Taylor Swift Buys Historic Nashville Estate

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Hi, my name is Lily! My mom told me I could write this post because I’m a big Taylor Swift fan. I wrote a biography about her for my 3rd-grade assignment last year. Here’s a picture of it–it’s in the shape of a microphone, if you’re wondering. It has facts about her life and how she became a star:

Let’s look at her house now! It’s in Nashville, Tennessee.

It’s got 5,601 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths. It cost $2.5 million. That sounds like a lot of money to me!

The house was built in the 1930s. It’s called the Northumberland Estate. I love this staircase. And the mirrors on the wall are beautiful!

She’s a musician, so she’ll need this piano:

This fridge is HUGE!!! One of those is a freezer probably and one of those is a fridge probably, so wow, she has a lot of room for food. Did you know her favorite dessert is cheesecake?

The chandelier is beautiful. I wish I had one of those for my own dining room.

Taylor’s favorite is white, so I wonder if she’ll paint this room white instead of black?

This is Taylor’s bedroom, I think. I love the windows!

My favorite song by Taylor Swift is called “You Belong with Me.” You can watch the video of it on YouTube.

Wow. That sunroom is beautiful. I’m pretty sure it’s a sunroom, anyway. Our sunroom isn’t that fancy!

Oh, my gosh, I wish I had a pool like this!

Did you like her house? I did! You can see the rest of the photos at Casa Sugar, or check out more Celebrity Houses here.

Note from Mom: Thanks to Lily for taking over my blog for the day. She did a great job! Here’s a photo of her (and Maizie) heading to the bus stop on her first day of school last week. She has her own invitation-only blog that she works very hard on for her friends to read. She says she wants to be a professional blogger and a rescue-pet foster mom someday.

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The Tuohy House in “The Blind Side”

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on JUNE 6, 2010

When The Blind Side came out in late 2009, I didn’t run right out and see it because I assumed it was just a “football movie.” But then the requests for photos of the Tuohy house from the movie started pouring in, Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne, and my curiosity got the best of me. I had to see what all the fuss was about–and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

The Blind Side was filmed on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which doubled for Memphis, Tennessee. The house used for the Tuohy family was a private residence in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood.

The movie was based on the true story of the Tuohy family, who took in a homeless teenager named Michael Oher when he had nowhere else to go. Thanks to their help and encouragement, he became a successful football player.

According to the production notes, this house was chosen because it reflects Leigh Anne Tuohy’s style and the look of her own home.

Production Designer Michael Corenblith says, “Leigh Anne was phenomenally gracious and opened her home to our set decorator Susan Benjamin. Susan spent two days with the family, which allowed us to emulate Leigh Anne’s decorating style.”

In the movie, Leigh Anne laments that Michael has ruined this $10,000 couch by sleeping on it night after night (doesn’t it look a little small for someone that big to lie down on?):

Michael and S.J., the youngest Tuohy, meet with one of many recruiters in the living room:

Looking from the living room into the entry hall and up the staircase:

Leigh Anne walks through the upstairs hallway:

When they decide that Michael will live with them permanently, Leigh Anne clears out the guest bedroom for him. He tells her this is the first bed he’s ever had of his own.

The Master Bedroom and Bath:

Their bedroom reminded me a little too much of a standard hotel suite–an upscale hotel, to be sure, but a little impersonal and stiff:

I thought Tim McGraw was perfect in the role of Sean Tuohy.

Looking from the bathroom down the hall to the bedroom:

The Kitchen:

I wish we could’ve seen more of the kitchen, but most scenes filmed in it were close ups that made it hard to get a clear view behind the characters they were focusing on.

The Family Room (where one TV is not enough):

The Dining Room:

In designing the sets, Production Designer Michael Corenblith says he wanted to emphasize the disparity between East Memphis, where wealthy families like the Tuohys live, and the poverty of Hurt Village, where Michael grew up on the other side of town.

The exclusive Atlanta International School and The Westminster Schools, also located in Buckhead, doubled as the private Wingate Christian School in the movie.

Linda of Silver Screen Surroundings was way ahead of me on this one. She wrote a post about the decor in the movie months ago and, as a designer, has some more detailed information and thoughts on the decor itself that you can read here.

Most people seemed to love this house (based on the number of requests I got for it), but it looked a little too much like a model home to me. A little impersonal. I did, however, feel like it fit the characters, and it worked for the story it was telling. What did you think?

The Real Tuohy family, shown at the end of the film:

Can I just add that I love Sandra Bullock? She was so good in this movie. If you missed it, check out the photos of the Gothic Victorian she just moved into with her new baby boy.

Visit my TV/Movie Houses page to see the others I’ve featured, including Sandra Bullock films like Practical Magic and Hope Floats.

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Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban’s Beverly Hills Home

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on DECEMBER 3, 2008

Celebrity couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban purchased this contemporary $4.7 million home in Beverly Hills with 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, and 4,100 square feet over the summer. It was built in 1965 but has been remodeled to look like new. It was formerly owned by record producer Ron Fair. (These MLS photos were taken before Nicole and Keith moved in, so this is his furniture, not theirs.)

Come on in and take the tour!

Kidman and Urban were married in June of 2006.

Earlier this year they sold their home in Nashville that Keith had lived in before marrying Nicole. It was on the market for $2.45 million, but I’m not sure how much it eventually sold for. Here are some photos of it:

What do you think? Do you like the house in Beverly Hills or Nashville better? For more information about the Nashville house, go to Big Time Listings.

In July, the couple welcomed their first baby, a girl named Sunday Rose. On “The View,” Nicole said that the doctors had given her a 2% chance of getting pregnant and carrying the baby to term. Gotta love a “miracle baby” (I have a couple of them myself!).

Nicole showed the first photo of her 4-month old daughter when she appeared on “Oprah” last week, promoting her new film Australia.

Has anyone seen Australia yet? I’ve heard it’s a bit too long and drawn out, but I’ll see it just for Hugh Jackman!

If You’re Hooked on Celebrity House Tours, Click Here for More!

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