If you’ve always dreamed of sky-high terraces and unfettered views, the pickings are sweet right now for priced-right penthouses. Though Prudential Rubloff broker Janet Owen just sold two aeries on the Near North Side for $6 million plus each, her listing with the most dramatic outdoor spaces is a majestic, 3,400 square-foot duplex penthouse on the 16th and 17th floors of 3750 N. Lake Shore Drive for a more sane $795,000. “It has twin terraces that measure 25-by-12 feet and live like bona fide rooms because they edge the grand living room with huge picture windows,” she says. The terraces provide an additional 600 square feet of space and face east and west, but offer 360-degree views. The home started life as a good old-fashioned penthouse back in 1926, when the co-op was built and it first became stylish to plop luxury apartments on top of high-rises. But the current owners bought an apartment on the floor below it and attached the two units with a sculptural modern staircase, which offers an architecturally stunning counterpoint to the apartment’s elegant classical detailing.  All spaces are totally renovated, with the lower level serving as a master suite retreat with a fireplace, huge…

If you’ve always dreamed of sky-high terraces and unfettered views, the pickings are sweet right now for priced-right penthouses. Though Prudential Rubloff broker Janet Owen just sold two aeries on the Near North Side for $6 million plus each, her listing with the most dramatic outdoor spaces is a majestic, 3,400 square-foot duplex penthouse on the 16th and 17th floors of 3750 N. Lake Shore Drive for a more sane $795,000. “It has twin terraces that measure 25-by-12 feet and live like bona fide rooms because they edge the grand living room with huge picture windows,” she says. The terraces provide an additional 600 square feet of space and face east and west, but offer 360-degree views.

The home started life as a good old-fashioned penthouse back in 1926, when the co-op was built and it first became stylish to plop luxury apartments on top of high-rises. But the current owners bought an apartment on the floor below it and attached the two units with a sculptural modern staircase, which offers an architecturally stunning counterpoint to the apartment’s elegant classical detailing.  All spaces are totally renovated, with the lower level serving as a master suite retreat with a fireplace, huge walk-in, his-and-her closets, a gym and a wet bar.  The apartment also features a 240-bottle thermostatically controlled wine cellar and two combination safes.

$795,000, Janet Owen at Prudential Rubloff, 312-268-0700

Rare real estate

There are currently 33 penthouses on the market in Chicago that cost over $1 million. Under a million? Not so many, making them a rare real estate gem.We managed to find two luminaries for the star-struck.

Penthouse views

720 S. Dearborn, Unit PH2, is a spacious triplex in the historic 1908 Franklin Building on Printer’s Row, and has just been reduced to $450,000 (previously $550,000). The two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit has large rooms, lots of light, plenty of storage and a huge 10-by-20-foot terrace with panoramic views. Contact Margie Smigel at Luxe Marketing & Sales, 312-953-1466

1235 S. Prairie, Unit 3206, in Museum Park Tower IV, is a 1,350 square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit on the 36th floor that has been reduced to $674,900 from $699,900. It has a 26-foot balcony, luxury finishes and an unobstructed lakefront view. Contact Robert Laricy of Americorp Real Estate, 773-585-5385

Pick of the week

Add a luminous touch to any home with a bold starburst mirror.Rays of steel wire radiate from a ring of textured brass in the Clarendon Wall Mirror, which comes in two sizes (18 inches in diameter for $149 or 34.5 inches for $249). Available at Crate & Barrel, various locations, crateandbarrel.com.

The Clarendon mirror

–Lisa Skolnik