ELLIMAN MAGAZINE Spring| Summer 2020 Issue - KATIA REISLER

WE ARE delighted to introduce the Spring/Summer issue of Elliman magazine. These blissful, sun-drenched months are the ideal time of year to follow Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice and “Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air.” Enjoying the great outdoors does more than make us happy. Studies show that spending time basking in the warm spring breezes and soaking up the summer sunshine fuels our creativity and makes us more open to new ideas and growth in our own lives. In that spirit, we have filled this issue with potential sources of inspiration for you.

We invite you to explore today’s most exciting new lifestyle trends. Find out about the new fashion for high-end hotel living. In the grand tradition of Coco Chanel, Eloise, and Cole Porter, you can check into a legendary icon such as the Waldorf Astoria—and never have to check out again (“Permanent Vacation,” p. 18). Or discover the romantic appeal of owning a private island. You can find them for sale wherever you find water—and, believe it or not, many cost less than a townhouse in London (“How to Buy Your Own Island,” p. 268). If you prefer a second residence complete with golf courses and gourmet restaurants, you won’t want to

Then again, relocating might not be on your immediate to-do list. Maybe you would prefer to spend this spring and summer sprucing up your own home. We have plenty of ideas to help there, too. Find out from one of New York’s most celebrated florists how to create an arrangement worthy of the poshest hotel lobby (“Flower Power,” p. 5). Or experiment with chic new removable wallpapers that let you change a room’s decor in seconds (“Wall Coverings Make a Comeback,” p. 10). Another option: Update your home with a few splashes of Pantone’s color of the year, Classic Blue (“Rhapsody in Blue,” p. 13). We are partial to blue, so we could not be more pleased by their choice. The Color Institute selected this shade because it instills confidence and dependability, values that we at Douglas Elliman pride ourselves on espousing. Classic Blue also evokes the expansiveness of calm seas and evening skies, inviting us to expand our perspective and think imaginatively. We hope this issue will inspire you to do the same.

MAGNIFICENT VIEWS

WHAT'S SUP?

FLORIDA LIFESTYLE

FUN IN THE SUN

Pizza in the Hamptons, Chef John Kreidich is now earning accolades at South Beach Italian favorite Macchialina. It’s no surprise that New York–born Kreidich clicked with Michael Pirolo, executive chef and managing partner. “He’s from Queens and that’s where I’m from, so we really hit it off,” says Kreidich. (Macchialina has been such a success that a new, larger Coral Gables location will open later this year.) When he isn’t cooking up veal Milanese and scialatielli ai frutti di mare on Alton Road, the athletic chef de cuisine and soon-to-be dad takes full advantage of the leafy, Art Deco neighborhood’s fitness opportunities. —Drew Limsky

The city of Miami Beach has doubled down on its Muscle

Beach workout facility, which is located right on the sand. Once rather rustic, these days Muscle Beach boasts real equipment and an arty wellness circuit that commands nearly as much attention as the ripped physiques on display. “I used to go there and bench press on a wooden stump,” Kreidich says. “It’s come a long way, and it’s amazing to work out at a gym with that scenic backdrop.” Lummus Park, 873 Ocean Dr., 305.673.7730

A South Beach institution since 1962, the Cuban café Puerto Sagua offers tasty fare in an unpretentious setting. Both attributes appeal to Kreidich: “You just know that the people there are authentic,” he says. “The

YOUR PRIVATE ISLAND

HOW TO BUY YOUR OWNISLAND

find islands for sale wherever you find water— and many are surprisingly affordable.

A HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED figure in the corporate world, Jim Johnston has always been driven to perform and deliver. Yet like many hard-working professionals, he rarely had time to look beyond the horizon and consider alternative life choices. Fortunately, his wife, Tracey, was on hand to do the looking for them. And what she came up with was an incredible and transcendent idea: “We would buy our own private island.”

Not surprisingly, Tracey decided to keep her vision vague at first. “I simply suggested to my husband that he should consider leaving the corporate sector and that we do something for ourselves,” she explains. “At the time I think he agreed with me just for the sake of being nice. Two months later, I told him we should look at buying an

island in the Pacific. His response was, ‘Are you completely nuts?!’”

On the surface, Jim Johnston’s reaction seems understandable. Buying an island sounds about as exotic—and costly—as taking a trip into space. But as Edward de Mallet Morgan, a private-island expert and partner in Knight Frank’s Global Super Prime Residential division, notes: For the price of a townhouse in London, you can find yourself surrounded by your own private 360-degree circle of shoreline.

“A private island is a haven for you and your family to live exactly as you want,” says de Mallet Morgan. “In a world where confidentiality and privacy are at a premium, this is the ultimate opportunity to spend quality, safe time with your family and to be the king or queen of your own domain.”

For today’s potential kings or queens, a few questions immediately come to mind: Where do you buy, what will it cost, and what unique challenges are involved?

“The Caribbean is a great option because of the climate and generally because there are a wider variety of islands,” says de

For the price of a London townhouse, you can have your own

Mallet Morgan. “But there are comparable opportunities in areas off Australia, in Fiji, and in French Polynesia, or even with islands in the Mediterranean.” He is quick to add that not all private islands are in the tropics, with some available off the United Kingdom that are kept for hunting, wildlife observation, or farming, while those off the Maine coast are a sailor’s paradise.

The cost of your own island can vary widely; de Mallet Morgan notes that he’s sold some for a few million dollars and others well in excess of $100 million. Rick Kermode, senior property broker for Knight Frank New Zealand, currently represents islands in the South Pacific ranging from $3 million for 3,000 acres to $26 million for a 10,000-acre island covered with an incredible 15.5 miles of coastline.

Whatever end of the spectrum you choose, it’s critical to know exactly what you are—and are not—willing to undertake. “If you want value, buy a raw, undeveloped island with little or no infrastructure, where you can curate and create your own dream paradise,” advises de Mallet Morgan. “You will pay less, but you will spend more to set things up.” This

A dock makes a sublime setting for a massage on Little Pipe Cay, reachable by seaplane or boat.

KATIA REISLER

Sports & Entertainment Division at Douglas Elliman katiareisler.elliman.com 561 801-8250

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