October, 2014 | 6sqft

The latest art installation at the Storefront for Art and Architecture is much more than a futuristic-looking pink amoeba. Oslo-based artist Jana Winderen and Architect Marc Fornes of THEVERYMANY have created this interactive piece, entitled Situation NY, as a way to invite visitors to question the properties of matter and the built environment surrounding us. A vibrating sound piece, it also uses light and form to heighten the experience.
Lots more on the installation ahead

October 9, 2014

Ghislaine Viñas Brings a Whimsical Edge to the Interior Design of a Hip Tribeca Loft

Tribeca's own Ghislaine Viñas is back with another loft interior in the neighborhood that is a dynamic combo of sophistication, whimsy, and a harder edge. The playfully shaped accent pieces and confident color combinations are the finishing details that make Ghislaine Viñas' signature style. From a cable wired bed frame to the dark wood dining room table, the range of material, color, and influence used in this loft is nothing short of a good time.
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October 9, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Is the Fred French Building the Best in Art Deco?; Tour Penn Station’s Terribleness

Is the Fred French Building the most beautiful Art Deco architecture on 5th Avenue? You be the judge after reading this post on Gothamist. Let’s face it–Penn Station is terrible. But instead of just complaining about it (like the rest of us), architect David Lewis leads a walking tour of the station to explore how […]

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October 9, 2014

J.Lo Caught Eyeing a Sprawling $14M Penthouse Loft in Tribeca

By Annie Doge

Jennifer Lopez's hunt for a downtown pad continues. After spending time with celebrity broker Fredrik Eklund checking out a unit at the Walker Tower a few weeks ago, it looks like Jenny is moving her eyes from Chelsea to a new block: Tribeca. The superstar celeb was just spotted by the Post scoping out a 5,924-square-foot sprawling stunner at 55 Warren Street.
Inside the home here

October 9, 2014

Fifth Avenue Penthouse with Conservatory and Solarium Reduces Price to $10M

By Aisha Carter

The penthouse at 1158 Fifth Avenue has just undergone yet another price chop nearly a year and a half after entering the market. The distinctive pad, initially listed for $17 million, has now made its way down to $9.95 million. Translation: someone is going to get a great deal on this Museum Mile penthouse with a lush terrace and a conservatory. The home’s antique furnishings and old-world details, compliments of its interior and landscape designer owner Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard, are admittedly specific although fitting in theme. Right now the many pieces and varying prints seem to compete with the architecture. Perhaps removing half the clutter would mitigate the distraction and bring out more of the home’s true beauty. However, whether you appreciate the décor or feel it needs to be significantly pared down, you won’t be able to deny this home is a rare and exquisite find.
See what's inside, here

Distinctive Homes

<b>Renovation Diary: Defining a Dream, Assembling a Team</b>

The one that didn’t get away.

October 8, 2014

Renovation Diary: Defining a Dream, Assembling a Team

By Michelle Cohen

Our Renovation Diary series follows 6sqft writer Michelle Cohen as she takes on the challenge of transforming her historic Clinton Hill townhouse into a site-sensitive modern home. This week she shares her plans for the storied structure and the first big step she's taken to make her dream home a reality: assembling the professionals needed to make it happen. After two years of tireless searching, we finally took the big, scary step of buying an old townhouse on a leafy block in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill. We loved the house at first sight; but to understate matters a bit, it needs some work. It’s a fixer-upper, though far from a wreck. This renovation diary is an attempt to share what we learn over the next many months as this terrifying adventure unfolds, and let others learn from our mistakes!
Find out more about the huge renovation adventure we have ahead of us and what the first important decisions are.

NYC Guides

October 8, 2014

Landmarked 1867 Nomad Building May Recieve Blade Runner-Like Addition

By Ondel Hylton

Another iteration of a towering addition to a landmarked NoMad building has emerged from the 3-D visualization wizzes at Avoid Obvious. YIMBY broke the news back in March of a 20-story tower designed by the Spector Group and Think Architecture atop a charming commercial building at the northwest corner of West 27th Street and Broadway. Both iterations of Spector Group's design reveal a clean visual break between old and new: a restored neoclassical façade juxtaposed with a setback glassy prism rising above. The new reveal shows a more sculptural and chiseled tower rather than a Trump SoHo-like prism of clean vertical lines. It's unclear if this proposal is still on the table and if the Spector Group remains involved.
More on the design here

October 8, 2014

Real Estate Wire: ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Selling His Tribeca Home; $533 Domino Factory Rentals

The real-life “Wolf of Wall Street”, Alan Wilzig, is trying to sell his $4.5M Tribeca home on his own. [TRD] Domino’s first affordable rentals will be priced at $533 a month. [Brownstoner] Brandeis University is selling its Vanderbilt mansion for $33M. [WSJ] The landmark Lucerne Hotel will be getting a 13-story brick/limestone/terracotta-clad condo neighbor. [Curbed] Alan Wilzig […]

Real Estate Trends

Distinctive Homes

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Amy Schumer paid $6.25M for Central Park West condo

Park Slope 'pink house,' now in a more muted hue, asks $5M

VIEW ALL

October 8, 2014

Orwell Hybrid Bed-Sofa-Cabin Recaptures the Intimacy of Home

The Orwell is a delightful design that combines the best of a sofa, bed, and cabin into one well-rounded piece of furniture. Designers Pablo Figuera and Álvaro Goula selected the name Orwell in reference to the surname of the '1984' writer and the impetus of the product idea "to recapture the intimacy which can sometimes be lost, even within our own homes." The piece is not only a place to sit or lie down, but it's also an invitation to climb inside and revisit the pillow-fort of your childhood.
More on the design

October 8, 2014

House in the Berkshires by David Hotson Is Made of Two Shed-Roofed Bars

This eco-friendly home in the Berkshires was designed by architect David Hotson to serve two functions-- a private getaway for the client (a couple with grown children) and a summer and winter vacation house to accommodate large family gatherings. And it's just about that time when the owners will have to start planning for their holiday get-togethers, which is likely a bit less stressful since the dwelling was built with these events in mind. The house is perched on a wooded hillside that slopes down toward an open clearing. It's composed of two long, parallel shed-roofed bars that run east to west, perpendicular to the site's slope.
More on the innovative design

October 8, 2014

Bunny Mellon’s Incredible Upper East Side Mansion Finds a Buyer for $41M

By Annie Doge

After a year on the market, this incredible Upper East Side mansion designed by Bunny Mellon has finally found a family ready to call it home. According to the Observer, the 1960s townhouse currently owned by Irish businessman Tony White and his wife Clare just went into contract for $41 million. The couple originally paid $22.5 million for it in 2006, and when it came time to resell last year, they asked an impressive $46 million. Pricey? Yes. But given its darling location and architectural splendor, why this beauty didn't fly off the shelf is a bit of a surprise to us. Just have a look inside and you'll immediately understand why.
Tour the stunning estate

October 8, 2014

Daily Link Fix: A Look at the 5Pointz Demolition; Pickle Day Returns to the LES

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York documents the demolition of beloved graffiti mecca 5Pointz in Long Island City. Calling all picklers! The Lower East Side’s Pickle Day is back on October 19th. According to the event website, “it’s kind of a big dill.” An algorithm can predict a neighborhood’s crime rate based on Google Street View images, […]

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October 8, 2014

New App Lets Users Send 20th Century Postcards with a Then-and-Now Feature

Perusing those bins of vintage postcards at flea markets is always a treat, but who wants to mail and part ways with such fun pieces of nostalgia? A new app called ScenePast: Americana Road Trip, however, lets users send 20th century postcards digitally, so you can share your favorite scenes without tapping into your personal collection. If that wasn't enough, ScenePast also has a feature that provides the current-day view of the streetscape depicted on the postcard--a fun tool that is sure to prove addictive for history buffs.
More on the app here

October 8, 2014

$6.4M Penthouse at the Renwick Modern Offers City Views from Five Different Terraces

By Aisha Carter

Nest Seekers' Ryan Serhant may have just found his nest egg at the Renwick Modern, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down at all. The star broker is now hard at work on the listing for the neighboring Penthouse 1, which is asking $6.35 million. This luxurious loft-like condo stuns with a sprawling 2,700 square feet of never-before-lived-in interior space and an additional 1,380 square feet of outdoor space in the form of a roof deck and four separate terraces. Sound impressive? Let’s take a closer look.
See More of this Modern pad, here

Distinctive Homes

October 7, 2014

45 Park Place: Tribeca’s Latest Condo Tower Could be an Architectural Stunner

By Ondel Hylton

New images have been uncovered of an upcoming 39-story condominium tower poised to rise from a storied site in Tribeca. Curbed first broke the rendering reveal back in July and a representative of the developers noted that tower depicted in renderings are not quite final. Nevertheless new images posted on of SOMA Architects' website give us additional glimpses of what the project could be. Simply known as 45 Park Place (for now), the development is comprised of a 665-foot tower luxury tower and an Islamic museum, is being developed by a consortium led by Soho Properties, headed by Sharif El-Gamal. The tower is being crafted by Michel Abboud of SOMA Architects, with Ismael Leyva serving as the architect of record. Renderings posted on SOMA's website convey a light, airy tower composed of stem-like volumes bundled by delicate bands of lattice-like mullions. The ground-level view gives us our first glimpse of the adjacent Islamic museum and prayer space reportedly designed by Pritzker Prize–winning French architect Jean Nouvel. A small plaza fronting the museum will expose a vegetated side wall of the neighboring building that houses popular downtown grocer Amish Market.
More on the development here

October 7, 2014

Million Dollar Listing’s Ryan Serhant Nabs a Love Nest at the Renwick for $3.7M

By Annie Doge

It looks like Ryan Serhant of Million Dollar Listing fame is preparing for his upcoming nuptials by buying a lofty love nest atop the Renwick Modern. According to The Real Deal, the reality TV star just closed on the full 9th floor penthouse at the 22 Renwick Street building for $3.7 million. The 1,895-square-foot apartment hosts three bedrooms, a home office, a top of the line kitchen, and keyed elevator access. And for that little bit of extra oomph, the kitchen cabinets are clad in leather.
Inside the home here

October 7, 2014

INTERVIEW: Architect Andrew Franz, A Modernist But Not a Minimalist

Architect Andrew Franz first caught our eye when we spotted his incredible renovation of a West Village townhouse just months ago. Since then, we've often found ourselves ogling his site for design inspiration, further falling in love with his ability to blend the old with the new through thoughtful material choices and a unique use of light and space. It goes without saying Andrew is a standout amongst the city's seemingly inexhaustible supply of homogeneous architects. We recently caught up with Andrew to find out about some of his latest projects, how collaboration plays into his process, and how he approaches the design of homes and buildings in a dynamic and storied environment such as New York City. Keep reading to find out what he had to share with us.
Read our interview with Andrew here

Real Estate Wire: Harlem’s Upcoming Tallest Building; Graffiti on the Rise Across NYC

Harlem’s soon-to-be tallest building at 1800 Park Avenue gets a new look. [YIMBY] Sunnyside residents want to add a bridge of affordable housing to join two halves of their neighborhood currently bisected by the LIRR and freight rail yards. [Curbed] Graffiti is back. More and more tags are appearing overnight across the city and graffiti-related […]

Real Estate Trends

October 7, 2014

Nobu, A Transforming Desk-Shelf Inspired by Vintage Carrycases

For many living in New York City, or other densely populated communities, space is considered a treasured resource not to be squandered. In these situations efficiency is key, which is why we welcome with open arms Nubo, the 2.0 version of the traditional wall shelf. This bubble shaped shelf transforms from a utilitarian wall shelf or desk, into a treasure-box-bulletin-board—reminiscent of a vintage travel case, like the blue Pan-Am case of the 1960s. The Nobu was designed by the Italian-Danish duo known as GamFratesi, and first presented at imm Cologne.
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October 7, 2014

openhousenewyork Weekend App Will Enhance Your Touring Experience

As if we weren't looking forward to openhousenewyork Weekend enough, a new app to help guide and organize tour goers has us even more excited. Created through a partnership with dsgnfix, the free, location-based iPhone app "enables users to search, discover, and share design destinations and experiences." During OHNY weekend (October 11-12) those with the app downloaded will be able to scroll through all of the 150 free Open Access sites, organized by the user's real-time location.
More on the OHNY Weekend App

October 7, 2014

Own a Romantic One-Bedroom in Park Slope’s Iconic Chiclet Mansion

Part of what makes New York City so romantic are the picturesque historic buildings that have been maintained over the past few centuries. Now you can live this romance all day, everyday, in this 600-square-foot one-bedroom located at 115 Eighth Avenue in the Park Slope's iconic Chiclet Mansion (yes, a mansion designed for the gum magnate). Co-ops like this are very rarely available, and with its current listing price at $549,000 this one will not be on the market for very long.
Take a peek inside

October 7, 2014

Daily Link Fix: A Lamp That Changes Color to Match Its Surroundings; 35 NYC Parks to Get Upgrades

During the first ever Madison Avenue Fashion Heritage Week, 16 stores along the world-famous shopping corridor will turn their storefronts into displays about their brand’s history, reports Racked NY. Feeling blue? Pink? Yellow? Whatever color you’re in the mood for, the colorup table lamp by PEGA D&E can match it. Designboom explains that the fixture mimics the hues of anything […]

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October 7, 2014

Karim Rashid’s East Harlem HAP Building Gets a New Color Scheme After Much Opposition