What Million Dollar Upgrades Look Like: The Palmolive
I recently chattered about a new two bedroom unit in The Palmolive in the Gold Coast that the listing said had “ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN UPGRADES CLIVE CHRISTIAN KITCHEN.”
What exactly do you get for a million bucks?
Here is what a standard kitchen in The Palmolive from the developer looks like:
Yes, the master bedroom (see above) is enormous at 13 x 25.
Sorry, no pictures of the bathroom remodels.
Unit #5B: 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1 car parking, 2800 square feet
- Sold in April 2007 from the developer for $1,669,500
- Currently listed for $2,495,000 (includes the parking)
- Assessments of $1697 a month
- Sudler Sotheby’s has the listing
It looks like a beautiful unit. I would have to see the same tier unit with the developer finishes to really judge if the $1million upgrade was worth it or not.
When do we think they spent the $1mm? Was half of it in the purchase price and half after? How much did “standard” units like that cost?
Also, I like the standard kithcen much better.
If I could choose any place on Planet Earth to live, money no consideration, this building would be it.
You can get larger and vastly more expensive dwellings that this, but it is hard to surpass this place in architectural distinction and elegance.
Dunno–this strikes me as super fuddy-duddy. Like anon, I like the “before” much, much better.
Too ‘heavy’ for me … Definitely this is catered to an older buyer (no offense), but MOST younger buyers (mid 20’s to maybe early 40’s) are probably more into the contemporary, minimalist, clean lines (e.g. Ligne Roset, etc.) But absolutely stunning craftmanship though! I personally like the standard kitchen more.
I dont care how much detail and money was put into that kitchen, its just plain ugly.
learly, much of the $1mm went toward a time machine to go back to the time of Nepoleon.
They already used the highest end finishes in any recent project: Polyform Kitchen and Kalista plumbing fixtures just to name a few. They also had extensive A/V upgrages with lighting control, motorized shades, etc.
People in that price bracket do not mind spending hundresds of thousadns on Kitchen cabinets, wall paneling, curtains, wallpaper because when they have their dinner parties they can show off to there friends. Most of these people paid cash or a large chunk as a down payment and if they want to blow there money on this they are more than welcome. I wish I was in that position.
This condo makes the $3mil Contemporaine condo with the japanese garden look like a steal.
“they can show off to there friends”
Who all have equally fuddy-duddy taste, obviously.
Yeah, I much prefer the modern look kitchen… I view extreme customization catering to ‘exquisite’ tastes as usually something that adds little to no value to a place, and in some cases, actually reduces it because a new owner would need to fix it. There’s a difference between “upgrades” and “customization”; the latter is definitely what happened here in an already high-end unit.
The extreme customization you are referring to is what is “in” with the truly upper class.
The New York Times just talked about these luxury kitchens- many of which look like furniture (just in the kitchen.)
Perhaps- Chicago is not the same market as that of NY, where the white antique looking kitchens are all the rage.
Personally, I would do that kitchen differently,as I prefer a sleeker, darker kitchen with fewer dustcatcher-type decorative details to clean; but the apartment itself is spectacular, a wonderful place to work with. The architecture here is just beautiful.