Published on June 18, 2026
Aloïs Barreau
Robb Report keeps its finger on the pulse of the ultra-luxury-real-estate market, high-lighting homes that do more than provide shelter—they define lifestyles. Across continents and contexts, the eight extraordinary residences that made our list share clear threads: impressive scale and daring design that combine to blur the lines between comfort, spectacle, and immersion in their surroundings. Whether perched high above the skyline or spread across sweeping terrain, these homes make dramatic settings and striking architecture an integral part of daily life.
There are vertiginous views in Dubai and calm desert minimalism in Utah, where villas are sculpted into otherworldly canyons. In Europe, Gothic Revival and Victorian grandeur coexist with modern amenities, preserving history while accommodating contemporary life. Similarly, John Portman’s Entelechy II in Georgia and Ray Kappe’s home in Los Angeles deftly manipulate space and perspective, employing bold geometries and gravity-defying cantilevers to connect airy interiors to the landscape.
At the uppermost end of the market, intimacy and theatricality frequently appear together, as in a celebrity-owned brownstone in Brooklyn and the brand-new Villa Serenique in Pacific Palisades, translating confident personality into self-contained refuges with tranquil gardens and wellness-oriented options.
Among all these homes, whether nestled in a leafy canyon or a tucked into a high-rise, privacy, security, craftsmanship, and lifestyle-driven design converge to create environments that inspire, refresh, and elevate the everyday. These are not just residences—they are carefully calibrated sanctuaries, each a testament to the transformation in how we live, play, and dream.
Penthouse: Sky Palace, Dubai
Image Credit: GT&I Limited
Perched atop the world’s tallest building, this duplex penthouse crowns the Burj Khalifa with 21,000 square feet of sky-high potential. Spanning the 107th and 108th floors—nearly 1,509 feet above Dubai—the so-called Sky Palace delivers uninterrupted 360-degree views stretching from Business Bay to the Persian Gulf and deep into the surrounding desert. Offered as a shell and core, the residence gives buyers the opportunity to fully customize a mega-mansion in the clouds. A private elevator, 12 dedicated parking spaces, and access to the tower’s full suite of amenities, including pools, lounges, fitness facilities, and concierge service, completes the offering. $51 million
Architecturally Significant: Ray Kappe House, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Image Credit: Cameron Carothers
In the rustic canyon area of Pacific Palisades, the home of late architect Ray Kappe exemplifies Southern California modernism. Built in 1967 on laminated-fir beams anchored to six massive concrete towers, the redwood-and-glass residence hovers dramatically over its steep hillside setting. Spanning roughly 4,100 square feet across seven split levels, the house features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and staggered living spaces connected by bridges and stairways, while cantilevered decks and terraces extend the home into its wooded surroundings.
The interiors are open and airy, anchored by a sunken living room with a 14-foot beamed ceiling and a two-way fireplace, a dining room, an eat-in kitchen with a central island, and a skylit primary suite. Outside, ivy-draped grounds host mature trees, a 50-foot lap pool, a spa, a minimalist pool house, and a carport. Celebrated by critics and photographers alike, the property is recognized both as a historic and cultural monument and as a signature part of Kappe’s architectural legacy. Sold for $12 million
Island Home: Entelechy II, Sea Island, Ga.
Image Credit: Bartolotti Media
The personal retreat of the late architect John Portman–best known for his pioneering office buildings and hotels centered around vast atria—makes a serious statement on 2.3 oceanfront acres on Georgia’s Sea Island. Named Entelechy II after the philosophical concept of realizing one’s fullest potential, the 12,500-square-foot residence is Portman’s residential magnum opus, epitomizing geometric composition and spatial drama.
Designed to blur the line between indoors and outdoors, the home is organized as a series of pavilions surrounding a massive central atrium with a reflecting pool, sculptural curves, and a distinctive grid-like roof supported by colossal columns. Despite its architectural bravura, it is still a beach house at heart, with shaded patios, a rooftop crow’s nest with wraparound views, a swimming pool, and a private path to the shore. Sold for $30 million
Branded Development: Aman Residences, Canyon Point, Utah
Image Credit: Joe Fletcher
Aman has expanded its Amangiri resort with a limited collection of just 12 ultra-private residences built across 900 acres in Utah’s canyon country. Designed by Marwan Al Sayed of Masastudio—one of the architects behind the original resort—the homes translate Amangiri’s pared-back desert modernism into stand-alone estates that feel embedded in the landscape. The homes range from four to eight bedrooms on five- to 19-acre parcels, with expansive indoor-outdoor living, private pools, and uninterrupted views of the surrounding rock formations. Materials such as stone, concrete, and wood mirror the terrain, grounding the architecture in its setting. The first residence, a six-bedroom villa, has already sold and is being offered for rent at $45,000 per night, previewing a broader program in which select homes enter a managed rental pool. Owners also gain access to the resort’s full suite of amenities and experiences. From $5 million per lot
Celebrity: Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Brownstone, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Image Credit: Hayley Ellen Day
Though their marriage didn’t last—with her subsequently channeling the split into a scathing break-up album—Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Brooklyn brownstone remains a master class in showbiz style, pairing theatrical yet refined interiors with classic architecture. The Carroll Gardens home retains many of its original bones, from high ceilings to tall sash windows to period moldings, while layering in vibrant floral and animal-print patterns, textured finishes, and contemporary fixtures.
The eclectic rooms mix vintage pieces with modern elements and bold accents that reflect Allen’s playful style and Harbour’s cinematic sensibility. Think: richly hued walls, statement lighting, and curated art throughout. Outdoor space, a prized feature in Brooklyn, adds to the appeal, offering a private garden and deck that soften the city setting. Sold for $7 million
Historic: Stanley Park, Cotswolds, England
Image Credit: Ray Dowling/Savills
In the rolling Gloucestershire countryside, this Grade II–listed Gothic manor reads as a quintessential English country house with an edge. Known as Stanley Park, the 17,000-square-foot estate dates to 1584 and was later reshaped into a Victorian showpiece before a period of disrepair and subdivision. An eight-year restoration has carefully pieced the 11-bedroom residence back together, reviving stained-glass skylights, intricate carved stonework, and a dramatic ballroom oriented toward sweeping views of the River Severn and the Black Mountains. Modern interventions—including a cinema, gym, sauna, and chef’s kitchen—are wisely integrated rather than overstated, preserving the home’s sense of history while making it fully livable. Set on two and a half acres, the setting is compact by country-house standards, with the views doing much of the heavy lifting. About $6.3 million
Castle: Neo-Gothic Château, Sologne, France
Image Credit: Aloïs Barreau
Set within over 123 acres of forest and parkland in France’s storied Sologne region, this neo-Gothic château pairs romantic architecture with a no-expense-spared revival. Located between Blois, Bourges, and Orléans, the nearly 33,000-square-foot residence was built between 1887 and 1893 with input from Gustave Eiffel, who consulted on its framework and concealed structural systems that utilized iron. Much like in his work on the Eiffel Tower during the same period, using the metal allowed for expansive interior volumes without thick load-bearing walls, as well as improved fire resistance—an innovation that made the château one of the earliest “modern” estates in the region. Today, the 22-bedroom home has been meticulously restored, with more than $16 million invested, blending historic craftsmanship with contemporary comforts. About $30.7 million
Amenities: Villa Serenique, Los Angeles
Image Credit: Nils Timm
Tucked into the hills of L.A.’s exclusive Brentwood neighborhood, Villa Serenique spans 20,000 square feet of unparalleled luxury—a fully realized playground of wellness, entertainment, and style. With nine bedrooms and soaring limestone interiors, every lifestyle desire is anticipated: a pool and hot tub, a sunken firepit, an open-air kitchen with grills, manicured gardens with citrus and olive trees, a soccer field, and a pickleball court.
Inside, a chef’s kitchen, a private walnut-wrapped office, a soundproof theater, a bar, a wine cellar, a car gallery with drive-in movie capability, a Pilates studio, a lap pool and cold plunge, and an infrared sauna and steam spa complete the wellness, leisure, and work-life-balance trifecta. The primary suite delivers dual spa baths, heated floors, custom closets, and a private balcony, while floor-to-ceiling glass windows, expansive terraces, and canyon and city views create a seamless indoor-outdoor experience. $65 million