Clockwise from left: Venus Williams, One Thousand Ocean in Boca Raton, Fla. and the set of the “Tavis Smiley” show

From the South Florida website: Tennis star Venus Williams has won Wimbledon five times, taken home three Olympic gold medals and has been ranked the number one women’s tennis player in the world. But for nearly a decade, she’s also had a second career in interior design — with her Jupiter-based V*Starr design firm, where Williams and a four-person design team create the interiors of residential, commercial and institutional properties, from Howard University to the set of the Tavis Smiley news program, along with her latest project at Boca Raton’s One Thousand Ocean condominium, where she is designing a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom model unit. Williams, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, talked to The Real Deal about her start in interior design, her design philosophy and taking cues from Philippe Starck. [more]

The Real Deal dropped by the London NYC Hotel’s penthouse last night for a soiree thrown in honor of Boca Raton’s One Thousand Ocean condominium, the ultra-luxe 52-unit property that debuted last year to an uncharacteristic flurry of sales activity.

After years of uncertainty due to ownership change-ups and battles with neighbors, and in spite of South Florida’s weak condo sales market, developer LXR Luxury Resort & Hotels saw more than $45 million in closings within three weeks of the oceanfront building’s February 2010 launch. Now, with 18 units left to market for between $2.6 million and $15 million apiece, the developer has turned to New York City’s Gumley Haft Kleier for help reaching the crowd up north.

It’s the first official foray into South Florida for the Kleier clan, executive vice president Sabrina Kleier Morgenstern told us at last night’s event, which she hosted with her mother, president Michele Kleier, and sister, executive vice president Samantha Kleier Forbes, and which was filmed for HGTV’s “Selling New York.” It also comes at a time when the boutique firm is making an effort to branch out into the new development arena. [more]

Kelly Mack, 36, is president of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group.
Specializing in the planning, design, marketing, and sales of luxury
residential developments, the company has generated over $9 billion in
sales since she became president in 2006. Mack earned her MBA at New
York University before joining Corcoran Sunshine, where she became
executive vice president in 2004. Last year, Mack was named the
first-ever Distinguished Young Alumna by New York University.

Which amenities are popular in new buildings today, and how has that
changed over the past year?
Amenities still create value — that
hasn’t changed. The strength of sales at a building like the Rushmore,
one of the most amenitized buildings in Manhattan, demonstrates that new
development buyers still want the complete package. That being said,
are there other developers who are scaling back on amenities during
predevelopment? Some are. 

Compiled by Candace Taylor. [more]

It’s official. After years of often contentious battles with neighbors
and under different ownership, One Thousand Ocean, the ultra-luxurious
condominium project in Boca Raton, is done. The city issued the
developer LXR Luxury Resort & Hotels, owner of the Boca Raton
Resort & Club, a certificate of occupancy last week. The condo sits
on the resort’s property adjacent to its Boca Beach Club. The first closing at One Thousand Ocean, which is owned by New York-based Blackstone Group, took place yesterday, officials said.
The units run from $3 million to $15 million. TRD