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.

July 22, 2016

Local Pols Say Port Authority’s $10B Bus Terminal Plan Is a Hot Mess

By Michelle Cohen

A request to put the brakes on a $10 billion plan for a new West Side bus terminal and rethink the process with more input from local officials and the public was rebuffed by the Port Authority chairman, reports Crain’s. Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer were joined by Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assembly members Richard Gottfried and Linda Rosenthal and Councilman Corey Johnson in backing the effort to slow the Port Authority's call to move ahead with a design competition to get ideas for the West Side plan. The controversy emerged after a board meeting on Thursday. "We’re not going to defer the design and deliverability study,” was the reply from John Degnan, the New Jersey-appointed chairman, amid concerns that the new terminal will necessitate the seizure of private property using eminent domain, threaten area homes, small businesses and other organizations and belch more carbon from a larger fleet of buses into the air in an area that already "runs afoul of federal air-quality standards."
Find out what the fuss is all about

Real Estate Trends

July 21, 2016

Unpretentious Beach House by Space Exploration Is a Perfect Retreat For a Creative City Pair

By Michelle Cohen

Understandably busy creative couple Elisa Restrepo, co-founder of the luxurious minimalist shoe label Dieppa Restrepo, and restaurateur Dylan Dodd (Karasu, Walter’s, Walter Foods, and Barrio Chino) turned to Brooklyn architects Space Exploration to transform their three-story split-level house in the laid-back (though lately less so) surfing village of Montauk. 6sqft has featured the firm's work before, and they've done another fine job creating an un-fussy and livable space with white and pale woods, earthy textiles and plenty of natural light. The house underwent a full gut remodel, including extensive landscaping, which took a year, but looks completely worth the effort.
Summer serenity this way

Trendy, ‘Affordable’ Food Hall and Beer Garden Headed to the South Bronx

Image: View Grand Concourse via photopin (license)

July 21, 2016

Trendy, ‘Affordable’ Food Hall and Beer Garden Headed to the South Bronx

By Michelle Cohen

Controversial South Bronx Developer Keith Rubenstein of Somerset Partners has purchased a 16,000-square-foot warehouse (expandable to 30,000 square feet) at 9 Bruckner Boulevard for $7.5 million and intends to create a Gansevoort Market-style food hall called Bruckner Market, reports The Real Deal. According to the developer, who purchased two other South Bronx waterfront sites last year, the space will offer a fresh food market, kiosks and restaurants and may have a beer garden, though he made a point of addressing how the new addition will affect the community: “It will provide great food and beverage options at affordable prices for the existing community and new community.”
Find out more

July 21, 2016

Live in a Charming Midtown Co-op Just Off Billionaires’ Row For $449K

By Michelle Cohen

For a rare low-six-figure price, this one-bedroom co-op shares a neighborhood with the big-ticket buyers at One57 and 15 Central Park West, as well as easy access to the same great perks, like Lincoln Center, Central Park, the Time Warner Center and lots of theater options. While it might have a lot less interior space, the fourth-floor walk up at 431 West 54th Street looks bright, quiet and comfortable, and might just cost less per month than most rentals in the area. Just north of vibrant Hell's Kitchen, the neighborhood is a growing residential favorite on its own with buyers and renters who love Manhattan living.
Get a look at this find

Distinctive Homes

July 20, 2016

You Could Say This Four-Bedroom Village Co-op Is About $1M Per Bedroom–With Room to Spare

By Michelle Cohen

For starters, there's a mudroom–it's right across from the laundry room. And an underground garage. There are some bedrooms, maybe four, maybe less–or more...how many do you need? Suburban sprawl isn't a problem at all when it's inside your apartment, and the apartment is on a tree-lined West Village block. You could say this $4 million home in a boutique co-op residence at 247 West 12th Street known as Greenwich House rings in at $1 million per bedroom, with some room to spare.
Take a look around this expensive-but-adaptable living space

Distinctive Homes

July 19, 2016

This Montauk Beach House by Ghislaine Viñas Could Be in Malibu or Miami

By Michelle Cohen

It's definitely beach season, and it's refreshing to get a peek at homes filled with ocean breezes. The playful and colorful interiors created by Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design have transformed city lofts and townhouses–but her paintbox palette works just as well, it turns out, by the sea. From the outside, this Montauk getaway for a New York City family is a classic East End beach house, but Ghislaine's irreverent way of mixing color and mid-20th-century modern and eclectic styles gives this laid-back home a vibe that's also part Malibu hideaway, part Miami chic.
See how well color works with sand and surf

July 19, 2016

This $4,750/Month Park Slope Townhouse Duplex Feels Like a Home

By Michelle Cohen

We're not sure what it is about this two-bedroom duplex occupying the top two floors of a lovely South Slope townhouse at 215 13th Street; like the neighborhood, it's laid-back rather than fancy, but the 1,200-square-foot rental looks like it has everything you'd need to move right in and make yourself at home. Asking $4,750 a month, the duplex includes a big, bright kitchen for gathering and cooking, a charming rear deck for outdoor chilling, a bath and a half for not having to climb stairs to use the baño, office space, big closets and a washer-dryer.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Huge Tax Disparities Along Central Park Become Visuals in Architectural Art Installation

“Section 581” by SITU Studio, Photograph by Patrick Mandeville

July 18, 2016

Huge Tax Disparities Along Central Park Become Visuals in Architectural Art Installation

By Michelle Cohen

"Section 581" by SITU Studio, Photograph by Patrick Mandeville Billionaires get off nearly tax-free and billions go uncollected due to flaws in the way the city assesses property value. As part of a new exhibit at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in Soho, interdisciplinary architecture firm SITU Studio created visual representations of these inequities in one of their most glaring examples: the buildings along Central Park. New York City's property tax structure assigns higher real property taxes to renters than it does to the infamous absentee owners of the trophy condos on Billionaires’ Row, short-changing the city of millions in annual revenue, according to CityLab. The acrylic bands in the SITU models show the disparity between the taxed value of these properties and the sky-high amounts they’d actually sell for.
Find out how the state law is giving billionaires a free lunch

July 18, 2016

$4M UES Limestone Mansion Duplex Wows With Tiffany Windows, a Fireplace and an Elevator

By Michelle Cohen

The elegant carved limestone mansion at 35 East 68th Street on the Upper East Side is quite a standout, even in a neighborhood filled with historic architecture. 6sqft previously featured another duplex in the 13,000-square-foot Beaux Arts beauty that was built as a private residence for physician Dr. Edward Kellogg and grain fortune heiress Mary Dows by Carrere & Hastings, the architecture firm who designed the Frick Collection and the New York Public Library. The landmarked mansion was converted into an eight-unit co-op apartment building, seven of which appeared on the market together last year for $34 million; but it looks like a sale never happened. Now another three-bedroom duplex is for sale, asking $3.95 million. Unlike the other listing, the home's grand historic details are very much in evidence, from the gorgeous oak paneled living room with 14-foot ceilings to Tiffany stained glass windows and a wood-burning fireplace–complemented by a modern custom kitchen and accessible by an elevator.
Tour this grand historic home

July 17, 2016

Stay in a Funky 1930s Catskills Farmhouse (Yoga Room Included) for $125/Night

By Michelle Cohen

Just in case a tiny cabin with an outdoor kitchen, a geodesic dome, or a 1950s trailer aren't your thing, you can still enjoy an unconventional country getaway at a Woodbridge, NY farmhouse where a suite of colorful upstairs rooms awaits. Part of a fascinating property 90 miles from New York City known as the Outlier Inn, the farmhouse, available on Airbnb, includes three bedrooms (available by room for $125 per night, or you can rent the entire apartment) and a yoga room. You'll also find sheep, goats, alpaca, bunnies and other sweater-bearing critters whose furry coats (with no harm done besides a haircut) get spun into winter accessories in an on-site fiber-arts workshop space, a full-service recording studio, a greenhouse with seasonal produce for sale and a pond on the 12-acre property, plus a nearby lake, hiking trails and park.
Check out the rooms in this just-right farmhouse

Getting Away

Rent Designer Erin Fetherston’s Fashionably Furnished Tribeca Loft for $23K/Month

By Michelle Cohen

A recent Observer article describing designer Erin Fetherston's Tribeca loft uses adjectives like "dreamy," "delicate," and "airy," all of which also describe the ethereal apparel collections she has designed both under her own label and in collaboration with big names like Target and Cosabella. It's fitting that this apartment, with its pale hues and spun-sugar decor, is located in Tribeca's Sugar Warehouse condominium building at 79 Laight Street. Ms. Fetherston has owned the unit since 2007, when she paid $4.33 million for the loft. She has been living with her husband and new baby in Los Angeles, so it's up to another fashionable New Yorker to enjoy the 3,555-square-foot home, furnished with “rare antiques” and “stylish furniture,” including couches from ABC Home and Bergère-style chairs. The three-bedroom loft has graced the pages of Vogue (also featured here on the designer's blog); it's now seeking a new tenant, asking $22,995 a month.
Tour the designer's photogenic and feminine loft

July 14, 2016

Buy Old Subway Seats, Signs, Tokens and More From the MTA

By Michelle Cohen

We know that thing where they were dumping old subway cars into the ocean for fish to live in was pretty cool, but there are only so many the briny deep can handle, and as cars get upgraded, items from the various good old days of NYC transit increasingly become collectibles. To that end, the MTA holds monthly online sales featuring retired and vintage subway cars (yes, you can apparently buy one of those), buses and their various parts and other ephemera, with items regularly added to the trove. All items are sold with a certificate of authenticity (don't laugh, there's actually a company that makes "vintage" subway signs). The current haul includes vintage subway and bus seats, roll signs and metal hanging straps (so you can feel like a commuter without leaving your living room).
Find out how you can recreate the subway experience at home

Transit

July 14, 2016

Sweet Hell’s Kitchen Duplex Has Pre-War Charm, a Smart Layout and Outdoor Space for $990K

By Michelle Cohen

It's almost as if this unique little duplex at 461 West 44th Street can't take a bad picture. There isn't a room unblessed by charm–including two good-sized bedrooms, a huge closet/dressing room and an amazing amount of (shared but directly accessible) well-tended outdoor space, all for a surprising-for-Manhattan $990,000. Situated near the corner of a tree-lined block in Hell's Kitchen, the co-op's 990 square feet seem more spacious than that number would suggest, as is often the case when two units are combined. The fixtures, finishes and overall design have been carefully curated with an eye for both beauty and function, and there are more than a few surprises, including a 1951 Chambers stove and a back door just off the kitchen that opens onto an almost-private planted patio.
Tour this one-of-a-kind west side home

Distinctive Homes

July 13, 2016

Get a Peek at the Modernist Treasures Headed for the Four Seasons Restaurant Auction

By Michelle Cohen

The Wright auction house is gearing up for the July 26 auction of kitchen and dining room items from the iconic Four Seasons restaurant. As 6sqft previously reported, news that the restaurant would decamp from the building surfaced last summer, when Seagram Building owner Aby Rosen did not renew the lease for what has been seen as the quintessential Midtown “power lunch” spot for the last decades of the 20th century since it opened in 1959. The restaurant’s interiors feature custom designs by Pritzker Prize-winner Philip Johnson and furniture, tableware and other modernist treasures by the likes of by Seagram Building designer Mies Van der Rohe, Hans J. Wegner and others and custom-made Knoll furniture. With an emotional forward by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the auction catalog offers a preview of items up for auction with estimates. Included will be banquettes designed for the space by Philip Johnson Associates, Eero Saarinen Tulip stools, chairs and tables from the bar of the Grill Room, pans, flatware and dishes created for the restaurant by Ada Louise and L. Garth Huxtable and more.
Take a look at the items in the Four Seasons auction

July 13, 2016

Incredible 1842 West Village Townhouse With Multi-Level Garden Asks $9M

By Michelle Cohen

The listing for this three-story townhouse at 41 Bethune Street says it's on one of the most desirable residential blocks in New York City, and it would be hard to argue with that. Who wouldn't wan't to live tucked into the leafy and historic townhouse-lined blocks of the West Village—so adorably out of step with the grid—near the Hudson River? And that's pretty much all a two-family 19th century townhouse needs to ask $8.995 million any day of the week, especially if it's not, say, the narrowest house in the city (though there's a certain amount of cachet in that honor). So with that as a starting point, this nicely-preserved brick home is sure to get attention. The raves, though, are likely to be over the multi-level backyard deck where an urban garden is in full bloom.
Get a closer look at this Village house and garden

July 12, 2016

Stylish 470-Square-Foot Chelsea Loft Has More Space Than You’d Expect

By Michelle Cohen

While a 470-square-foot studio sounds pretty small when it comes to living space—and we certainly wouldn't expect much in the way of storage—this $699,000 co-op at 100 West 15th Street excels in lots of unexpected ways. Sleeping lofts can be tricky—especially when they're touted as the second floor of a "duplex" for twice the price of this unit–but in this case it works. A sizable sleeping platform with a wall of closets makes this studio look spacious rather than cell-like, and is in keeping with the Chelsea building's industrial loft history. Finishes also have a loft aesthetic, enough to look like they belong without looking precious. And the quality of the home's fixtures shows that whoever renovated this space meant business when it came to maximizing style and function in every square foot.
Find out more about this chic, efficient loft

Distinctive Homes

July 12, 2016

Is the Mayor’s Plan To Stop Dumping Garbage by 2030 Possible–or Just Trash Talk?

By Michelle Cohen

New Yorkers make a lot of garbage. We create more than 44 million pounds of residential and commercial waste every day–about a ton per person annually. Of that, only a third is recycled, composted or burned to generate energy. The rest is dumped in landfills. A recent Crain's article explains how Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes to make a serious dent in all that dumping. He has pledged that by 2030, the city would be sending “zero waste” to landfills: “This is the way of the future if we’re going to save our Earth.” But like most things, the success of any plans to reduce the rubbish pile hinges on two things: management, and incentive (which, for most New Yorkers, means money).
What's the plan to get to zero waste

July 11, 2016

VIDEO: Drone Footage Shows Rare Views of North Brother Island’s Abandoned Buildings

By Michelle Cohen

One of 36 (42 in low tide) uninhabited New York City Islands, North Brother Island is a 20-acre piece of land in the East River between the Bronx and Rikers Island that was once home to a quarantine hospital. Currently off-limits to the public, the island became the home of Riverside Hospital for smallpox patients in 1885; "Typhoid Mary" Mallon was quarantined on the island until her death in 1938. This drone video footage offers a rare and hauntingly beautiful view of the island's decaying bridges and buildings overgrown by forest.
Watch this haunting video footage of the abandoned island

History

July 11, 2016

This $1.2M Chelsea Loft Has Great Architectural Details and a Bonus Room

By Michelle Cohen

This pretty co-op loft at 131 West 28th Street right in the middle of bustling Chelsea boasts stunning design elements like original arched windows, tin ceilings and custom cabinetry. The one-bedroom space, asking $1.175 million, is currently being used as two (or you'll get a great home office). On one hand that's called a bonus room for a reason; on the other, there are some challenges in the apartment's layout that could use an architect's touch. As far as what's within steps of this 7th Avenue-area address? Basically, everything. The block isn't exactly serene, but we're guessing peace and quiet isn't why anyone's moving to Chelsea (with some possible exceptions).
Check out the rest of the space

Distinctive Homes

July 10, 2016

Classic Flatiron Co-op Has Good Closets, Great Location and a Private Terrace for $825K

By Michelle Cohen

This stylish junior one-bedroom co-op at 16 West 16th Street offers the kind of convenience city dwellers crave: Just off Fifth Avenue, it's within a few blocks of Union Square, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, the area's cornucopia of restaurants and hotels, Chelsea shopping and much more, yet on one of the area's classic residential blocks, with both similar elegant towers and pretty townhouses. The apartment itself has obvious covetable qualities on its own. A tasteful, modern renovation erases the cookie-cutter co-op feel found in some postwars. Perhaps best of all, there's a private terrace for enjoying the sunshine.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

July 8, 2016

Airbnb Pulls 2,233 Listings Ahead of Illegal Hotel Ad Law

By Michelle Cohen

Increasingly the subject of criticism from state legislators and advocacy groups, Airbnb reported Thursday that it had removed 2,223 more listings from the site that may have been illegal hotels under the current law, according to the New York Post. Governor Cuomo may soon sign a bill that would make it illegal to advertise these listings–i.e. those available for fewer than 30 days in buildings with more than three units where the original tenant isn’t present–in deference to claims that these illegal hotels are removing much-needed stock from the pool of available housing for those who need it. 6sqft recently cited a new report claiming that 56 percent of the company's New York City listings were illegal.
Why did all those listings get booted?

July 7, 2016

Find Out if a Building Has Rats Using the City’s Interactive Map

By Michelle Cohen

From the fine folks at the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene comes this most informative interactive map of the five boroughs that tells you whether you'll need to keep an eye on your pizza. The Rat Information Portal (RIP) gives you the facts about rats in NYC—where they are and what you can do about them. You can search the city, building by building—handy if you're thinking of renting or buying an apartment—to get the 411 on potential pest problems of the furry kind.
Let's find some rats

City Living

July 7, 2016

Flirt, Frolic and Shower Outside at This Indulgent $1.5M Village Co-op

By Michelle Cohen

When a listing is advertised as having a "Soho House meets The Standard Hotel design motif,” we already know who the target audience is. But just to be sure, an accompanying video features a pair of bed-headed hotties–one of whom is the listing broker–who would look right at home at either of those establishments as they frolic about the apartment in a steamy state. The smitten pair caress the home's custom fixtures and invite the viewer to imagine a puzzlingly effort-free existence in this chic $1.495 million sixth-floor co-op at 303 Mercer Street's Snug Harbor.
They're gonna need that central air...

Distinctive Homes

July 6, 2016

NYC May Get a Big Ugly Wall Instead of Bjarke Ingels’ Storm Protection System

By Michelle Cohen

"Not only is New York City going to build the cheapest, ugliest version of the big dumb wall, there’s a very good possibility that it won’t even be big enough." According to a recent Rolling Stone article titled "Can New York Be Saved in the Era of Global Warming?" the level of storm protection put in place to protect the city from future superstorms may fall short of the elegant solution that was originally promised. According to the story, the city funded a proposal–Danish firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)'s winning submission in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rebuild by Design contest–that involved a 10-mile barrier system that would protect Lower Manhattan from the ruinous effects of storm surges and sea-level rise. Called the Big U, the $540 million infrastructure project would be designed to contain parks and public spaces. But because of cost issues, the project may not materialize as planned.
Find out how the proposal may have changed

July 6, 2016

$1.4M Townhouse in Rising-Star Sunset Park Includes a Magical Backyard Studio

By Michelle Cohen

While it may not be palatial, this sweet three-bedroom, two-story (plus finished basement) townhouse at 455 37th Street in Sunset Park on a lovely street of tidy 1900s row houses would make a terrific “condo alternative.” Sunset Park, which the listing reminds us was recently dubbed the nation's number one "edgy cool" neighborhood, is indeed a rising star. With exciting projects in the works at Industry City, an amazingly diverse mix of residents, proximity to transportation, parks and the waterfront and even a recent turn as the winter home of the Brooklyn Flea, Sunset Park is one of those places you might wish you’d moved to years ago. But there are still deals to be had among the just-as-diverse housing choices, like this well-preserved home asking $1.405 million. And a magical back yard with an utterly charming garden studio are definitely something you won't find in most condos.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

All articles by Michelle Cohen

Local Pols Say Port Authority’s $10B Bus Terminal Plan Is a Hot Mess

Unpretentious Beach House by Space Exploration Is a Perfect Retreat For a Creative City Pair

Trendy, ‘Affordable’ Food Hall and Beer Garden Headed to the South Bronx

Live in a Charming Midtown Co-op Just Off Billionaires’ Row For $449K

You Could Say This Four-Bedroom Village Co-op Is About $1M Per Bedroom–With Room to Spare

This Montauk Beach House by Ghislaine Viñas Could Be in Malibu or Miami

This $4,750/Month Park Slope Townhouse Duplex Feels Like a Home

Huge Tax Disparities Along Central Park Become Visuals in Architectural Art Installation

$4M UES Limestone Mansion Duplex Wows With Tiffany Windows, a Fireplace and an Elevator

Stay in a Funky 1930s Catskills Farmhouse (Yoga Room Included) for $125/Night

Rent Designer Erin Fetherston’s Fashionably Furnished Tribeca Loft for $23K/Month

Buy Old Subway Seats, Signs, Tokens and More From the MTA

Sweet Hell’s Kitchen Duplex Has Pre-War Charm, a Smart Layout and Outdoor Space for $990K

Get a Peek at the Modernist Treasures Headed for the Four Seasons Restaurant Auction

Incredible 1842 West Village Townhouse With Multi-Level Garden Asks $9M

Yorkville duplex has five balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a philanthropic tie for $6.5M

Stylish 470-Square-Foot Chelsea Loft Has More Space Than You’d Expect

Is the Mayor’s Plan To Stop Dumping Garbage by 2030 Possible–or Just Trash Talk?

VIDEO: Drone Footage Shows Rare Views of North Brother Island’s Abandoned Buildings

This $1.2M Chelsea Loft Has Great Architectural Details and a Bonus Room

Classic Flatiron Co-op Has Good Closets, Great Location and a Private Terrace for $825K

Airbnb Pulls 2,233 Listings Ahead of Illegal Hotel Ad Law

Find Out if a Building Has Rats Using the City’s Interactive Map

Flirt, Frolic and Shower Outside at This Indulgent $1.5M Village Co-op

NYC May Get a Big Ugly Wall Instead of Bjarke Ingels’ Storm Protection System

$1.4M Townhouse in Rising-Star Sunset Park Includes a Magical Backyard Studio

9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn

All articles by Michelle Cohen

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