June, 2014 | 6sqft

Alex Birkenstock, heir to the shoe brand worn in colleges across the U.S., is selling his Setai Wall Street penthouse and he’s asking $12.995 million. If you’re into movies like Back to the Future or the episodes of Family Guy where Stewie and Brian hop in the time machine, you’ll get a kick out of this amazing apartment. With the help of Steve Harivel, one of the designers behind the famous Soho House hotel, this 3,500-square-foot pad seamlessly blends modern technology and vintage charm… and the best part is the furniture is included. If you’re already screaming like you got called to the front in The Price is Right, just wait until you see what this place has in store.
Oh, but there's more... a lot more. Just click here.

Distinctive Homes

June 23, 2014

Sneak Peek at the Hy-Fi Mushroom Towers Rising at MoMA PS1

Every year MoMA PS1 holds a competition that gives emerging architects the opportunity to build a full-scale pavilion for their courtyard space in Long Island City, Queens. Past winners of the Young Architects Program (YAP) have gone on to do some great things, becoming hotly sought after for their skills and world-renowned for their incredible works (Do HWKN, SHoP and Work Architecture Company, ring a bell?). As no surprise, this year's winner is no shrinking violet, and he together with his team are bringing something unprecedented to the PS1 courtyard space. Architect David Benjamin and his studio, The Living, have devised a plan to construct a spectacular "Hy-Fi" tower made from a self-assembling, mushroom-based material that can be completely composted once the summer is over. This past weekend we got a sneak peek of the towers rising at the LIC site. Check out our photos of the mushroom wonder ahead.
See more photos here

June 23, 2014

Deepak Chopra Finally Unloads Park Imperial Pad for $3.5 Million

Deepak Chopra has finally been able to free himself of the mediocre, non-wellness oriented piece of real estate he once called home. After spending $14.5 million on a Greenwich Village apartment built for a hypochondriac – the space has antimicrobial coating on high-touch surfaces and EMF shielding to protect residents from electromagnetic fields – he has finally managed to get rid of the germ-soaked two-bedroom unit his lesser-evolved self once appreciated.
Take a look inside the Park Imperial Pad here

June 23, 2014

OKUM’s oon Power Outlet Makes the Boring Extension Cord Fun

By Dana Schulz

Next to the desk at which I'm currently sitting is an unattractive, jumbled mess of extension cords. I've always figured this was an inevitable way of life, until I saw the oon power outlet by OKUM. The fun and functional product is a flexible, cloth-covered cable that stretches up to six feet and has painted wooden blocks strung on it. Made of Connecticut hard maple, three cubes are outfitted with sockets that can be rotated to accommodate blocky adapters, while smooth spheres prevent tangling.
Say goodbye to your white extension cord and learn more about oon here

June 22, 2014

Manhattan Mansions: 5 of the Biggest (We Mean Gigantic) Single-Family Homes

By Jason Carpenter

Everyone knows Manhattan is all about high-rise condos, tall apartment buildings, and any other kind of building in which people live above other people. But it wasn't always that way. A hundred years ago, there was still room on this small island for the ultra-rich to build mansions all to themselves, single-family homes with the square footage of a castle. Today many of these buildings, all "Millionaire's Row" mansions in the Upper East Side, belong to museums and schools, but the question remains: What are the biggest buildings in Manhattan today that were built as single-family homes?
See our list of mansions here

June 22, 2014

Why Is This Fort Greene Residence All Lit Up?

As New Yorkers, we have long come to terms with living in small spaces — we cram into tiny studios, fashion herb gardens on fire escapes and even wrap our apartments with shelves for storage space. But we're also a stylish bunch, always looking for ways to make our homes stand out. So when the owners of this Brooklyn residence wanted to tie in their many rooms without losing any space, the partners at Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design came up with a creative plan.
Click to see the interiors...

Giant Rocking Horse Head Sculpture by Jeff Koons Going Up at Rockefeller Center

Photo © Jeff Koons. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery. Photography by Tom Powel Imaging.

June 21, 2014

Giant Rocking Horse Head Sculpture by Jeff Koons Going Up at Rockefeller Center

By Annie Doge

Is it a giant rat? A horse? A dinosaur? Those passing by 30 Rock over the past week and a half have probably been wondering what's going up in the famed plaza (at least we have). Word has it that Jeff Koons is back in the 'hood, this time with a massive sculpture of a pony, or "Split-Rocker", grafted in living flowers and complete with an internal irrigation system. Editor's note 8/27: This article has been updated to show the completed work, seen above.
Find out more about the work here

June 20, 2014

Here Comes the Sun…In This Industrial Tribeca Loft Complete with Artist’s Studio

By Dana Schulz

That's right, little darling, we have here a sun-soaked duplex apartment that will make you want to belt out Beatles' tunes. The 2BR/1BA apartment at 74 Reade Street comes complete with 3,000 square feet of flexible space and a live/work permit — the perfect combination for an artist or entrepreneur looking to personalize their home. Apartment 1E is listed for $3.1 million. Its selling point is most definitely the abundance of natural light that shines in through the full wall of double-height windows on the first floor and large, geometric skylights that grace each bedroom. The open floor plan, huge exposed brick walls, and 15-foot tin ceilings add to the bright, airy feel of the apartment.
sun, sun, sun...more this way

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

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For $2.95M, this parlor floor Chelsea co-op has brownstone charm and a private terrace

For $8.85M, a condo with Central Park and Manhattan skyline views from every room

Asking $6.7M, the Gimbel apartment is the picture of classic Upper East Side elegance

This $12.5M Chelsea carriage house has a garage, three outdoor spaces, and a two-bedroom flat

Tiffany-blue walls and de Gournay designs surround a $1M UES co-op with Deco-era glamour

Theater director David Saint lists his East Village penthouse with huge terrace for $5M

VIEW ALL

June 20, 2014

Light Up Your Home With These Summer-Ready Beach Ball Lights by Toby Sanders

Looking to bring a bit of sun and surf indoors? These Beach Ball Lights crafted by British designer Toby Sanders are a fun way to give your home an air of summer all year round.
See how the lights look indoors

June 20, 2014

Vacation in the Woods in Style with Archi-Tectonics’ Pre-Fab Upstate Guest House

It’s not often a guest house gets as much attention as the main one, but this mini-me of an upstate New York home designed by Archi-Tectonics is hard to miss. Built as an alter-ego to a larger structure, the 1,500-square-feet building stands out without upstaging the estate’s true star.
Check out more photos straight ahead

June 20, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: Hy-Fi Mushroom Tower Comes to Life; 9 Co-Working Spaces in Brooklyn

9 Co-working Spaces in Brooklyn: It seems the world is going freelance but that doesn’t mean you have to forfeit human interaction. Brooklyn Magazine shows us nine great community workspaces to rub elbows with fellow freelancers. Amazon’s New Fire: The Perfect Phone for Moms?: Amazon has just released the new phone and FastCo. thinks they’ve […]

Uncategorized

June 20, 2014

Combined Ritz-Carlton Condos Look to Set Record With $118.5 Million Asking Price

What’s better than getting $56.5 million for your 7,600-square-foot, five-bedroom duplex? Joining forces with your neighbor and adding in your second apartment to list the whole kit and caboodle for a record $118.5 million. At least that’s what Five Star Electric’s Gary Segal chose to do, according to the Wall Street Journal. Segal briefly listed his Ritz-Carlton duplex, which has two terraces and views of the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center, for $56.5 million last year before apparently getting shiny ball syndrome and taking it off the market. Who wants $56.5 million when you could get $7,600 per square foot? It appears his neighbor, financier Randall Yanker, agreed after putting his 4BR/5BA duplex up for sale earlier this year, asking $23 million, then lowering to $19 million, before ultimately taking it off the market.
Check out some photos of the three-condo combo here

Distinctive Homes

June 20, 2014

NYC Events 6/20: Alice in Wonderland Drawing Bash; The New Museum White Party

By Lori Zimmer

There are some major ways to get your arty party on this week! Get weird and kick off the weekend while spurring your creativity and head to Brooklyn for Michael Alan's Alice in Wonderland themed draw-a-thon, complete with costumed models, booze and live music. Or go classic in Manhattan, break out your best whites and join the New Museum for their Annual White Party (just be careful with the open bar). But before you party, school yourself with the best in Italian Street Art, or channel your inner rocker on the Lower East Side with live music for The Cast's street party. Finish it off by indulging in an art film, with a free screening at the Tribeca Screening Room.
All the best events here

June 20, 2014

$7.5 Million Award-Winning Renovated Loft With Two-Story Living Room Has Us Going Overboard

If you’re looking for a conveniently located loft with over 4,000 square feet of interior space and enough outdoor space to turn the phrase “in the doghouse” into a reward, this award-winning penthouse in The Chelsea Quarter might be your pad. PHAB at 129 West 20th Street is a beautifully renovated two-story condominium with a National Design Award from the Society of American Registered Architects to back it up. There’s something about this home we find adorably endearing; perhaps because it makes us a bit nostalgic for an ‘80s yachting movie. And we mean that in the best way possible.
Take a peek inside this award-winning loft here

Distinctive Homes

June 19, 2014

5 Prohibition-Style Speakeasies to Transport You Back to the Gilded Age

By Jason Carpenter

Speakeasies and retro bars have been the new trend in New York for so long that this style may not be a trend at all. These "speakeasy bars" hearken back to a time somewhere between the Gilded Age and Prohibition, giving their interior designers a chance to play around with this fantastic historical style. The five speakeasies and retro bars below show a true design sense that transports us to the time of outlawed alcohol and tiny flapper dresses.
See our speakeasy gallery here

NYC Guides

June 19, 2014

WORKac Designs Creative NYC Headquarters for Ad Agency Wieden+Kennedy

It takes a lot of teamwork to come up with a winning advertisement, so when renowned agency Wieden+Kennedy enlisted WORKac to design its New York City headquarters, the mission was clear: to move away from the recent "office-as-playground" trend and create an environment that fosters creative thinking.
Take a tour of the office right this way

June 19, 2014

François Azambourg’s Sputnik Lamp is Truly Out of This World

When a tiny satellite named Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, it quickly triggered a "Space Race" between the Russian republic and the United States. While François Azambourg's nifty lamp — named after the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth — may not start any international rivalries, it certainly is eye-catching.
Learn more about the French designer's unique style

Your Daily Link Fix: A Look Inside 12 Brownstones; James Corner’s Essay on the High Line

Check Out Apple’s New Aerial App: Apple Maps has a new feature called Flyover City Tours… and its awesome. Gizmodo has more details on the app along with a video that might actually make you feel like you’re flying. The Rocky Road to Pre-K: Let’s be honest. The competitive process of getting tots into preschool […]

Uncategorized

June 19, 2014

Renderings of Pritzker Winner Tadao Ando’s Concrete and Glass Condo for Nolita Revealed

It was announced back in March that Pritzker Prize winning architect Tadao Ando would be bringing his signature style to Nolita, and we've been waiting with bated breath to see what beauty he would design for the city. Wait no more... It looks like a few renderings of the 7-story, 8-unit residence planned for 152 Elizabeth Street have finally been unveiled!
See more images of 152 this way

June 19, 2014

Orlando Bloom Purchases Tribeca Loft for $4.88 Million

Orlando Bloom just got a lot closer to Taylor Swift, and she didn’t even have to write a break-up song about him. The Lord of the Rings star has just purchased a $4.88 million three-bedroom loft at 155 Franklin Street, in the building formerly known as the Sugarloaf Warehouse. (We figure that sentence would make Prince proud.) We’re guessing this building has a certain appeal to hobbit acquaintances as the penthouse, now home to Swift, was formerly home to director Peter Jackson. So, it’s the hobbit gift that keeps on giving. According to the New York Post, the star was drawn to the loft’s “cast-iron columns, exposed brick walls, open chef’s kitchen and wood-beamed ceilings”. We would be too.
Take a look inside the hobbit star's Sugarloaf loft here

June 19, 2014

The Country Meets the City in This $6.7 Million Old-World Charmer

Hiding away in the premier St. Urban, 285 Central Park West #12W is what you imagine was the result when old-world country mouse met old-world city mouse… and the two bought a lavish Central Park apartment. With gorgeous pre-war details accented with a touch of country chic, this 3,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts style apartment has a combination of opulence and southern comfort to make anyone happy. In fact, we suspect if Oliver and Lisa from Green Acres had purchased this place, it would have settled all their arguments.
Find out why this Central Park West pad is the place to be here

Distinctive Homes

June 19, 2014

NIMBY: Residents Lose Out to Hudson Properties’s Plan to Build a 23-Story Tower Near Prospect Park

Workers will resume construction today on the 23-story residential tower planned for 626 Flatbush Avenue at the edge of Prospect Park in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Yesterday, a judge threw out a lawsuit placed against Hudson Properties that demanded they chop their tower down to just eight stories. Through the Prospect Park East Network, residents managed to attain a temporary restraining order through State Supreme Court […]

New Developments

June 19, 2014

Brownstone of Park Slope’s “Original Gentrifiers” Sells for $3 Million

By Dana Schulz

When Evelyn and Everett Ortner bought their Park Slope brownstone at 272 Berkeley Place in 1963 for $32,000 they probably never imaged it would sell 50 years later for over $3 million. But it was their own historically sensitive and forward-looking vision that helped revitalize the area and make it a much-sought-after Brooklyn neighborhood. The Ortners moved to Park Slope when brownstones were unfashionable and the rich turned their noses down at the area. They convinced their friends to also buy brownstones in the neighborhood. Evelyn was an interior designer specializing in period interiors, and the couple meticulously restored their home down to every last historic detail. After a 25th anniversary trip to France, where they were inspired by local preservationists working to conserve a crumbling castle in Normandy, Mr. and Mrs. Ortner dedicated themselves to historic preservation efforts in Park Slope until their deaths in 2006 and 2012.
See the results of the couple's tireless passion

June 18, 2014

Camp Rockaway Raises $50K to Make the Queens Beachside ‘Glamping’ Retreat a Reality