Houston Shopping: The Bissonnet/Kirby Corridor Antique District

Every few weeks or so, I get an email from someone coming to Houston and wanting to know where to go shopping for antiques and decor.  So, I’ve been thinking for a while about putting together a short series on the best shopping areas to go see the most in one afternoon.    As luck would have it, I recently had a few visitors to test out my itineraries.      Of course, this series won’t cover every shop in Houston – there are too many to name, and how boring would that be anyway?  But, there are several distinct areas where numerous antique and decor stores are clustered, thus making it worth your while to venture out for a few hours.    My visitor is Stefan Hurray, a young architect from Pennsylvania now working in Washington D.C.  Stefan is the voice behind the very interesting and always intellectually stimulating blog - Architect Design - concentrating on, what else, but architecture!    It is so much fun to meet another design blogger in real life after building a friendship through countless emails, and without fail, it feels like you’ve known that person forever.   It must be due to the kindred spirit found between design bloggers and the readers too.   Last Saturday, after a few missteps, Stefan and I met up for lunch at Raven Grill on Bissonnet – a perfect place to start off on a shopping adventure in the Museum District.   Finishing lunch with a drive through at a convenient Starbucks, we are ready to test out the newly named:  Cote de Texas Bissonnet/Kirby Corridor Shopping District.  First Stop:   AREA.

 

AREA:   5600 Kirby

The front lobby:   old and new, trendy and classic – the perfect recipe for a successful interiors store.

 

AREA is a large store, owned by interior design extra0rdinaire, Don Connelly, and run by the man in charge - Daniel.   Daniel’s been with AREA from day one starting at the original location on Shepherd.   AREA is a wonderful mix of antique and modern design, with a heavy dose of trendy.   It’s a great store to pick up accessories and lamps, candles, and vases.  There are always interesting sets of dining chairs and tables,  along with antique consoles and chests.  Be sure to look up at the ceiling  - their selection of lighting fixtures is one of the best in town.  Introduce yourself to Daniel once, and he’ll never forget your name – it’s a gift that’s helped make AREA one of the more successful decor stores in town.   Don travels to Europe and Round Top and the markets to stock the store, so there is always a generous amount of the old mixed in with the newest.

 

There are interesting vignettes around every corner:  lamps and tables, pillows and artwork, and  hard-to-find coffee table books.

 

 

  Whenever I have an installation, I stop by AREA first to pick up accessories like baskets and urns.

 

AREA has a great assortment of trays and boxes for tablescapes.

 

And there’s the cute as can be Stefan, nursing his Starbucks!  I think he really enjoyed AREA.

 

 

 

Smile!    Handsome Daniel, the energy and brains behind the store.   He should write a book on how to greet and treat your customers the proper way!  OK, we are moving on - next stop is Watkins and Culver.

 

 

Watkins Culvers Antiques and Design:  2308 Bissonnet

 

Babs Watkins and her daughter Nelta run Watkins Culver – an antique store that will make you think you actually are on Magazine Street in New Orleans – not Houston.  The store itself is sometime to see – the walls are fauxed painted by the brilliant Jay Iarussi which give the shop an appearance of having been built in another century.  Truly beautiful!  Of course, so are the antiques, handpicked by Watkins from France and Italy – this store has been at the forefront of developing the French look in Houston that is so popular with Veranda and Southern Accents readers. 

 

 

Besides all the antiques bought abroad, Watkins Culvers carries the BViz line of specialty pillows from New Orleans.  Each pillow is handmade by Rebecca Vizard using antique textiles and each is a work of art. 

 

 

Watkins Culver has many mirrors of all sizes, lamps, and chandeliers.   The design is mostly French here, but Swedish pieces have been creeping into the store for the past few years.

 

 

Out back in the alley are the design studios of Babs and Nelta, and the Watkins Culver annex.   Hey Stefan, finish up the coffee already!

 

 

The annex’s merchandise is just a bit more relaxed – be sure to notice the Zuber papered screen.  Watkins Culver have the best antique Parisian lanterns that are so hot right now.  

 

Watkins Culver has been carrying the oh-so-hot wood chandeliers and metal tables for years – they were way ahead of the trend with these items.    Watkins and Culver Antiques and Design is available online with 1st Dibs here.     OK,  time for the next stop - right next door.

 

Shabby Slips:  2304 Bissonnet

 

 

Shabby Slips is owned by Renea Abbott, a much in-demand interior designer with several Veranda covers under her belt.  She recently repainted the walls going from dark to white and the effect, along with all the mirrors and crystal chandeliers is stunning – the store absolutely sparkles!   The ceiling is filled with the crystal chandeliers and the Venetian mirror shown above has to be the prettiest one I have ever seen!  Shopping here is such a treat – a true eye candy experience.

 

Right in the middle of the store is this limed table with these stunning shell chairs!   What a find!    When Shabby Slips first opened, the focus was on slip covers, but that has long since changed.  Today, the focus is on the finest antiques for the younger set.  To be sure, the store is still stocked with wonderful slipcovered furniture and there are beautiful pillows tossed about, but the antiques take center stage now.    The trendy new lamps and accessories mix in with the old.    The chandeliers and mirrors are exceptional, and there is a large selection of them to choose from.

 

 

Most of the furniture is upholstered in white – making these black and white striped chairs pop in the store. 

 

 

Mixed in with all the antiques and upholstery is a nice selection of modern art.  In fact, one of my favorite galleries in town, the Jack Meier Gallery, is just two doors down.   Shabby Slips always has great pillows like these shown above.   And, while we were there, we learned that the little house behind Shabby Slips, that was once an annex, is just now getting the final touches done on a total remodel and will be back open for business soon!   Can’t wait!   OK, time to cross the street.

 

Neal and Co:  4502 Greenbriar

 

 

Right across the street from Watkins and Culver and Shabby Slips, is Neal and Co. – another high end antique store dealing mostly in French product.  Cindy Neal, a veteran of the business, moved several years ago to the corner of what has t0 be the heart of  Houston Antiques, and she’s been a great addition.   Sweet and affable, Cindy is very knowledgeable about what she buys and is happy to share her expertise with you.   The store is large and full of wonderful French and Swedish delights.  Not everything is out of the world expensive, which is I why I love to shop here.  She carries lots of smalls, French candles, dishes, and confit pots – perfect for those of us who are on a budget.   But, there is plenty for those who aren’t!   I love this canapé covered in a gray check – the back is almost prettier than the front.  And look at those green lanterns – I lusted after those – and the metal side tables, on the right – the best! 

 

 

 

There are a lot of nooks and crannies to the store, owing to the fact that it used to be several different businesses, until Cindy bought the entire center, tore down all the walls and made it Neal and Co.    So, be sure you don’t miss anything hiding around a corner.  She carries wonderful botanicals and has a large supply of French wood tables.

 

 

Here’s another wonderful set in Cindy’s office that she explained was one man’s lifetime collection.  Besides being an antiquarian, she is also an interior decorator! 

 

As with all the better antique shops in Houston, there is a good selection of Swedish antiques available.

 

 

 Neal and Co. carry the entire Les Indiennes fabric line AND they have a huge selection of Dash and Albert rugs to pick from.   Neal and Co. is available on 1st Dibs, so be sure to check them out here.

  

OK,  Stefan needs to leave now, but hopefully he’ll be back in Houston soon.   So I’m on my own to finish the CdT Bissonnet-Kirby Corridor Shopping District.   Next stop, down the street:

 

M. Naeve – Antiques and Uncommon Luxuries:  1926 Bissonnet

 

Without a doubt, one of the most charming antique stores in Houston, M. Naeve is a must see when visiting.   Carrying hand picked inventory from France, the antiques are relaxed – not stuffy or dressy in any way.  But, make no mistake, they are beautiful – the entire shop is breathtakingly beautiful.   Every chair, every table, every fixture, every lamp – your heart just aches to take it home.   Visiting M. Naeve is almost like a religious experience – such exquisite beauty!!!

 

 

The owner is the very young and very adorable Margaret Naeve and she is just perfectly matched for such a shop.   I mean, just look at this settee – with its original linen batting and nailheads – could it get any better?   Well yes, look at the fireplace behind it!

 

Everything in the store is painted crusty cream…….

 

or Swedish gray…

 

or green!!   Be sure to visit  M.  Naeve when in Houston, located right next to the Raven Grill.  Website is here.    Next stop, Carl Moore Antiques, a few blocks down.

 

Carl Moore Antiques:  1610 Bissonnet

 

Carl Moore Antiques is located on Bissonnet in a large, old, two story house.  Since the famous Carl Moore has moved on to selling art, Geoffrey Westergaard is at the helm, buying for the store all over Europe.   As a result – Carl Moore has a wonderful, well –rounded array of antiques:  English, French, Swedish, German, and Asian!  There isn’t much they don’t carry, which is a huge part of their appeal.  A powerhouse, a mainstay, the ultimate in class!

 

Carl Moore is the best place in Houston to find Biedermeier pieces. 

 

They carry a large array of chandeliers, lamps, and oriental accessories.  The store is well-stocked and the sales people are helpful and friendly – a definite asset to the shop.

 

 

And they carry my favorite, French, of course.   On top of antiques,  they have reproduction dining tables available, which is great when the real thing is price prohibitive.  Carl Moore Antiques has a very comprehensive web site for online ordering, so be sure to look at it here.   And finally, we are on to our last stop on the CdT Bissonnet-Kirby Corridor Antique District – but you need your car, we’re headed back towards Kirby:

 

Found for the Home:   2422 Bartlett

 

Found, owned by Aaron Rambo and Ruth Davis is “industrial chic” and a whole lot more.  It is located in a former factory, right off Kirby, and is filled with objects from each era.  Besides the usual French antiques, there are French industrial items, vintage upholstery, and objects made of found objects, hence the name.  It’s an eclectic assortment – you never know what you will see here, but it will all be great, to be sure.  Those pillows look familiar!

 

The upholstery is all remade vintage.

 

The complex where Found is located is itself worth a peek.  Carved out of a former factory and an old apartment complex, many of Houston’s finest interior designers are renting space upstairs, while below are several retail  shops.  In this picture, you can really see the unique space and how the owners have taken the old factory and made it their own.

 

 

I’ve got my eye on the pair of Gustavian settees, myself!

 

 

Charming!   Rambo and Davis are both very friendly and helpful which makes shopping here so much fun!   Found for the Home is also on 1st dibs, here.

 

We’re at the end of the Cote de Texas  Bissonnet-Kirby Corridor Antique District – what a mouthful!!!  While you are out, Houston’s museums are located nearby at the end of Bissonnet and are definitely worth visiting.   There’s also a wonderful independent bookstore close by, the Brazos Bookstore at 2421 Bissonnet and next door is Jaya – specializing in Asian furniture.    Below is a map for easy driving.  If you are coming to Houston for shopping and need help – be sure to email me for more information!    

 

A.  Found for the Home

B.  Area

C.  Watkins Culver and Shabby Slips

D.  Neal and Co.

E.  M. Naeve

F.  Carl Moore Antiques

 

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Let's Talk Mega-Mansions

Is it just Your Mama or does it seem to everyone like more and more mega-mansions and insanely priced apartments are making their way to the market? Just this this week, two unbelievably lavish residences hit the market with elephantine asking prices of $53,000,000 and $85,000,000. And that was just in Los Angeles. Exceedingly high priced properties are, in fact, popping up all over. We thought about making a list of the 10 most expensive residences in the country, but it seems that the folks at Forbes already do that on a pretty regular basis. So we thought we'd narrow our focus a bit and have a look-see at 10 of the most expensive properties on the market in the Los Angeles area.

Before we begin, keep in mind that as far as we know–and we could be wrong–only one single family property has ever traded hands in the Los Angeles area for more than $50,000,000. that was when former Global Crossing chairman Gary Winnick paid a mind numbing $94,000,000 (approx.) for the Weber Mansion in Bel Air which records show has at least 20 terlits and several acres of manicured grounds that jut out on a promontory overlooking the Bel Air Country Club. That transaction, however, involved a complex asset trade rather than a straight trade of cash for property.

There are a number of instances when properties in the L.A. area have come close to breaking through the fifty million dollar ceiling including when Billionaire David Geffen paid a reported $47,500,000 (and some say more) for the 10-acre Jack Warner estate on Angelo Drive in Beverly Hills and tool tycoon Eric Smidt paid a reported $46,000,000 (some say $42,000,000) for The Knoll, the long time estate of billionaire biznessman Marvin Davis that sits on its own hilltop above Schuyler Road in Beverly Hills. In late 2008, records (and our sources) reveal that billionaire Tom Gores parted with $56,000,000 for two adjacent properties on super swank Siena Way in Bel Air, including the massive mansion that once belonged to Verna Harrah, the widow of casino magnate Bill Harrah, as in the Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. But that doesn't really count since that deal involved two single family homes rather than just one.

What all that means, of course, is that any L.A. area property priced over fifty million clams is a bit of a tough sell, particularly in the crappy economy with which we're currently coping.

Now children, please, Before y'all get to sending Your Mama a slew of nasty and hateful email berating us for not including this mansion or that chateau on our little list, keep in mind that we are aware our list of prodigiously priced properties is incomplete. Okaaay? If you want to be helpful, which is always nicer than being an angry, seething asshole, send us a nice little note pointing us towards one of the outrageously priced properties we did not include.

Okay, here we go...

1. The Beverly House / Owned by attorney/financier Leonard Ross, the historic N. Beverly Drive estate was listed in late 2007 with a coma inducing asking price of $165,000,000. Surely there were some looky-loos but no one willing to cough up that kind of cash because the 6.25 acre estate which was once owned by William Randolph Hearst was yanked from the open market in Sept. of 2008 and remains unsold. The property is no longer advertised on the open market, but we understand from a very successful property pusher in the Platinum Triangle that the 20,000+ square foot monster is "always for sale at unheard of prices."

2. The Manor / It has long been whispered and speculated that tee-vee titan Aaron Spelling's not always talked nicely about widow Candy was interested in selling her 56,000+ square foot behemoth on S. Mapleton Drive in the Holmby Hills. In fact, at one point it was widely rumored and even reported that she unloaded her architectural white elephant to an Arab prince for $130,000,000. She didn't. However, now that's she's reportedly forked over a reported $47,000,000 so that she can "downsize" to an (approx.) 16,000 square foot doo-plex penthouse at the yet to be completed The Century building in Century City, it's no surprise she's finally getting serious about selling. According to a source we call Nelly Knowsitall, the 11 bedroom and 16 bathroom hotel-sized house is going on the market very soon with a heart stopping asking price in the $140-150,000,000 range. When asked who was going to be listing the property, the usually in the know Ms. Knowsitall would not name names but did say she heard there will be two listing agents, one obvious choice and one much less obvious choice who "has never sold a house over $10,000,000 in her life." Ouch.

3. Fleur de Lys / Owned by Swedish born philanthropist Suzanne Saperstein, who was granted the outlandish extravagance known as Fleur de Lys in her bitter dee-vorce from Texas tycoon David Saperstein, the 35,000 square foot mega-manse (some reports say 45,000) has been on the open market since July of 2007 with a sky-high asking price of $125,000,000. We understand from someone who would know that the property has been toured by many magnates and foreign born billionaires, but after more than 18 months on the market, the 12 bedroom and 15 bathroom faux-French pile remains the biggest jewel in the couture-luving glamazon's real estate portfolio. The dee-lishusly catty Kenny Kissintell, a man who loves dishing real estate dirt even more than Your Mama, recently whispered in our big ear that he heard from his bean spilling peeps that Miz Saperstein did received an offer of $88,000,000 from a "Chinese gentleman," but turned it down. We imagine she's probably using one of her many Louboutin stilettos to beat her own ass for not running with that ball when she had a chance.

4. The Singleton Estate / Designed by noted architect Wallace Neff and built on a 7-acre spread in the Homlby Hills, the 15,000+ square foot Southern Colonial style residence was built by Teledyne tycoon Henry Singleton and was listed for sale in January of 2008 with an asking price of $85,000,000. Shortly after being listed to pomp and press, the 10 bedroom and 11.5 bathroom house on dee-luxe Delfern Drive disappeared from the MLS prompting some to speculate that a deep pocketed buyer was pushing forward with a sale. That, as it turns out, was not the case as no transfer records appear in public records. However, according to the always knowledgeable Nelly Knowsitall, the property is currently leased by hi-tech tycoon Halsey Minor who, according to Ms. Knowsitall, also has an option to purchase the place for a whopping $65,000,000. Given Mister Minor's alleged option to purchase, it's unclear to Your Mama whether this property is still, technically, for sale. However, should Mister Minor and family end up walking away from their purchase option and choose to move on to a home of their own, we're sure this property will land back on the open market with an asking price well in excess of $50,000,000.

5. Le Belvedere / The newest member of the mega-manse club to arrive on the open market belongs to real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and carries a porcine asking price of $85,000,000. The Nimes Road residence measures in at approximately 48,000 square feet and, as far as we're concerned, if this hotel-sized house were a person it would wear Versace head to toe, drive, a white Rolls Royce and go around screaming, "I have so much more money than you!" The 10 bedroom and 14 bathroom house sits on a 2.2 acre parcel in a choice section of Bel Air and the owner claims to have spent a jaw dropping $59,000,000 building the behemoth.

6. The Chadwick Beach House / Ever since July of 2008, real estate investment magnate William Chadwick has been trying to dump his ocean front spread in Malee-boo for the swollen sum of $65,000,000. According to listing information, the Cape Cod-ish style mansion on covetable Carbon Beach measures approximately 10,500 square feet and contains 6 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms including a sprawling 2,100 square foot ocean view master suite. The property spans an almost unheard of 150 feet on Malee-boo's most exclusive and expensive stretch of sand and includes over 4,500 square feet of decking and a 75-foot long beach side swimming pool and spa.

7. The Robert Taylor Ranch / Also listed at a staggering $65,000,000 is the Robert Taylor Ranch in the Mandeville Canyon area of Brentwood. Currently owned by former radio station owner Ken Roberts, the secluded 112-acre spread includes a main residence designed by renowned California architect Robert Byrd that includes 6 principle bedrooms, a three-apartment staff wing, four fireplaces, a screening room, wine cellar and a private casino/game room. Additionally there are four guest houses, a total of 17 full and 5 partial bathrooms, equestrian facilities, swimming pool and tennis court. The property has been for sale since the dawn of time with several different asking prices ranging from $35,000,000 to its current $65,000,000. At one point, the property was scheduled to be auctioned off to the hightest bidder and, at another point not too long ago, Our Fairy Godmother in Brentwood whispered in our big ear that the property was sliding into foreclosure, although it does not appear to be the situation now.

8. PickFair (or what used to be PickFair) / Once upon a time legendary architect Wallace Neff turned a humble hunting lodge into a legendary house on Summit Drive in Beverly Hills for legendary silver screen icons Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford which they called PickFair. The 22-room sprawler was later owned by L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss who sold it to much maligned singer/ack-tress Pia Zadora and her much older huzand Mishulam Riklis. Much to the chagrin of just about everybody, Zadora and Riklis tore down the original residence and replaced it with a 25,000+square foot monstrosity with 17 bedrooms and an incomprehensible 30 bathrooms. Now owned by Korean born bizness baron Corry Hong, the hill topping house has been listed since September of 2008 as a $60,000,000 fixer upper. That's right puppies, a sixty million dollar fixer upper.

9. La Belle Vie / Also new to the suddenly over-populated Los Angeles area mega-mansion market is philanthropist Iris Cantor's palatial Platinum Triangle mansion known as La Belle Vie that recently appeared on the open market with a staggering asking price of $53,000,000. Measuring in at around 35,000 square feet with 9 bedrooms and a total of 21 bathrooms, the 18th-century style pile was built in the 1990s with what would appear to be a limitless budget.

10. The Hutton House Estate / Located on a 5.2+ acre promontory high above Benedict Canyon and (according to listing information) modeled after Le Petit Trianon at Versailles, The Hutton House Estate was recently put on the market with an asking price of $49,000,000. It's unclear to Your Mama why it's called The Hutton House Estate and it's our understanding it's owned by a Korean woman whose money comes from hospitals or commercial real estate or something like that. The property records are a bit murky on this one so although we would not recommend repeating this like it's the gospel, it appears the unfinished property was purchased at auction in January of 2007 for just under $17,000,000, then finished by the new owners and flipped back on the market with a stupefying $32,000,000 price increase. Records on file with the County of Los Angeles show the house measures just over 22,000 square feet with 8 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, however listing information indicates the chunky chateau has 7 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms.

Our little list of ten mega-mansions on the market in Los Angeles does not even begin to include the large number of estates that occupy the next rung down own the property price ladder that are being shopped both on and off market. Houses in that still hatefully and largely prohibitively expensive $20-45,000,000 category include Cher's Italian Renaissance style extravaganza in Malibu listed at $45,000,000 and a 10 bedroom and 13 bathroom spec built house high above Mandeville Canyon on Chalon Road that happens to sit just up the hill from California Governator Arnold Scwharzenegger's house and carries an asking price of $34,900,000. About a month ago, big biznessman Lou Gonda, who reportedly lost big with the collapse of insurance giant AIG, quietly floated his 1.5 acre Beverly Hills estate on Lexington Road with an off-market asking price of $42,000,000 which was just days later reduced to $35,000,000; Although we can not swear by the veracity of the rumor, we also hear from Our Fairy Godmother in Beverly Hills that Steven Udvar-Házy, another billionaire who apparently did not dump enough of his massive stake in AIG before it went kaplooey, is quietly shopping his vast estate in the 24/7 guard gated Beverly Park community for God only knows how much.

And that's just in Los Angeles. There are plenty of properties priced well above $50,000,000 all over the United States (and the world) including (but certainly not limited to) Robert Friedland's $65,000,000 estate in beautiful Belvedere, CA and car dealer Terry Taylor's Addison Mizner designed digs in Palm Beach, FL which carries an astonishing asking price of $72,500,000. There are also, of course, any number of monumentally expensive properties in New York City such as retail mogul Les Wexner's sprawling Fifth Avenue aerie which is "discreetly available" off-market with a reported asking price of $60,000,000, and skin-care guru Sandie Tillotson's off-market Time Warner Center penthouse which is rumored and reported to have a butt clenching $80,000,000 asking price.

One of Your Mama's better connected sources, a ladee who well understands both uber high end real estate and the tangled machinations of Wall Street, told us recently that she's not at all surprised so many properties at the very tippy-top of the market are popping up for sale. Not only have many very rich people lost considerable sums of money due to the economic tsunami that has hit the United States (and the world), the days of being able to borrow forty bucks for every dollar in your pocket are long gone. See puppies, like so many Americans, many filthy rich folks also used the equity in their homes like bottomless piggy banks in order to finance an even more lavish life than they could otherwise afford and have now been caught with their financial pants around their ankles. Not to worry, most will never go hungry, but they may none the less be forced to scale back their lifestyle and shed some of their excess and expensive to maintain real estate baggage.

We will all have to wait and see what happens to all these mansions and apartments with twenty, forty and $50,000,000+ price tags. No doubt, there are still plenty of unfathomably rich people who can well afford them. However, the question seems to be, how many of these freakishly rich people still want to buy these shockingly expensive trophy homes not to mention take on all the attendant hassles and crippling costs that go hand in hand with owning, running and maintaining such large scale properties?

Weeds Creator Jenji Kohan Gets a New Nest

BUYER: Jenji Kohan and Christopher Noxon
LOCATION: N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $4,000,000
SIZE: 5,919 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 bedrooms
DESCRIPTION: On of the great trophies of Los Feliz, this Med. estate occupies its own pvt, 3/4 acre+ walled park. Find your dreams here: provenance (Huntington est arch., Bixby and Chandler families for over 60 yrs); privacy (matures ground); style (impeccably restored orig interiors); amenities (updated systems, chef's eat-in-kitchen, grand master suite, swimmers pool, guest cottage, studio); condition (move-in) and real value.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Both Your Mama and our ever-faithful compatriot Lucy Spillerguts have been watching this historic Los Feliz lovely for some time, since early January when we received a juicy but unsubstantiated tip from someone named Mister Eminem that that actor Vince Vaughn's new girly-pal was pressuring him to purchase The Bixby Estate in Los Feliz.

But alas, as it turns out, it was not Jennifer Aniston's ex-lover and his new lover who scooped up the historic estate just weeks after it was listed, but rather a couple of successful scribes named Christopher Noxon and Jenji Kohan. For those who may not recognize their names, Mister Noxon toils as an author and free-lance journalist and has written in-depth articles for publications such as Playboy, Los Angeles magazine, Salon.com and The Huffington Post and Miz Kohan belongs to a budding Tinseltown tee-vee dynasty. Not only is she the creator, producer and writer for the Emmy nominated and Golden Globe winning program Weeds with the marvelous Mary-Louise Parker and the practically perfect Elizabeth Perkins, she's also the sister of David Kohan who, along with Miss Max Mutchnick, created the super-successful and award winning money-minting machine that is Will and Grace.

Property records now show that Mister Noxon and Miz Kohan scooped up The Bixby Estate, located in the heart of the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, for an even-steven $4,000,000. The children might be interested to know that the sellers of the N. Vermont Avenue property only purchased the three-quarter-plus acre estate in August of 2005 for $4,200,000. A few flicks of the well worn beads on our bejeweled abacus reveals that after the considerable real estate fees were paid the sellers surely lost several hundred thousand smackers.

Also, and somewhat interestingly, the well-provenanced property was listed at $3,995,000, which means that if property records are accurate (and they better be), the Noxon-Kohan couple coughed up $5,000 over the asking price, something that just isn't happening all that much in Los Angeles anymore.

Listing information and previous reports on the property reveal the dignified Mediterranean manse was built in 1919 and designed by an architect named Elmer Grey, who happens to be the same fellow responsible for The Huntington Art Gallery in Pasadena and the Beverly Hills Hotel in, natch, Beverly Hills. The Bixby Estate was commissioned by and built for a man named Stafford Bixby who was part of the Long Beach Bixbys who in the mid to late 1800s owned and ranched much of the land that is now Long Beach. At some point, according to listing information, the property was transferred to someone in the Chandler family (of the L.A. Time Chandler family) but honestly puppies, Your Mama does not know (or care much) which one. Since the whichever Chandler owned the place, there have been several other owners.

Listing information indicates the "L" shaped main mini-mansion measures 5,919 square feet and includes 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. However, a fast perusal the floor plan shows three principle bedrooms and 2 full and 2 half bathrooms in the main house, plus a staff bedroom and bath tucked back behind the laundry room. The grounds also include a detached guest house with a fireplace and private pooper.

The front door, flanked by two stone carved Chinese-looking lions opens to a lovely paneled entrance hall with a double set of French doors leading to the bougainvillea lined rear terrace. To the right is a graciously proportioned and paneled 33-foot long living room that stretches the entire width of the house from front to back. Beyond the living room are a home office with fireplace and an informal study/family room with an oddly located attached half-bathroom, a wood beamed ceiling, arched built in book niches and a couple of fantabulous arched French door windows that open to the rear and side terraces.

To the left of the entrance hall is the paneled and decent sized dining room with still more French doors leading to outdoor spaces. Behind the dining room are the home's service areas which include a breakfast area, a large center island kitchen, another half bathroom, the back stairs, a large laundry room and staff bedroom and bath.

Upstairs, two well-proportioned bedrooms each feature walk in closets and share a bathroom. The massive master bedroom measures a commodious 18-feet wide and 30-feet long and includes a wood burning fireplace and a small private terrace overlooking the front yard which provides a perfect and private spot for Mister Noxon and Miz Kohan to smoke a little weed before bed, should that be an illegal activity they enjoy. Beyond the bedroom is the large master bath where a large bathtub is surrounded by paned windows and a fashion fanatics dream of a walk-in closet that measures approximately 400 square feet and features a bank of paned windows for natural light.

The fully walled and secured grounds include a gated motor court at the rear of the property where the above mentioned guest house is located as well as another diminutive detached building perfect for a home office, art studio or hookah lounge and a detached 2-car garage with a terlit stuck up in the corner so that Driver need not ever stink up the poopers in the main house. Tucked into a private rear corner of the property is a wonderfully simple rectangular swimming pool surrounded by trees which will probably drive the pool man crazy, but provide a nice amount of shade from the blistering SoCal summertime sunshine.

Property records show the couple's previous home on N. Normandie Ave, which records show was purchased in December of 1996 for just $520,000, is close enough to their new one that they could probably push many of their belongings over in a few shopping carts borrowed from the nearby Ralph's grocery store on Hollywood Boulevard.