All articles by Michelle Cohen

Michelle is a New York-based writer and content strategist who has worked extensively with lifestyle brands like Seventeen, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar and iVillage. In addition to being a copywriter for a digital media agency she writes about culture, New York City neighborhoods, real estate, style, design and technology among other topics. She has lived in a number of major US cities on both coasts and in between and loves all things relating to urbanism and culture.

October 12, 2015

This Well-Preserved $1.95M Ditmas Park Victorian Has Lots of Perfect Spots to Soak Up Some Sun

By Michelle Cohen

This well-preserved two-and-a-half-story (plus basement), six-bedroom single-family Victorian house at 447 Rugby Road in Ditmas Park has a small-town vibe–from the big, wide front porch that's just waiting for that porch swing to the very chill upstairs sun porch perfect for catching the last warm autumn rays. But there's big-city subway access and plenty to do within a few blocks, and a citified price of $1.95 million, a number that wouldn't have been seen in this lovely and historic neighborhood a few years back.
Tour this pretty piece of Brooklyn history

October 9, 2015

This $4.7M Historic Park Slope Brownstone by MESH Architectures Has the Heart of a Loft

By Michelle Cohen

When the owners of this North Slope townhouse at 144 Lincoln Place purchased it in 2005 for $2.1 million, they'd had their hearts set on a loft; after choosing a Victorian brownstone instead, they worked with MESH architectures to create their dream space without having to give up their dreams. The result? The architects explain how the home is "consistent with contemporary family life but does not erase the original structures. Instead a layered, more complex spatial composition balances gravity with lightness, old with new, raw with finished." Now on the market for $4.7 million, this 3,300-square-foot classic-on-the-outside 1882 townhouse consists of a spacious and creatively designed owners’ triplex over an adorable garden-floor apartment (in a high-rent neighborhood). The landscaped back garden paradise alone is a show-stopper. The interior of the house was thoroughly reimagined, and the resulting “vertical loft” is a unique home that’s a fit for both daily life and the pages of a design book.
Check out this history-meets-industry dream house

Distinctive Homes

October 8, 2015

This Cobble Hill Townhouse Rental Is Filled With Historic Charm and Contemporary Cheer

By Michelle Cohen

If it's been a while since your last case of townhouse envy, enter this 3,000-square-foot Cobble Hill classic at 217 Degraw Street, on the rental market for $15,750 a month. This four-story, single-family Gothic Revival-style home on one of those postcard-worthy Brooklyn blocks has that quality that inspires both admiration and bidding wars: It possesses many of its original details–intricate plaster molding, bedroom arches and pocket doors, for example–plus the benefits of a custom renovation that bestowed a modern dream kitchen, a wall of glass patio doors and several coats of personality. Equal parts contemporary cheer and historic charm, these four floors would be hard for any family, fraternal order, sewing circle or small army–assuming they could part with the five-figure monthly outlay–to resist.
Get the townhouse tour, this way

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October 7, 2015

This $635K Washington Heights Co-op Is a Ground Floor Opportunity With Lofty Ambitions

By Michelle Cohen

At first glance, the price of this 1,245-square-foot well-configured and loft-like co-op in Washington Heights looks like a pretty good deal. The same spot in the parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn where one usually finds sprawling industrial-chic lofts would undoubtedly be several times more than the $635,000 ask. Upon further inspection, it becomes evident that this apartment at 447 Fort Washington Avenue occupies the building's basement. We're assuming it's been excavated enough to be legal, but even the listing prepares us for the fact that "...this lower first floor garden apartment is sublimely peaceful with no neighbors above, below or beside." It's certainly a nice-looking lower first floor garden apartment, though. In addition to the no-neighbors-because-it's-the-basement thing, keep in mind that the neighborhood is known as a no-longer-secret spot to find relatively reasonable real estate in NYC; the Times called it "affordable Manhattan," pointing out that the median price for apartments in Washington Heights was less than $500,000 in Q1 of 2015. On the other hand, a similarly-outfitted, though much larger, Cobble Hill duplex condo loft consisting of a ground floor and basement is listed for $2.85 million. So perhaps this lofty lower lair in upper Manhattan deserves further investigation after all.
Take a look around

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October 6, 2015

$1.6M Fort Greene Floor-Through Designed by The Brooklyn Home Company Is Quite Photogenic

By Michelle Cohen

Though they're charming and often in great neighborhoods, condos created from historic townhouses often disappoint. Railroad-style layouts get circumvented by oddly-configured hallways (left resembling a linear "ant farm" accessed by tunnels), kitchens are across the apartment from living rooms, bedrooms get subdivided into virtual closets, and so on. This lovely two-bedroom parlor-floor home at 122 Fort Greene Place in prime Fort Greene escapes most of those fates, and interiors by popular brownstone Brooklyn design firm The Brooklyn Home Company elevate it even further into the charm circle. The $1.6 million ask may seem high, but a sizable 1,384 square feet, tons of restored original details within a superb renovation, stellar location, and designer showcase status (it was featured in the coffee-table-favorite "Design Brooklyn," and a slew of interiors mags) rack up plenty of selling points.
Check out more of the interior this way...

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October 5, 2015

$20M Tribeca Penthouse Has a 25-Foot Skylight, a Heavenly Terrace and an Industrial Past

By Michelle Cohen

Designed in 1887 for a wrapping paper manufacturer by architect Albert Wagner, who also designed the iconic Puck Building, 140 Franklin Street was converted to a 12-unit boutique residential condominium at the turn of the 21st century. Considered one of the city's most handsome Romanesque Revival-style buildings, it's a study in enviable contrasts; apartments have original cast iron columns, for example, and the building boasts a state-of-the-art water filtration system. Notable neighbors: J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler has an apartment on the fifth floor that he put on the market earlier this year for $35 million. To help put this super-fancy loft–and its fancy price of $19.95 million–in context: Penthouse A was designed for the building conversion's developer; it's on the market for the first time since the building was converted. There are 5,000 square feet of interior space on two floors, plus a spectacular 2,200 square-foot roof terrace. The unit is listed as having only seven rooms, but many of them are the kind of oversized loft space to which the term "room" almost doesn't apply.
More penthouse this way

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October 2, 2015

What’s Big and Hairy and Costs $2.4 Million? This Pretty Gramercy Co-op!

By Michelle Cohen

This almost-2,000 square-foot co-op at 235 East 22nd Street in Manhattan's elegant Gramercy neighborhood is one of those classic pre-war apartments–created by combining two units–that, when you look at the floor plan, is startlingly spacious. There are room-sized closets, areas for eating and dining, foyers, galleries and office nooks–the antithesis of the tiny NYC apartment. This three-bedroom home also has those charming and sophisticated pre-war details–nine-foot-high beamed ceilings, big rooms, inlaid floors, restored moldings, built-in cabinetry and massive casement windows. We all know the space itself is what counts in NYC real estate. Quirky objets and freaky art will almost assuredly be bundled out with the departing resident, never to show hide nor hair (literally, in this case) once the van pulls away. On the other hand, though it's sometimes fun to see what you're not getting for your $2.4 million, any real estate agent will tell you that staging is no small matter.
Explore this sprawling co-op

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October 1, 2015

Find Your Favorite Spaces in This Flexible South Slope Loft Duplex

By Michelle Cohen

The comfortably-configured co-op at 459 12th Street in South Park Slope starts with two levels and lots of open space–and you have the opportunity to go beyond the current two-bedroom configuration with nooks and corners that lend themselves to being used as bedrooms or opened up, loft-style. On the market for $1.2 million, this two-bedroom loft offers a wealth of charming architectural details like weathered brick walls, double-height ceilings in the main areas, a wood-burning fireplace and exposed ceiling beams. Oversized windows offer Manhattan skyline views (the apartment is a third-floor walk-up, so great light, but no elevator).
Tour the loft, this way...

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September 30, 2015

Big, Bright and Modern Boerum Hill Townhouse Has It All, Plus Rental Income

By Michelle Cohen

Behind an unassuming brick facade on a classically quaint block in the heart of Boerum Hill, this three-family house at 125 Butler Street is a spacious and surprising modern home. With contemporary comforts and designer details at every turn, the 5,100 square-foot home boasts a 20-foot extension on the lower two floors, resulting in a 3,000 square-foot owners' duplex with room to spare for outdoor garden space. On the market for $3.95 million, the house is divided into that four-bedroom, 3.5-bath duplex and a pair of spacious two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors for high rental income.
See the rest of the house

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September 29, 2015

This $2.35M Artist-Renovated Ditmas Park Victorian Is Both Cozy and Cool

By Michelle Cohen

While we're used too seeing renovated houses with gorgeous details and top-of-the-line finishes, it's not as often we see one that's modern and fresh, but also feels like a well-loved home. The 1902 Victorian at 210 Stratford Road is that rare house. According to the listing (h/t Brownstoner), it was "lovingly restored and renovated by two artists," which explains the perfect blend of cozy and cool evident on every floor of this two-family, three-story Ditmas Park home on the market for $2.35 million.
Take the tour

This Sweet and Sunny East Village Co-op With a Terrace Asks $635K

By Michelle Cohen

The East Village–particularly the far-eastern, garden-filled Alphabet City part of it–may be the poster child for change in New York City. For better or worse, there are things we miss, and things we adore. But the neighborhood retains its small-village vibe while being in one of the city's most exciting locations. This second-floor one-bedroom walk-up at 317 East 3rd Street, tucked into a little-of-everything street between Avenues C and D looks the part of the perfect East Village nest, with its exposed brick, small but fun and functional outdoor space, multi-tasking modern kitchen and bright, sunny bedroom. For $635,000 it doesn't break the bank, and you'll really save on the monthly co-op fees if you meet the HDFC guidelines.
See more of this cute, sunny East Village home

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September 27, 2015

This $6,500/Month Murray Hill Rental Says City Apartment in Front, Suburban House in Back

By Michelle Cohen

Here's a NYC apartment that's thoroughly Manhattan, but, if you're standing in the right spot, could be any suburban home. Located in a bustling East Side spot that's either Gramercy, Kips Bay, Murray Hill or Midtown South, depending on whom you talk to, this two-bedroom garden condop at 242 East 25th Street just hit the rental market for $6,500/month. And if you can't bear to part with it, you're in luck, it's also for sale (asking $1.995 million). The apartment is only 939 square feet, but it's well-configured, with bedrooms on either side of spacious common areas–and, more importantly, one of those areas is a glass-walled solarium that overlooks a 785-square-foot private deck and backyard that extends your space in a way most New Yorkers envy.
See more

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September 25, 2015

Soap Star’s Renovated, Family-Friendly Harlem Brownstone Back on the Market for $2.9M

By Michelle Cohen

There's something compelling about a great-looking home without a superlative in sight, neither painstakingly restored to historic glory, cutting-edge contemporary or irresistibly luxurious. And for a busy city family, kid-friendly good looks and low-maintenance comfort go a long way. This 4,000-square-foot Harlem brownstone at 136 West 130th Street fit the bill and then some when Emmy-nominated "All My Children" regular (and more recently talk show correspondent and reality TV host) Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa, happened upon it in 2004, and subsequently purchased it for $1.2 million. The couple had ventured into Harlem when apartment hunting (with a new baby) and fallen for the neighborhood's "Sesame Street" vibe. A developer had done most of the renovation work, and they added the finishing touches. Interviewed in the Times in 2009, the actor explains that the couple had "envisioned being in this place forever;" that plan changed when the TV show moved studios to Los Angeles. Mathison listed the turn-key renovated home for $2.7 million and headed west. There weren't any takers at the time, and the four-story townhouse is back, asking $2.9 million–albeit in a very different market, especially in Central Harlem, than that of 2009.
See more of this turnkey uptown home

September 24, 2015

Live Your Versailles Fantasies in This Gilded Upper East Side Mansion for $60K/Month

By Michelle Cohen

There are undoubtedly many grand mansions of this kind in the rarified environs of the Upper East Side, some even grander and gold-er–but they don't pop up among the rental listings too often. This triplex palace at 10 East 62nd Street is clearly in search of someone who is looking to make an impression. The rental bill is steep at $60,000 a month, but, again, there are plenty of big-ticket rentals around. What you're getting for your monthly outlay is less about substance than it is about 5,600 square feet of gold-and-marble-covered, let-them-eat-cake opulence–in addition to four bedrooms, two living rooms, two kitchens, and an elevator, just to start with. The home has been on and off the rental market for several years–on the last go-round it was asking $48k (which is still in the listing title, though the listing body names the higher rent), and that was just a year ago. So whomever's behind the pricing has faith in the city's booming economy.
More of this gilded palace

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September 23, 2015

Enormous Greenwich Village Loft Above an Art House Cinema Awaits Your Vision

By Michelle Cohen

This raw-edged, sprawling 3,250 square-foot loft at 34 West 13th Street, on a bustling yet somehow old-school Greenwich Village street is on the market for the first time since the building became a cooperative in the 1970s. Formerly an acting school–there are two stages built in, which could be kind of cool if you're the theatrical type–the space is currently configured as a two bedroom with a laundry room, a big open kitchen/dining room, a living area and a hall gallery. Located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, it's above the Quad Cinema indie theater (set to reopen with a big renovation this fall), which is also great if you love the movies. The ask is $5.25 million, and there are several suggested floor plans (see the photo gallery ahead), should you want to create a three- or four-bedroom home.
Find out more about this huge loft space

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September 21, 2015

This Beautifully Preserved Park Slope Brownstone Was Once a NYC Mayor’s Mansion

By Michelle Cohen

On an impossibly lovely landmarked brownstone block near the border between north Park Slope and Prospect Heights, the 1890s townhouse at 212 Saint Johns Place is a testament to the idea that they don't make them like this anymore. This historic brownstone, on the market for $3.895 million, will definitely appeal to anyone smitten with the idea of living in a beautifully preserved home from the 19th century rather than constructing a modern interior with contemporary flair. Once the home of New York City mayor William J. Gaynor (1910-1913), this two-family neo-Grec townhouse is filled with original architectural details from parquet wood floors, richly-carved mahogany trim and ten-foot parlor floor doors to the exquisite wood-carved cabinet built into the third floor landing.
Tour this historic home, this way

September 18, 2015

Five-Story Brooklyn Townhouse Makes the Best-Dressed List in Pretty Pastels and Contemporary Flair

By Michelle Cohen

If you've got a big family and you want to live within city limits, it's said that you'd better be able to afford it; this Brooklyn Heights house helps make the case. This whopping 5,000-square-feet of townhouse goodness at 281 Henry Street is missing very little as far as house-in-the-city perfection. There's a stylishly appointed room ready for everyone and their guests—and an opportunity for rental income with a freshly renovated garden apartment to help offset costs. It almost makes the $7.2 million price tag seem like a deal. The current owner has decorated the five-story, six-bedroom brownstone to the nines with a cake-frosting-pastel palette and contemporary design elements, while retaining the home's lovely historic details; the basic infrastructure is as modern as can be with central a/c, alarm and intercom systems and every appliance, fixture and finish freshly and stylishly updated. Besides the fact that the home is actually a bit narrow at 15.5 feet (though over 54 feet deep) there's only one thing we can think of that would improve this impressive townhome: An elevator.
Five floors of eye candy, this way...

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September 17, 2015

This Nomad Loft Was Created With Curbside Finds, Elbow Grease and an Eye for Beauty

By Michelle Cohen

There was a time in NYC when there wasn't an expectation that an apartment or loft come with a full set of shiny new appliances and amenities; you could carve out a space for yourself over time, and end up with a beautiful, unique and comfortable home. That's about the time–1977, to be exact–when the owners of this cool and crafty Nomad loft, then a recent co-op conversion, bought it for $50,000 and moved in. Now this large two-bedroom 12th floor loft with a private terrace is on the rental market for $8,000 a month. The owners–she was an art historian who passed away about a year ago, he's a retired biophysicist–and their daughter had always been fond of the excitement of scavenging what others left behind–like a six-burner restaurant stove and what is now a veritable jungle of plants. The building had been used for light manufacturing, and the couple had to design the entire 1,620-square-foot space to make it a home. Since the space was completely raw, they could configure it any way they pleased. The loft was featured in a 2006 article in the Times, in which the home's late owner and main design force is described as having "a gimlet eye for the gorgeous."
Take a look around, this way...

September 16, 2015

Bright, Modern Clinton Hill Three-Bedroom on Biggie’s Old Block Offers Lots of Options for $950K

By Michelle Cohen

It's not often that a three-bedroom apartment in prime Brooklyn rings in at under a million; if it does, it's likely to be a co-op with a steep monthly fee, and/or badly in need of an update. This pre-war condo in the heart of Clinton Hill is the rare exception: tastefully renovated, it offers pretty pre-war details, three bedrooms, and a location that's hard to beat. 207 Saint James Place is on one of this historic neighborhood's most beautiful streets, lined with 150-year-old brownstones and wood-frames, carriage houses and churches. There's plenty of colorful local history as well: The childhood home of Biggie Smalls is in a similar building just across the street at number 226–the late rapper's former apartment sold for $725k in 2013. Having survived the ravages of the late 20th century, these ornate 1930s limestone apartment buildings can be a great place to find lovely and livable–and somewhat rare–apartments like this one.
Take a look, this way...

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September 15, 2015

Gorgeous Roof Garden Atop This $3M Flatiron Loft Has an Outdoor Cinema and Cinematic Views

By Michelle Cohen

As much as we love lofts, they're sometimes better in theory than reality; they're either too slick and highly customized as someone's dream palace, or they're a little too raw and lack privacy and separation of space. And their rooftops, while huge, are often gritty urban spaces. In the penthouse loft at 22 East 18th Street asking $2.995 million, you can have your cake in a custom kitchen worthy of a newly-minted luxury apartment and eat it in a verdant enchanted roof garden high above the Flatiron district. This one- (convertible to two-) bedroom co-op has authentic 1900 cast-iron loft bones, details and all, state-of-the-art interiors and mechanical systems (central air and sound and a private elevator to name just a few), plus tons of light and, perhaps best of all, a magical common roof garden with self-irrigated plantings, benches and a custom outdoor cinema–and movie-worthy views of the city.
Have a look around, this way...

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September 14, 2015

Historic Soho Townhouse With Massive Rec Room and Skylights Galore Asks $16.3M

By Michelle Cohen

We'd figure that a large and lovely townhouse on a prime Soho block would have a hefty price tag just by virtue of its location; this four-story, 20-foot-wide-by-100-foot-deep home is no exception. But for your $16.3 million, you're getting an 1832 house that, after a three-year gut renovation, achieves a rare level of near-perfection. The couple who purchased the house at at 27 Vandam Street from revered choreographer Paul Taylor in 2009 for a (relatively) mere 3.3 million reconfigured what was at the time four apartments into one grand single-family residence while retaining its historic character. The result: Every detail–and there are many–in this home is state-of-the-art and every inch has been custom-designed for maximum comfort, convenience and peerless good looks.
Tour the interior of this beautiful house

September 11, 2015

Behold the City Skyline From a Room of Curved Glass Atop This $12.5M Chelsea Penthouse

By Michelle Cohen

We're fairly certain that if you look in the dictionary under "cool modern Chelsea penthouse," there's a picture of this apartment–because this duplex co-op at 143 West 20th Street pretty much nails the concept. Though there are certainly pricier pads, at over $12M, this four-bedroom stunner would certainly be someone's idea of a trophy–and it lives up to the job. Beginning on the 12th floor of an historic 1910 loft building at the classic Manhattan neighborhood's heart, the apartment's design treads the line between high-end generic contemporary and an attempt at hat-tipping the modernism of earlier decades via sleek minimal luxe. The listing says, "...one needs to walk through the space to experience it fully." But the pictures definitely get our attention with what looks a lot like a modern art museum that would be fun to live in.
Take the tour

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September 10, 2015

Traditional Japanese Design Defines This $2.7M West Side Maisonette With Two Tea Rooms

By Michelle Cohen

In the world of modern interiors, traditional Japanese design concepts have led to some very innovative interpretations that also meet residents' needs such as providing a peaceful retreat, keeping the flow of life organized, or, as in this case, offering flexibility of space and rooms that serve multiple functions. This duplex maisonette, however, would be counted among the more traditional end of the spectrum in its execution. Though having a nine-room apartment certainly helps when it comes to versatility, this particular space achieves its goals and more. The home's $2.7 million ask seems reasonable for this large duplex loft at 419 West 55th Street in increasingly popular West Midtown; though monthly maintenance fees seem a bit high for a condo at $4,333 (with no mention of taxes) when compared to the price, those generally reflect unit size, and–though no square footage is listed–there's no denying that attribute. So, pros and cons aside, let's take a look at this carefully-crafted testament to the owners’ vision of creating a loft space with a Japanese aesthetic.
Take the tour this way, shoes off, please

September 9, 2015

Channel the Spirits of Tesla, Carnegie and Edison in the Former Engineers’ Club HQ for $14K/Month

By Michelle Cohen

Like so many places in this fascinating city, this listing comes with some interesting history: Known today as Bryant Park Place, the primarily residential co-op building at 32 West 40th Street was once the clubhouse of the Engineers' Club. Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1907, members included–in addition to Carnegie himself–Thomas Edison, President Herbert Hoover, H.H. Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, who was honored here upon receiving the Edison Medal in 1917 and enjoyed feeding the pigeons in the park across the street. Units 1A and 1K currently comprise a commercial listing–with residential possibilities if you're willing to do your homework. The property–two connected co-op units–is for sale for $3.1 million, and also for rent at $14K a month (in the latter case it would make a pretty impressive HQ for that hot new startup–and since there's a small kitchen, those all-nighters won't be a problem). Buyers may need to unwind some red tape, but according to the listing, residential conversion is possible along with some serious subsequent upside.
Find out more

September 8, 2015

Handcrafted Organic Materials Meet Seamless Smart Home Tech in This $5.4M Village Loft

By Michelle Cohen

Loft lovers and perfectionists will covet this sprawling Greenwich Village condominium at 8 East 12th Street; it's both spacious and luxurious, boasting handcrafted organic materials in custom-designed interiors and switched-on, "smart home" creature comforts high and low. For your $5.4 million, you're getting location (near just about all the reasons you'd want to live downtown) and 2,330 square feet of painstakingly-created space for you to move in and enjoy. The current setup offers two bedrooms and 2.5 baths, but there's enough space here for any combination–and all the bells and whistles are already installed.
Take a look around...

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