July 14, 2014

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Own the Entire 14th Floor of The Mark

How would you like to live in a hotel? And we’re not just talking any hotel; we’re talking a luxury landmark hotel in New York City. We’re talking a hotel where you can wake up and order room service from acclaimed chef Jean-Georges, then get your hair done at Frederic Fekkai. Do we have your attention yet? Because if you like what you just read, you’re going to love the 9BR/10.5BA, 8,577-square-foot beauty we’re about to show you at The Mark.
Check out this dynamic duo here
July 14, 2014

Glass Towers to Go Green? Environmentalists Are Calling for Stricter Regulations for Supertalls

Two of the biggest trends in the current NYC real estate market are tall, glass towers and eco-friendly design. Oftentimes, though, these two architectural movements don't meet, and now environmentalists are calling for stricter regulations that would make this marriage a requirement, by way of decreasing the huge expanses of curtain wall windows that the towers have adopted as their hallmark.
More of the debate this way
July 14, 2014

Tim Seggerman’s Wooden Brooklyn Townhouse Extension Blends Nordic and Japanese Design

Architect Tim Seggerman renovated an extended a Brooklyn Brownstone blending Finnish and Japanese aesthetics in a beautiful way. Located in Cobble Hill, this family home was re-conceived in a modern way, respecting its traditional brownstone facade with a surprising extension at the back. Using a variety of wood that includes white oak, mahogany, bamboo, teak and ash, the local architect turned this Brooklyn dwelling into a stylish comfortable place to live.
Tour the home here
July 14, 2014

A Grown-Up ”Tree House” on Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side for $13.25M

Okay, so this immaculate penthouse perched high atop 875 Fifth Avenue really isn’t a tree house, but given its miles of treetop views we could be forgiven for taking a few liberties with the term. Packed within Manhattan's roughly 520 million square feet are some of the most amazing residences in the world, many of them boasting gorgeous interiors but not much in the way of outdoor space. It's a concession one must make for living in the most vibrant city in the world. But every once in a while, something special comes along.
See more of this 5th Avenue treehouse
July 14, 2014

Upper East Side Hopes to Create High Line-esque Park Over Garbage Transfer Site

What is it they say about one man’s trash being another man’s treasure? Well, after failed attempts to stop construction of the Upper East Side's inevitable new garbage dump, community groups have chosen the next best route: give the dump a makeover. That’s so Upper East Side, isn’t it? The idea, according to the NY Daily News, is to transform the garbage-transfer station into a community park. The plan, a collaboration with Sam Schwartz Engineering, would relocate a quarter-mile long garbage truck ramp to the side of the Asphalt Green complex. The ramp would be covered by a green High Line-esque walkway.
Find out more about the plan here
July 14, 2014

Wooden Accents and Pops of Color Add a Dash of Coziness to This Industrial Loft by Design42

Space-efficient living is a must in New York City, where savvy residents build shelves into every nook and cranny of their tiny apartments. While the ad-lib additions often get the job done, they don't always work with a home's aesthetic. With some help from Design42 Architecture, the owners of this industrial loft were able to sidestep that problem and make the most of their space without sacrificing style.
Check out more shots of the space straight this way
July 14, 2014

Herzog & de Meuron’s Undulating Condo Design for the Hudson River Waterfront Revealed

Move over Greenwich Village, there's a new gold coast in Manhattan and it's nowhere near Fifth Avenue. Since former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the far west side is the city's new Gold Coast and Manhattan's last frontier, a necklace of ravishing projects have been announced along the Hudson River waterfront. The latest reveal is for a new 12-story, 88-unit condominium coming from famed hotelier Ian Schrager and Herzog & de Meuron Architects. The Hudson Square site at 156 Leroy Street will replace a handful of low-slung buildings that include two auto-body shops, a gentleman's club and the former Lunchbox Diner.
More renderings of 156 Leroy here
July 13, 2014

What Are the World’s Top Soccer Players’ Salaries Worth in NYC Real Estate?

It's no secret that pro athletes make big bucks, but the world's best soccer players are raking in Benjamins that would even make an NBA star blush. With top players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo pulling in up to $75 million, we can't help but wonder what they're doing with all that money. While yachts and Italian villas are fine buys, our suggestion to these star athletes is to pour it in some swanky New York property. (The Marquand or the Puck Penthouses, perhaps?) If these soccer superstars ever decide to buy in New York, we've got each of their best bets ahead.
Check out our nifty infographic after the break
July 13, 2014

Architect Andrew Franz Restored This West Village Townhouse to its Historic Glory

In recent years, the West Village has become one of the hippest areas in New York City, thanks to a slew of celebrity residents and its reputation as the epicenter of the cupcake boom. But at its heart, the neighborhood is still one of the most picturesque and charming in town, dotted with historic townhouses that have been around for decades. Tasked with restoring one of those iconic brick buildings, architect Andrew Franz sought to maintain its original character, while giving the owners a home that's both spacious and functional.
There's a gorgeous rooftop garden you just have to see...
July 12, 2014

The Cartier Mansion Shines Again with the Help of Andre Tchelistcheff Architects

Restoring historic landmarks is never an easy task, but a careful, attention-driven job can help a former gem shine again. That's the case behind the renewal of this Upper East Side townhouse, also known as the Cartier Mansion. Together, Andre Tchelistcheff Architects and interior designer David Anthony Easton worked to restore the gorgeous Beaux-Arts building to its former glory.
More pictures of the grand townhouse straight ahead
July 12, 2014

Flashback: See The New York Skyline Change Over 150 Years

The New York skyline is made up of twelve different decades of buildings, but when you look at them today, they all form a single beautiful picture. Over the last century and a half, that picture has changed dramatically. From the original skyscraper boom to the modern glass towers of today, the New York skyline has grown more and more impressive every year, and these pictures show the process step-by-step, as well as the impending future.
See our historic New York skyline photos here
July 11, 2014

Matthew Baird’s Greenwich Street Townhouse Brings Meatpacking Style to the West Village

One of the things we love most about New York's historic neighborhoods is that they each have their own distinct architectural style. So we were a little discombobulated (in a good way) when we saw Matthew Baird Architects's Greenwich Street Townhouse, which has infused the industrial, rough-edged style of the Meatpacking District into a traditional West Village-rowhouse streetscape. When they embarked on the project, both the architect and the client sought a contemporary, reductive exterior design to contrast with the warm ambiance and simple materials of the 5,000-square-foot interior. Baird's interest in prefabrication inspired the construction of the façade from a single piece of raw steel, which was lifted from a truck and bolted into place. When the 40' x 14' slab was transported, the inbound lanes on one level of the George Washington Bridge had to be closed!
Get a look inside this unique home
July 11, 2014

RLW Cabin: A Modern “Stone House” by Shadow Architects is an Eco-Friendly Upstate Getaway

We recently swooned over a traditional, historic stone house upstate in Brewster, New York, and we're now equally smitten with its modern counterpart in Barryville, just two hours away from Manhattan. The RLW Cabin by Shadow Architects was built from the ground up on a sloping, woodsy lot. A LEED Silver-designated building, it features many environmentally friendly materials and building methods and keeps a simple form so as not to compete with the natural surroundings. The 2,300-square-foot, rectangular cabin was conceived by owners Larry Cohn, Principal of Shadow Architects, and RJ Millard. Their getaway home was inspired by a loft-style lodge in which they had stayed in Shohola, Pennsylvania. When the Barryville lot matched their ideas, the building commenced. They chose the bright red door (a welcoming feature that the Stone House shares) as a simple finding device, and the dark wood siding was modeled after the color of pine tree bark in the rain.
See why we're loving this modern, green home
July 11, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: Happy Birthday Erno Rubik; Have You Seen This Spider?

Cross-Laminated Timber Could Be Construction’s New “It” Material: Treehugger details all of CLT’s attributes. Park Slope Neighbors Annoyed With De Blasio’s Junk: NY Mag hilariously details how Mayor Bill De Blasio’s neighbors begrudgingly shopped at the moving family’s “free” pile despite the slim pickings. Happy Birthday Rubik’s Cube: It’s Erno Rubik’s birthday weekend and the Wall Street […]

July 11, 2014

Nendo’s Sculptural Farming-net Lights Float Like Bubbles in the Air

Tokyo-based design firm Nendo created a collection of enchanting luminaries that seems to be floating like bubbles in the air. The sculptural lights are made from farming-net, an agricultural mesh ordinarily placed around fruits and vegetables to protect them from the wind as well as the animals. This decontextualized knitted material works as a translucent lampshade to create these brilliantly simple 'Farming-net Lights'.
Learn more about this brilliant lights
July 11, 2014

Live in a $4 Million Diamond Two Blocks from Union Square

At its heart Union Square is a microcosm of the city it calls home. Simply stroll through its center on any given day and you’ll find a colorful, ever-changing street scene of entertainers, eccentrics, merchants and city folk passing through or stopping to meet. Similarly, this gorgeous unit at 10 East 14th Street in the Union Square Lofts and Flats is representative of the quintessential “old world-new world” luxury apartment. Steeped in historic pre-war details such as wide plank hardwood floors, cast iron columns and exposed brick walls throughout, the full floor 2BR/2.5BA home is also filled with the finest in modern touches and high-tech amenities, all combining to create a truly gracious residence.
See how shiny this diamond of a home is
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July 11, 2014

Beachy $1.85 Million Tribeca Loft Makes Suffering for Your Art a Pleasure

How fitting that this apartment at 135 Hudson Street overlooks Beach Street. The $1.85 million Tribeca loft definitely has a beachy vibe with its distinct white cast-iron-and-wood-beamed ceilings and patch-worked hardwoods throughout. The only difference is this artist’s lair is flooded with light. Get it? We’re here all week. Well, we can thank a wall of windows, five skylights and a cupola in the center of the main room for creating this light, airy space.
Take a look inside this beachy loft here
July 11, 2014

NYC Events 7/11: Art Battle in Staten Island; Tour the Woolworth Building

This week, we've got a well-rounded roster of events for you, spanning from sticker art to rare architecture to dance and film. Pay a visit to one of our fair city's oft forgotten boroughs and sail the high seas on over to Staten Island for Saturday's take over, which will transform Artist Alley into a festival of live art making, drinks, and music. Next week, break out the picnic blanket and catch a free summer flick in Midtown's best park, or wake yourself up with not only a coffee and fresh juice, but a raging (pre-work) dance party. Treat your architectural side to a private tour of very private sites—the newly renovated United Nations chambers or the closed-to-the-public lobby of the Woolworth building—and then finish the week off by satiating your inner modern art nerd with the contemporary abstractions of Carly Ivan Garcia.
All the best events here
July 11, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Lisle Richards and Eric Marx, The Duo Behind the Monarch Room Restaurant

Opening one restaurant is hard, but two in a month is a serious feat. But this is New York City, and restaurateurs Lisle Richards and Eric Marx were ready for a challenge. Between January and February of this year the duo opened up two of Manhattan’s hippest and most most talked about new haunts: The Monarch Room and The Wayfarer.
Our interview with the restauranteurs here
July 11, 2014

$10.6 Million Sale on Fifth Avenue Features City Views Like Artwork

The opulent former estate of New York socialite Monica E. Hollander has sold for over $100K over asking, according to city records. The 980 Fifth Avenue co-op was on the market for roughly 6 months before a couple scooped up the gem. Warburg Realty’s Wendy Greenbaum held the listing and we’re guessing she used the apartment’s two most famous neighbors--Central Park and the New York City skyline—as a huge selling point.
Take a look inside, here
July 10, 2014

New York vs. London: A Real Estate Challenge on Both Sides of the Pond

While we're all still in the patriotic mood after the July 4th festivities, we thought it appropriate to put together a friendly little challenge between New York City and her cross-pond ally and sometimes rival, (what are the kids calling it these days, a frenemy?). In the left corner is NYC, global hub of finance and media, weighing in with a population of 8,405,837. And in the right corner we have London, the world's most-visited city, population 8,416,535. According to British real estate website Zoopla, the average price of a Central London home over the past year is £1.1 million or $2 million in U.S. dollars, topping the $1.6 million average selling price of residences in the core of Manhattan.
See how the cities battle it out in our three-round real-estate showdown

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