The walled and gated home offers ample entertainment space and a a kitchen in the round with bay views, a billiard room, wine cellar, indoor racquetball court with viewing area and outside dining areas. This 11,500 square foot home is listed at $24.5 million.

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Inland and only a few miles southwest of Miami, this $4.25 million estate in Pinecrest has an abundance of what waterfront properties lack — actual land. With almost one-and-a-quarter acres of landscaped Florida real estate, the 8,700-square-foot home has plenty of room to spread out into a four-car garage and a large outdoor swimming pool. The 7-bed/9-bath home has his-and-hers master bathrooms, marble and hardwood floors, a media room and a wine cellar with floor-to-ceiling bottle storage.

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An airy glass and steel Chicago contemporary, this Lincoln Park townhome is a veritable gallery space well suited for art collectors or entertainers. A column of light is brought to the core of the three-story residence via a 42-foot center atrium. The $5.7 million home has 12 generously proportioned rooms and three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, including a cozy office/library with floor-to-ceiling shelving. A spectacular patio looks out on the skyline and provides one of the best glimpses of the home itself, which glows through walls of glass.

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It’s an illustrative word, but most realtors unfortunately shy away from describing property as a “compound” in their listings. But if one had to hole up in seclusion, this $17.9 million Palm Beach estate has everything for a luxury escape. The recently remodeled 12,700 square-foot mansion was originally designed by famed architect Maurice Fatio in1940. Finished in polished oak and French marble, the 7-bed/10.5-bath Colonial home has gala-sized rooms and patios, chef-designed kitchen, a guest cottage and private boat dock.

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Atop a historic building that once officed staffers working for the New York State Department Labor Department rests the most expensive property in Brooklyn. Like a luxury lair for some comic book villain, the triplex penthouse lives behind each of the four, 14-foot functional clocks that give the ClockTower Building its name. Minus the minute and hour hands, the timepieces serve as windows that overlook the cobble-stoned and once-industrial Dumbo community, sandwiched between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Originally built for a cardboard manufacturer, the building was later renamed and was renovated into condos in 1998 after its stint serving the state. The 6,300 square-foot condo is on sale for $25 million, which if sold, the New York Times says will handily best the $11 million purchase of a Gravesend home in 2006, making the penthouse the most expensive real estate buy in Brooklyn. [via twistedsifter and nytimes. pics via NYT’s Ángel Franco]

In lieu of the strict linear geometry used to design most modern homes, Australian architect Frank Macchia chose to combine curved elements with rectangular volumes to create the Blairgowire Court Residence in Melbourne. Macchia’s use of curves is most prominent in the home’s front elevation, where two tall, gently rippled walls act as the axis around which several boxes are arranged. The contrasting shapes and a varied material palette create a layered, visually dynamic exterior whose presence is undeniable. Once inside the home, curves manifest themselves more subtly. The curved walls visible from the exterior occasionally protrude into living spaces, while an organically shaped soaking tub pierces a wall in the master bathroom. The juxtaposition of different materials and textures continues inside too- wood, stone, concrete, tile, and glass all adorn different surfaces throughout the home. Outside, heavily vegetated water gardens and a lap pool combine with a patio and rooftop deck where residents enjoy views across the bay.