain Estates community is adjacent to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Its high ceilings and large windows help to maximize its mountain and city-light views. The living and dining rooms share a stone-clad two-way fireplace, establishing a comfortable atmosphere at the core of the home.
The master suite is at one end of the house, overlooking the mountain preserve and Camelback. The suite includes a fireplace, an exercise room, oversize closet space, and a master bath. This wing also houses one of the other three bedrooms, each of which has its own bath. At the opposite end of the house, a contemporary kitchen joins an open entertaining space.
A family room and breakfast area both overlook the patio and beyond. The patio is covered by a balcony, and both wind around the front of the home. The patio includes an outdoor kitchen area and an infinity-edge pool. The home’s lower level contains a theater/game room and a three-car garage.
$2.2 million. Coldwell Banker Previews.