In the October 2009 issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, homeowner Judith Schindler showed off the interior design of her Buckhead area home, saying proudly that the home she refurbished with her friend and fellow designer Sudi Cecil was her dream home and that she hoped never to move again. And yet just a few months later the home is on the market. The design style of the six-bedroom home is a melding of Southern style with something more “West Coast-like.” The style is meant to represent Old Hollywood glamour but how well this succeeds is a matter of some debate (there are notes that remind me a little of the Kardashian view of glamour, all animal prints, shiny curtains and mirrors). The home has a gourmet kitchen with an island and an eat-in breakfast bar. There is a formal dining room, formal living room and a more casual room. Zebra-printed rug livens up an office and there is a comfortable home theater and a game room. Outside a large covered terrace offers room for dining alfresco with a view of the pool. This home is listed at $6.75 million.

ATLANTA — An Atlanta landmark that has been closed for several years is set to reopen. The Buckhead Theater, formerly known as the Roxy, will host its first event Friday night.

Located near the intersection of Peachtree, Paces Ferry and Roswell Roads, the Buckhead Theater was purchased by Charles Loudermilk, the founder of Aaron’s Rents, now Aaron’s, Inc. Loudermilk has invested in the renovation of the Buckhead Theater, which is nearly complete.

“It’s the only historic thing left in Buckhead,” Loudermilk told 11Alive’s Brenda Wood during an interview in 2007. “I’m going to make it a first-class facility.”

The newly remodeled theater is being called Buckhead’s answer toMidtown’s Fox Theater.

Though the Buckhead Theater is much smaller than the Fox, it features high end and versatile facilities that can host dinners, off-Broadway shows or musical acts.

“The whole area will be re-energized with this theater,” said Kendall Craig with the Buckhead Alliance.

The Buckhead Alliance is also in the process of renovating the park directly across Roswell Road from the Buckhead Theater. It has been officially renamed “Charlie Loudermilk Park” and there are plans to update the grounds. “It’s going to be a walk through the history of Buckhead,” Craig said.

The Buckhead Theater will host a benefit event for the March of Dimes Friday. A formal grand opening is being planned for June.

Prices for blue diamonds continue to rise. At the Sotheby’s auction in Geneva a 7.64 carat fancy intense blue cushion-shaped diamond mounted in yellow gold and platinum sold to an anonymous client for $8,034,503. That number sailed above the estimate of between $4-6 million, setting a new record price of $1,051,636 per for carat for a fancy intense blue diamond sold at auction. Sotheby’s was the previous record holder with $796,178 per carat for a 3.17 carat fancy intense blue diamond in November 2009 in Geneva. Last May a 7.03 carat stone sold for $9.49 million.

Sotheby’s says this is the largest cushion shaped stone of this color grading ever to appear at auction. The diamond is graded as a Fancy Intense Blue, Natural Colour, VVS2 Clarity, and comes with an additional GIA worksheet stating that the diamond may be Potentially Flawless after repolishing. The Sotheby’s Spring Sales of Magnificent and Noble Jewels brought a total of $53,976,331, handily above pre-sale expectations of $32.4-46 million with most lots selling and more than 74 percent of the lots sold achieving prices in excess of their high estimate.

It took a little longer than expected but the first Armani Hotel has opened in the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai. The hotel is the first landmark tenant in the building. The 160-room hotel marks the Italian designer’s first foray into the hotel business.

Every bit of the hotel’s design was overseen by Armani and is a consistent vision of his neutral, minimalist luxe style. The staff wear Armani suits and dresses. The hotel is designed to be exclusive and only those who have room or restaurant reservations can gain access to the area of the Burj Khalifa that houses the hotel. Your stay comes with the sevices of a “lifestyle consultant,” a personal concierge who sees to all your needs. Such fine digs will cost you. Rates start at $750 and night and a suite can run you $2,500 although opening specials in the fast rising heat of late spring will net you a studio for $550 and an Armani Signature Suite for $2,200. Restaurants include Armani/Amal, offering Indian food with modern presentation, Armani/Hashi for sushi and Japanese plates, and Armani/Peck, an Italian style deli. Click through after the jump for a look at the Armani hotel, a space that seems very true to the look of Armani’s existing boutiques and restaurant offerings.

Sleekly attired hotel workers see to your every need.

“I put a video on YouTube just to see what people would say — besides my mom or my friends, because they [might] tell you you can sing but you probably can’t. I wanted to get that honest opinion on YouTube. A year later I had 25 videos up, people were coming out [from] everywhere trying to sign me or collaborate with me [and] one of those people was [Jermaine Dupri].”

The So So Def boss flew her and her mother out Atlanta to start work — but it took a couple of months to convince Dondria he was actually JD.

“First, he tried to reach me over YouTube, but I never got that message. Then he went over to MySpace, and at first I didn’t think it was him, so I was kind of ignoring him. ‘Don’t play with me, I’m smarter than that,’ ” Dondria replied.

“But it was really him. I’m so mad — like, what if he had stopped writing me. I wouldn’t be here,” she offered. “I finally responded and realized that it was really him, and ever since then I’ve bugged him like, everyday. ‘Let’s work, like, right now! Let’s get it done!’ ”

Dupri worked her tirelessly in hopes of bringing out her best and gave her the chance to work with the likes of Johnta Austin and No I.D., learn about the recording process and discover her own sound. Her debut album, Dondria vs. Phatfffat, is expected to be released in June. However, despite the title’s implications, the album isn’t a fight between personalities.

“It’s not really an alter-ego thing — it’s really kind of explaining to everbody that I could be more than Phatfffat that you saw on YouTube that was singing other people’s songs, forgetting words and eating pizza. Dondria, she’s singing her own music. She’s proving to everybody that she can be an artist and not just a person on YouTube.”