Latest news with #theSea
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Myrtleville's €1.4m contemporary home Stella Maris is stellar indeed
ARCHITECT-designed to visually conceal its size and scale, and also to make it look like it might have been an older dwelling which grew over time, Stella Maris is, as the name suggests, a star property by the sea. Vista beyond The contemporary build, in a 'broken plan' in two linked sections, is up on a height above Myrtleville, just outside the mouth of Cork harbour, with a sweep of panoramic views of land, sea, and of mushrooming homes in the cleft running down to the beach between Pine Lodge and the former Bunny's at Myrtleville, and also straight out to sea. It was built in 2008 by a couple with a young family, coming back to Cork from a decade of living in the UK, lured by the appeal of a life by the sea, with all-essential ocean vista, yet near schools and services. It's quite likely the next occupants of Stella Maris ('Star of the Sea') will be similar: They'll prize the setting, the views, the proximity to beaches, the many access points from inside to outdoors, the contemporary design, and the standard of finish. The only question is will they come from the UK, from elsewhere overseas, from up country, Cork City, or be traders up from Crosshaven? All will be revealed in the coming weeks, as Stella Maris arrives for sale and for summer 2025 viewings. Stella Maris is listed with a €1.4m AMV, with agents Stuart O'Grady and Ann O'Mahony, of Sherry FitzGerald, who describe the layout as a bit unconventional, but dictated by the site and the chance to grasp the most of the elevated coastal vistas beyond. It's one of a handful of homes in the wider Crosshaven district launched at €1m+, coming on the back of a real rise in values and prices paid for better stock out this neck of the wood, with those all-important water vistas. Back three years ago, Sherry FitzGerald got €1.275m for a contemporary home near here, called Nirvana. Now, they have good early interest in a recent, substantial Crosshaven bungalow listing, called Winfield, guiding at €1.3m (it featured here within the last month) and have just gone 'sale agreed' on a former rectory-style, 1,700 sq ft period home at Fennell's Bay, called Fairview, for €836,000, or above its €730,000 AMV or guide price. Today's Stella Maris replaces an older, previous dormer dwelling on this plot, demolished to make way for this for more substantial family home, with design by architect Peter Stacey, of RORSA. At the time, that RORSA practice was updating Cork County Council's Rural Design Guide, and hence had an idea on just how to get a home of scale in what otherwise might be seen as a prominent, elevated spot. The key was reducing the bulk by breaking up the building mass in to sections, in this case a two-storey, rear-bedroom wing with gable facing the road, linking via the central connecting hall to the wedge-shaped and angular family television room to a large, day-use main living, dining, and family room and kitchen, under a tall, monopitch roof, just recently redone in standing seam zinc. First floor terrace/balcony by main bedroom suite That (costly) zinc roof, unusually, can be appreciated from a height, as a roof terrace has been created on the mid-ship link section (pic, above), accessed from the first floor's main en-suite bedroom, and from a first-floor office/option further bedroom. Main bedroom's private en suite The principal bedroom is luxurious, with large private bathroom with double shower, plus deep bath for soaks by an internal window divide to the bedroom (with Venetian slatted blinds), and has water and shipping views when standing up, while a bespoke timber storage unit at the end of the bed conceals a pop-up television screen. Main bedroom There's a lovely sense of 'remove' to these upstairs rooms, almost luxurious and apartment-like in feel (an external staircase could make it almost self-contained). The balcony/terrace is a prime lookout spot, over the sloping roof line above Myrtleville's myriad and scattered house forms down to the sea and to Bunny's above the western shoreline (soon to revert to private-house use, after decades in the hospitality sector.) Stand up, and you see all, sit down, and you are a lot more sheltered from the wind. In the two-storey rear section are three bedrooms, one of them en suite, and all have glazed door access to the front garden/patio, and all have a water view/glimpse. There's also patio access from the mid-section family/television room, via a large sliding door in a largely-glazed end wall, with a further large slider in the ground-floor lounge/home office/gym/play room off the kitchen at the eastern end of this c 60' long front section. Family living area has patio access This front kitchen/dining/living wing has the best of the views from inside, with an extensively glazed front façade, with slider in the step-down family section at the western end. There's a pair of sliders in the more fully glazed dining mid-section, and a tall, fixed window just on the entry point to the multi-use end room. The kitchen, unsurprisingly, is high-end, with a bank of ovens and integrated coffee maker in pale or baby blue-faced units, topped with dark granite, from long-established French company Schmidt, who had strong Munster sales in the 2000s, with a hub in a peninsula/breakfast bar/room divide section. Flooring is pale or light oak, in wide plank boards and other internal joinery, is oak also, keeping an overall low-key aesthetic, allowing art and feature lighting to shine. The main family living space moves the feel of this already airy space from double aspect to triple aspect, down three steps from the dining/kitchen, with green plant screen 'baluster' divide, and with a large wood-burning stove in the gable, and has sliding patio door access to a sandstone patio. There are several sit-out/patio options, for different times of the day and sun tracking/wind shunning. Sherry FitzGerald's Ann O'Mahony and Stuart O'Grady say their downsizing vendor's family home has been very well-maintained, since construction in 2008, and is bright, has views from just about every room, lots of storage and bedroom/day room options, with an abundance of space, on 0.4-acre site, within a walk of the beach at Myrtleville and close to services, shops, and schools at Crosshaven, within a commute of Cork and airport. VERDICT: The €1.4m price tag puts Stella Maris in a quite rarified price league (are there more €1m+ priced homes in the wider Cork market this year that ever before?), but as combined package is going to see competitive bidding to land it for the next, fortunate owners.
Scoop
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
EDS Report Highlights Urgent Need To Get On With MPA Reform
The Environmental Defence Society today released a working paper on marine protected areas (MPA) setting out how progress can be made to better protect the country's rich marine biodiversity and help secure broader oceanic health. The report, titled Protecting the Sea: Rethinking Marine Protected Areas, is co-authored by Raewyn Peart and Deidre-Koolen-Bourke. 'New Zealand is far behind international best practice for MPA legislation and practice and is far from meeting its international biodiversity obligations,' said EDS Policy Director Raewyn Peart. 'At the same time, the degradation of our marine environments is escalating. The current MPA system has long not been fit-for purpose and there is strong consensus around the need for change. 'The working paper draws on an extensive literature review, MPA debates in Parliament, submissions made on various MPA initiatives, and interviews with a range of interested parties. In total, we spoke to 28 people from the commercial fishing, recreational fishing, environmental NGO, iwi, science, law and government sectors. 'This included several former Ministers of Conservation who sought to progress MPA legislative reform. There have been three attempts to reform the now very dated Marine Reserves Act 1971, none which reached fruition. 'This research enabled us to identify a number of contentious issues that have hindered MPA reform in the past, as well as topics on which there is broad consensus and can be built on. 'Our research made it clear that, overall, the greatest progress on MPAs has been made through collaborative processes. New Zealand has very rich experience in this area to build on. 'We have recommended developing a new Marine Protected Areas Act which: Provides a clear overall purpose for marine protection Ensures MPAs are well designed Provides a range of spatial protection tools Uses collaborative processes to design MPA networks Addresses impacts on fisheries Addresses Treaty rights and interests Builds in flexibility Ensures effective and active MPA management Ensures adequate resourcing. 'The new legislation should also provide for the development of an updated MPA Policy and a focused MPA Action Plan setting out priorities for spatial marine protection around the country. 'We note that National Party policy for the 2023 general election included a commitment to update the Marine Reserves Act. We want to see progress on meeting this commitment in the current term of government. 'We will be discussing these issues further at EDS's Oceans Symposium in Auckland on 12 May. 'There is no time to waste if we are to retain our unique indigenous marine biodiversity and rebuild healthy marine systems. 'Therefore, while progressing MPA legislative reform we need to simply get on with the job. For this reason, we have also recommended establishing further collaborative marine planning processes without delay,' concluded Ms Peart. Environmental Defence Society EDS speaks for the environment. It has influence. Since 1971, EDS has been driving environmental protection in Aotearoa New Zealand through law and policy change. That's why it's one of this country's most influential non- profit organisations when it comes to achieving better environmental outcomes. EDS has expertise in key disciplines including law, planning, landscape and science. It operates as a policy think-tank, a litigation advocate, and a collaborator – bringing together the private and public sectors for constructive engagement. EDS runs conferences and seminars on topical issues, including an annual Environmental Summit and the Climate Change and Business Conference. EDS is a registered charity and donations to it are tax-deductible.
Business Journals
28-04-2025
- Business Journals
Filing anticipates sale of Honolulu restaurant 53 By The Sea
Diamond Head, as seen in this file photo, is part of the sweeping waterfront view visible from 53 by the Sea restaurant in Kakaako makai.
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Need a Small Treat Today? 21 Suggestions from Busy Creative Types
Some days are harder than others. Everyone, at some point, needs a break. And such a break often comes with a little treat, a small luxury to help you through the rest of your day or your tasks. The writer Iris Murdoch may have said it best in 'The Sea, the Sea,' a 1978 novel that won the Booker Prize: 'One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats, and if some of these can be inexpensive and quickly procured so much the better.' The same concept has taken hold on social media in more recent years. Especially on TikTok, members of Gen Z have gladly embraced 'little treat culture,' encouraged others to enjoy some of life's splurges and doing so without shame. (They're saying yes to that $20 smoothie, to those chocolate covered strawberries.) We asked prominent people in high-pressure jobs in the arts — writers, actors, entrepreneurs and others — about their version of that small treat in times of high stress. The answers were as simple as they were satisfying. (Quotes have been condensed and edited for length and clarity.) Nourishing the body (stomach included) Sophie Buddle, standup comedian and writer 'My truly biggest treat to myself is letting myself sleep in with no alarm. If I don't set an alarm I'll never wake up. Letting myself sleep is my biggest luxury.' Paul Tazewell, Oscar-winning costume designer for 'Wicked' 'I get a manicure/pedicure with a buffed finish. That's so when I look down at my hands I can see that I have made an effort to take care of myself.' Marcus Samuelsson, celebrity chef 'I have to have moments where I totally zone out. For me that starts with my routine in the morning: I make breakfast super early, get my son on the bus to school. Then my wife and I walk in the park. Two laps, around the park. Sometimes that's the only time in the day when we can connect.' Natalie Venetia Belcon, Broadway actress in 'Buena Vista Social Club' 'A steam shower with alcohol in a sippy cup. You don't want the shower water to ruin your drink of course. And I have a shower stool. Why work extra hard in the shower? I turn to get the shampoo and turn back around. Then after all of that, a three-hour massage in my apartment.' Richard Kind, actor 'It doesn't seem like much but with the advent of heart health and my ever monitored weight, I treat myself to an egg sandwich on an everything bagel with Cheddar and bacon. It really tastes good.' Curtis Sittenfeld, author 'For me it's definitely dark chocolate. It is a literal treat. And I eat it every day.' Heather Poole, flight attendant and author 'I thought about this forever. It made me think, 'Wow, my life is very weird.' My little luxury is just someone else's regular day thing. First of all I don't make a lot as a flight attendant. I do make a point to treat myself on a layover, have a nice meal by myself. I don't need anyone to come with me. That is luxurious. That is what I do.' Connie Butler, director of MoMA P.S. 1 in New York City 'Pilates, as a kind of obsessive meditation practice, which is how I think of it. That's my self care. And it's totally essential for my survival. It saved my life during the pandemic.' Indiana Woodward, principal dancer with the New York City Ballet 'If I am feeling I really need to dedicate some time for myself, I look up a bathhouse. In the city I go to the Russian baths. Those are really, really lovely. I don't have my phone. It's important for me to not be on technology.' Feeding the brain and heart Dan Bulla, writer for 'Saturday Night Live' ' has an app. A chess app. And you can play other people online. If I am writing late at night at S.N.L. and I've been going fairly hard at it for like 4 hours or something, I'll dip out somewhere and play a game of speed chess with someone online. That's a big way that I'll completely detach myself.' Bernadette Peters, actor and singer 'I breath in through the nose and hold four counts and breath out through the mouth. I do this six times. It really relaxes me.' Sarah McNally, owner of McNally Jackson Books 'My son is suddenly taller than I am, and hugging him is unexpectedly grounding. One of the gifts of middle age is having built a life that supports me on my weaker days, and it's of a piece that I fed my child for 16 years and now he can hoist me out of any calamity.' Dichen Lachman, actor on 'Severance' 'Lighting a beautiful candle and giving my space a good, deep clean instantly resets my energy, it's like clearing the static from my mind cook something low and slow and maybe take time to arrange fresh flowers, which feels like creating a small piece of fleeting art." Dan Harris, host of the '10% Happier with Dan Harris' podcast 'My algorithm on TikTok basically just serves me comedy and animals. For me TikTok really is a very nice break. My wife and son often laugh at how hard I laugh when I am looking at those videos.' Jessie Willner, co-founder of Discothèque Fragrances 'A sketchbook. I bring a sketchbook with me everywhere, but it's not for work related things, it's only to sketch things that I see right in front of me, when I think something is beautiful. If I'm on a plane or I'm at a park or something — a little memory book of sketches.' Michael Cecchi-Azzolina author and owner of Cecchi's restaurant in New York 'It's having the newspaper delivered every morning. It saves my day. I get up, I have coffee. And I read it every day. It's just time for myself and I can do that. Sometimes I skim it, sometimes I don't.' Benjamin Adler, clarinettist at the New York Philharmonic 'I've actually really been into K-pop lately. Believe it or not, classical musicians are into K-pop. Maybe because it relates, even if they perform to different crowds, and masses of people gather to see them dance and sing. I'll even watch some videos of K-pop performances.' Calming through ritual Sheila Bridges, furniture designer 'I was in Rome recently, because I was doing a residency at the American Academy. My favorite thing to do on a Sunday was to go to the flea market. I only carried 50 euros. Whatever I found had to be under 50 euros. Every week I'd find something wonderful. That was my treat to myself after my week.' Delia Ephron, author 'When I am stressed out, which in current times is often, I watch a British detective series on TV. There is an endless supply of them, usually taking place in lovely ancient English towns, where there seem to be a fantastic number of murderers. But it's all very safe, the detectives are very reliable.' Nikki Toscano, showrunner of 'Long Bright River' 'I have a simple answer: It's having ice-cold martinis for happy hour with my partner, my ex-husband and my best friend, followed by dinner with our children. Throw in a little Otis Redding in there and you got something a little shy of perfection.' Sky Lakota-Lynch, Broadway actor in 'The Outsiders' 'The answer for me will always be thrifting, especially at Stella Dallas in Brooklyn. If I can find a nice shirt or pair of pants or even a candle, it can alter my whole mood and day. It gives me something to look forward to outside of eight shows a week for a year.'
