With homes in Finland, the U.S., and the Bahamas already, “we were looking at places in Canada and interested in something that would be similar to New York, and walkable,” Pursglove said.
They fell in love with Toronto, which had direct flights to their other homes, and “happened to be at the right place at the right time,” she said. The couple locked in a penthouse condominium on top of the 55-storey Four Seasons Private Residences tower, which was still under construction.
The penthouse took less than two years to complete; soon after, the couple, who have two daughters, began divorce negotiations.
Now, Pursglove has placed the four-bedroom apartment on the market for $36 million. Although she can’t disclose the marital settlement, she did confirm that she’s now the sole owner of the penthouse.
Sarah Pursglove is fighting with her estranged husband, Robert Oesterlund, for custody of their children and half of their net family worth, which she says is about $400 million, including the $30-million penthouse in Toronto's Four Seasons condo.
The home has more than 9,000 square feet of space. Initial construction and renovation cost more than $5 million, Pursglove estimates, but that doesn’t include the home automation system, which she said cost an additional $1 million.
During this time, though, Pursglove was able to design the layout to her family’s specifications. Inspired by a previous trip to Japan, she installed a sauna, which is connected to the master suite and overlooks downtown Toronto.
Should prospective buyers prefer some privacy, the home has four separate terraces on both ends of the space, which takes up the top floor of the building and features its own elevator (and service elevator) entrances. There’s also a large living room with a wet bar, a family room, a media room, a study, and a formal dining room. “It was really designed with family in mind,” Pursglove said.
The main suite, which has its own sitting room and terrace, also includes his and hers walk-in closets, separate en suite his and hers bathrooms, and access to a rear set of (also privately accessible) elevators.
Azadeh Banai with Finnish millionaire Robert Oesterlund. Banai, a Toronto-based interior designer, said she met Oesterlund just after his separation from his wife, Sarah Pursglove, in February 2014.
Just months before the sale on the penthouse closed in 2014, Pursglove learned that Oesterlund was continuing an affair with another woman, a Toronto-based interior designer named Azadeh Banai, Pursglove alleged in court documents.
Banai denied the allegations in a Star story about the penthousein 2015.
Pursglove and Oesterlund’s divorce and custody proceedings were acrimonious and complex, and involved some high-priced treasures, including the Four Seasons penthouse.
Pursglove “always had an unlimited access to funds and money was never an issue,” according to a 2015 affidavit filed in a Toronto court.
She said she and Oesterlund owned two 2009 Princess 62-foot yachts, each valued at about $1.2 million, and a 2000 165-foot Feadship yacht named Déjà Vu, valued at $33 million and that costs approximately $200,000 per month to operate and maintain. They also used to own a 2007 Citation Cessna CJ3 business jet. The current ownership status of the yachts is unclear.
She said the couple had a 12-member crew for the yachts, including a captain, engineers, stewards and a chef.
Among their fleet of vehicles, she listed several Mercedes, a Porsche, a Volvo, two snowmobiles, a Dutch Lion motorbike, two Segways and golf carts.
The matrimonial home in Boca Raton, Fla., valued at about $5.2 million.
Two properties in the Bahamas, one of which is estimated to be worth $10 million.
An apartment in Wales, where Pursglove’s mother lived, worth about $185,000.