By Hannah Frishberg, Thu, May 31, 2018 6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Basia Serraty shares her photos of Ridgewood. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].
While Basia Serraty admits in an essay she wrote for Ridgewood Social that, upon moving to New York from her small town in Poland, the city did not fit her expectations, she has grown to love this place nonetheless. Her photos of Ridgewood, her neighborhood since moving here in 2004, capture the quiet but colorful corners of the nabe, portraying a clear sense of life despite a general lack of people. Ahead, we talk to Basia about her journey from Poland to NYC, her work, and why she loves Ridgewood.
Stroll through Ridgewood with Basia’s photos
By Emily Nonko, Wed, January 24, 2018 The plan to turn an early 1900s Ridgewood townhouse into a two-family home was also an opportunity for the Manhattan design firm White Arrow to design bold, modern interiors throughout. The two-story townhouse is now configured with an upper-level owner’s level, and a rental unit on the ground floor. More importantly, the spaces are finished with modern furniture, bursts of color, and a playfulness that makes it hard not to want to move right in.
Get the full look
By Dana Schulz, Wed, September 27, 2017 6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Ridgewood apartment of textile designer Christian Rathbone. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!
For most New Yorkers, 550 square feet would be a fairly comfortable one-bedroom apartment, but for textile designer Christian Rathbone it’s that, plus his studio and warehouse.
For the past 15 years, Christian has been working with native dyers and weavers in Turkey, who help bring his organic Kilim designs to life, using traditional vegetation dyes and hand-spun wool. And for the past six years, he’s been running his business out of his apartment in Ridgewood, Queens. Not only has he built his own extensive shelving systems, but he’s done so in a narrow, railroad unit. 6sqft recently paid Christian a visit to get a first-hand look at how he makes this live-work setup work and to learn more about his process and inspirations.
Take the tour and hear from Christian
By Emily Nonko, Sun, June 25, 2017 This historic frame home is looking picture perfect in Ridgewood, Queens. It’s located at 62-46 61st Street, a block off the neighborhood’s main drag of Metropolitan Avenue. The listing says you “step back into 1899 every evening in this beautiful two-story Victorian.” We have to admit the property remains impressively intact, from the front porch to the ornate woodwork and pocket doors inside. After selling back in 2014 for $560,000, then getting some modern structural upgrades, it’s now on the market for $850,000.
Go inside
By Michelle Cohen, Wed, November 30, 2016 December’s first days bring a dazzling parade of holiday gift markets all vying for the opportunity to find new homes for a bounty of goodies and crafty gifts. We’re all familiar with the big NYC markets at Bryant Park and Union Square, but some of the best finds—and the most fun—can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and neighborhood markets. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn’t know we needed, these hip retail outposts sparkle with drinks, food, workshops, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers’ spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods
By Emily Nonko, Thu, July 28, 2016 This super-stylish condo apartment comes from the Glenridge Mews, a complex in Ridgewood, Queens comprised of nine interconnected buildings with private walk-ways lined with lush greenery and landscaping. The outdoor space doesn’t end at the apartment, as the 1,089-square-foot pad comes with a 75-square-foot private balcony large enough for a modest outdoor dinner party. And inside, tons of windows and exposures to the east, west and south ensure a bright, cheerful spot that’s now asking $695K.
Take a tour
By Michelle Cohen, Tue, February 16, 2016 Those who stake their claim beyond the fringes of New York City’s upscale or trendy enclaves aren’t looking for the same things their more mainstream counterparts are. Every neighborhood can’t be the West Village–or even the Brooklyn version of it. Looking for lower prices and cheaper rent calls to the adventurous–Andy Warhol and his crew carved out their Factory scene in Midtown, for example.
Similarly, in the ‘90s, a flock of young space-seekers moved into former industrial spaces in Bushwick. Ridgewood was a bit further on the L and so its notable population of new residents came a little later, but they brought the same spirit. Even for the early Bushwick crowd, Ridgewood, the quintessential border town, is different, with its mix of streetscapes from historic row houses (Ridgewood has one of the largest federal historic districts in the nation) to industrial blocks much like the one on which you’ll find this one-bedroom condominium at 852 Cypress Avenue on the Ridgewood-Bushwick border.
Read more
By Michelle Cohen, Thu, December 3, 2015 December’s first days bring dozens of holiday gift markets whose aim is to find new homes for a wealth of shiny goodies and crafty gifts. We’re all familiar with the big NYC markets, but some of the best scores–and the most fun–can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and local markets throughout the city. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn’t know we needed, these hip retail outposts offer up DJs, drinks, food, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers’ spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods, this way
By Diane Pham, Tue, June 30, 2015 Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Ridgewood, Queens. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!
Few neighborhoods have gotten as much buzz in the past year as Ridgewood. Considered the next frontier for cool kids getting priced out of hip areas like Williamsburg and Bushwick, Ridgewood sits at the top of NYC’s list of ones to watch. But even with all the hoopla, how many of you actually know someone who lives off this stretch of the L?
In our latest installment of My sqft, we meet Sean and Liz, a couple of Greenpoint expats who’ve made their way into a beautiful, historic brick construction along a peaceful block in the heart of this up-and-comer. Living large in a very bright and airy 800-square-foot railroad apartment, these two really don’t face the same space challenges that plague the rest of us New Yorkers, and as such they’ve found the freedom to infuse their space with lots of personality (toy bunnies, illustrations of “nerd weapons” and quirky art from across the globe) and all the furniture they’ve collected over the last decade (lots of covetable mid-century modern pieces and antiques). Jump ahead to meet this perky pair and see how they’ve created that perfect old-meets-new-meets-endearing balance that we all strive for but pretty much have no clue how to make happen in our own homes.
Go inside their adorable home here
By Dana Schulz, Fri, December 12, 2014 Photo © Cameron Baylock
On the heels of the recent landmarks controversy, Queens’ hottest new neighborhood just got its fourth landmarked historic district, the Central Ridgewood Historic District. The 40-block, 990-building area joins Ridgewood’s three existing historic districts, Ridgewood North, Ridgewood South, and Stockholm Street.
The district includes buildings along Madison Street and Catalpa Avenue, as well as others, which were recognized by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for exemplifying working class housing. Most of the Renaissance Revival brick row houses were built by German immigrants between 1906 and World War I.
More on Ridgewood’s newest historic district
