When I picture a "green" house, I imagine a mud hut with a thatched roof and no electricity.  That, or a glass building full of plants.  My preconceived notions have been shattered, however, thanks to the James Dean House in Delaware Township, New Jersey, listed with N.T. Callaway Real Estate.  This former farmhouse has been completely restored using green design strategies to minimize its environmental impact - while ensuring that the outcome was a gorgeous luxury home (no thatched roof).

Builder and owner Lise Thompson of Conservation Development used recycled and "healthy" materials wherever possible and equipped the home with high-tech amenities.  Among the green features: a high-efficiency HVAC system to reduce energy consumption, zero-VOC paints (which, after some research, I learned basically means that the paints are not made with harmful chemicals), ozone-friendly rigid spray foam insulation and an advanced drainage system that channels water to a rain garden in the lower corner of this former farm's 2.4 landscaped acres.

In addition to being earth-friendly, this pastoral home – surrounded by magnolia trees, pink dogwoods, weeping cherry apple trees, forsythias and white birches – is luxurious as well.  The master bedroom occupies a wing by itself and commands a broad view of the property.  In the tower, the family bathroom – equipped with a platform soaking tub, luxury fixtures, radiant heated marble floor and clerestory windows that gaze up to the trees and sky – is a place to relax and indulge. 

Yes - you can indulge in a "green" house - and it doesn't require pumping your bathwater from a well.

I found these incredible shoes, designed by Mai Lamore, in the pages of Elite Traveler. These are more than shoes - they are works of art.  The thorny heels are 18 karat gold and the silk petals are hand-dyed.  The playful bee is made of gold, onyx and agate.

And they only cost $27,945 - a good price for a masterpiece.

Contact Mai Lamore directly for more information.

I recently wrote about a former dairy barn that had been turned into a luxury home. The home is amazing, and while browsing other luxury homes recently I found that the barn to luxury home transformation isn't an isolated occurrence.  I discovered three more luxury former barns- all listed by Houlihan Lawrence.  The first offers supreme luxury on 7 beautiful acres.  The barn is from 1935, with additional house built in 2001, all renovated to perfection in 2005.  Contemporary bathroom design and fresh fixtures mingle with beamed ceilings and fieldstone walls to create a luxury home filled with both history and modern style and convenience.  Try and remember not to stack hay on top of the pool table located in one of the lofts. 

This next barn dates back to the 1800s and has been renovated into an amazing 4,400-plus square foot luxury home.  The great room shows the cathedral beamed ceiling hovering beautifully over the cozy living area with bluestone floors.  The completely updated home rules over three acres including lush pines and a pond. View the exterior, amazing setting, and other photos here.

A converted 1850s cow barn in Katonah, New York is the last stop on today's luxury barn tour.  Original barn doors open into the architect renovated interior with exposed-beam ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, brick-floored dining area, barn-sided kitchen and much more.  The home rests on 9 bucolic, gated acres with mature trees, perennial gardens, meadowland and an in-ground pool- which I believe the cows once dove into head first. (That last statement is completely false...everyone knows cows prefer to dive into a pool cannonball style).