Brooklyn

Don’t Judge This Gorgeous Williamsburg Rental Loft by Its Cover
January 9, 2015

Don’t Judge This Gorgeous Williamsburg Rental Loft by Its Cover

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The exterior of this 1000-square-foot loft located at 457 Grand Street in Williamsburg isn’t particularly awe-inspiring. A typical turn-of-the-century red masonry building with charming window details, it’s pleasant to look at but doesn’t quite take your breath away. The same cannot be said for the gorgeously renovated and exceptionally bright loft hiding within. The space beautifully takes advantage of the building’s original features like hardwood floors, brick walls, and exposed ceiling beams, then ups the ante with a host of modern touches including multiple skylights, tons of custom built-ins, and a stunning, larger-than-life glass wall/door separating the bedroom from the living area.
See why this book is even better than its cover
Rents in Brooklyn Still Up Even with a Boom in New Listings
January 8, 2015

Rents in Brooklyn Still Up Even with a Boom in New Listings

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MNS has just released the December rental reports covering Manhattan and Brooklyn. Far from surprisingly, rents were up in both boroughs, each seeing a solid increase year over year. But one finding that definitely stood out was Brooklyn's 9 percent uptick in new listings between November and December 2014. Whether rents will reflect the new inventory the coming months has yet to be seen; November on December figures slow only the slightest decrease with average rents falling from $2,677 to $2,666 (a 0.39 percent drop). Bigger picture figures show that since December 2013, rent prices have increased 3.08 percent rising from $2,587 to $2,667 in December 2014. Brooklyn neighborhoods that did especially well last year included Boerum Hill, which saw an average rent increase of 15.7 percent from $2,668 in December 2013 to $3,088 in December 2014; and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, which saw a 9.5 percent increase since December 2013—a continuing trend for the nabe. So, is Brooklyn still having its moment?
More details on Brooklyn and the Manhattan dispatch this way
Daily Link Fix: Why NYC Is Awesome in Winter; the 3,200 Doorways Photographed in One Year
January 8, 2015

Daily Link Fix: Why NYC Is Awesome in Winter; the 3,200 Doorways Photographed in One Year

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Be an optimist today while your hair is growing icicles. Here’s 50 reasons why NYC during winter is awesome. [TONY] Want a free-standing house with a front porch, but don’t fancy moving to NJ or Westchester? Better check out Ditmas Park. [NYT] The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office is investigating the Gowanus rabbit colony. [DNAinfo] Photographer Ray […]

Gorgeous Renovated Loft in Williamsburg’s Mill Building Asks $2.7M
January 7, 2015

Gorgeous Renovated Loft in Williamsburg’s Mill Building Asks $2.7M

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There’s an exquisite loft in Williamsburg’s historic Mill Building available for $2.65 million. The one-bedroom stunner stands out from the rest with sumptuous upgrades contrasted with original detail like restored wide-plank floors and prewar beams. True, some of the fun, quirky elements—like the Warhol-esque paintings on the red wall and the trendy furniture—don’t come with the condo, but it’s still the perfect blend of character and luxury.
Take a look inside here
Prospect Heights Row House Once Literally “Gone to the Dogs” Is Now Best in Show
January 7, 2015

Prospect Heights Row House Once Literally “Gone to the Dogs” Is Now Best in Show

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Like most townhouses of its time, this Prospect Heights abode suffered from what Delson or Sherman Architects referred to as "common row-house ailments." Dark in the middle and spatially flat, coupled with the fact that it had housed a kennel in one of its former lives, this home had literally gone to the dogs in more ways than one. But wait until you see how the firm transformed the Brooklyn house.
From dark and flat to bright and layered
Dean/Wolf Architects’ Amazing Brooklyn Townhouse Has an Operable Tetris-Like Facade
January 6, 2015

Dean/Wolf Architects’ Amazing Brooklyn Townhouse Has an Operable Tetris-Like Facade

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Fusing indoor and outdoor space is a rare occurrence in places like New York City, where outside real estate rarely constitutes anything more than a 2 foot x 5 foot fire escape. So when the residents of this Brooklyn Heights townhouse moved into their new pad, they knew that their spacious backyard would have to be the star of their home. As such, the Brooklynites called upon Dean / Wolf Architects to take on the task of breathing new life into their townhouse, and by the looks of things, they couldn't have chosen better. Instead of simply employing floor-to-ceiling windows to make the connection, the savvy architects designed an operable, puzzle-like rear facade that allows the home's inhabitants to seamlessly join the indoors and the out with just a few turns of the wrist.
More on the aptly named 'Operable Boundary Townhouse/Garden' here
General Assembly Design’s Merging of Two Vinegar Hill Apartments Produces Sweet Results
January 5, 2015

General Assembly Design’s Merging of Two Vinegar Hill Apartments Produces Sweet Results

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Aristotle’s wise words,"The whole is better than the sum of its parts," are certainly true in the case of this beautifully designed Vinegar Hill home. With owners who were used to a large, sprawling Victorian in equally sprawling Los Angeles, combining two apartments in a bland developer-style building in Brooklyn proved to offer the perfect replacement, given the right amount of ingenuity.
See more of this 'sweet' home
Interior Designer Athena Calderone Wants $4.3M for Industrial Chic DUMBO Pad
January 5, 2015

Interior Designer Athena Calderone Wants $4.3M for Industrial Chic DUMBO Pad

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If you’re looking for bragging rights and great views, this DUMBO pad at 205 Water Street asking $4.3 million may be just what the doctor ordered. The three-bedroom duplex was featured in Harpers Bazaar in 2013, and is currently home to interior designer and lifestyle guru Athena Calderone and her music producer husband, DJ Victor Calderone along with their nine-year-old son Jivan. So, why are the Calderones leaving this impeccably-designed apartment with over 2,344 square feet of outdoor space granting splendid river, bridge, and city views? Turns out it’s nothing but a short attention span. “We’re kind of serial movers,” Calderone expressed of her nomadic family who purchased the home for $2.3 million in 2012. “We tend to move every three years.” We’re guessing they’re a prompt family, too, as they’re right on time for a change of scenery. Fortunately for us, this family’s propensity for change means we get to take a moment to admire their pretty spectacular loft-like abode.
Take a look inside, here
New Yorker Spotlight: Dominatrix Turned Restaurateur Erin Norris on Her Red Hook Restaurant, Grindhaus
January 2, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Dominatrix Turned Restaurateur Erin Norris on Her Red Hook Restaurant, Grindhaus

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A former construction manager, music publicist, Bergdorf's window dresser, dominatrix and dungeon owner, Erin Norris has lived enough lives to make all of us feel like a bunch of old fogies. The founder of one of Red Hook's newest eateries, Grindhaus, the sassy blonde is the embodiment of the resilience, edginess and charm that defines New York City. Back in 2008, Erin set out with the goal of bringing a sausage parlor and beer hall to Red Hook, but as was the case for many in her 'hood, Hurricane Sandy had other plans. After a long (and expensive) rebuilding effort, Erin finally opened the doors to Grindhaus in 2013. Things may not have gone as planned, but even so, she managed to create something that went far beyond her dreams. Today, Grindhaus is one of the city's best restaurants, luring in the most discerning of food critics, from the palates over at Zagat to New York Times restaurant critic Peter Wells (who, by the way, even had her dish him seconds). But beyond food, Erin is all about her waterfront neighborhood and the colorful characters that make it one of the most inimitable places in all of NYC. We recently caught up with Erin to get an insider's look.
Read our interview with Erin here
The Brooklyn Home Company Blends the Old with the New to Transform a Park Slope Home
January 2, 2015

The Brooklyn Home Company Blends the Old with the New to Transform a Park Slope Home

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As an artist, there’s nothing more liberating than being given total control to show what you can really do. So we’re guessing the design team at The Brooklyn Home Company was more than happy to be approached by a Park Slope family to renovate and redesign this historic four-story Lincoln Place townhouse. The team was given complete creative license while incorporating the family’s substantial art and furniture collection into the design. The final product is a completely fresh and new look for the owners, even though it features many familiar elements of a classic Brooklyn brownstone.
More photos inside
REVEALED: 141 Willoughby, 30-Story Mixed-Use Tower to Replace Site Once Slated for Eminent Domain Takeover
December 31, 2014

REVEALED: 141 Willoughby, 30-Story Mixed-Use Tower to Replace Site Once Slated for Eminent Domain Takeover

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A Downtown Brooklyn school once planned to be seized through eminent domain will sprout a 30-story mixed-use tower by Savanna Partners. Renderings posted on Savanna's website reveal a glass tower at 141 Willoughby Street with a retail base, student housing, and commercial or residential space above. The project will replace the three-story building that's home to the Institute of Design and Construction, a 77-year-old technical college.
More details on the project
Jessica Helgerson-Designed Brooklyn Brownstone Features Colorful Modern Design
December 30, 2014

Jessica Helgerson-Designed Brooklyn Brownstone Features Colorful Modern Design

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When a young couple commissioned Jessica Helgerson Interior Design to furnish their recently-remodeled Fort Greene townhouse, the team jumped at the opportunity. The clients–pop art enthusiasts with a fondness for modern designs and bold hues–requested vibrant colors and a playful vibe. And that’s exactly what JHID, headed up by project manager Chelsie Lee, gave them.
See inside the bold and beautiful home here
REVEALED: Mixed-Use Development One Flatbush Avenue to Rise from Prominent Brooklyn Corner
December 30, 2014

REVEALED: Mixed-Use Development One Flatbush Avenue to Rise from Prominent Brooklyn Corner

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Here's our first look at 1 Flatbush Avenue, a 19-story, 160,000-square-foot mixed-use building planned for the very visible corner of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Images on the website of Ryder Construction show a dignified building that blends with its streetscape. Slate Property Group is listed as the owner of the site and Goldstein Hill & West Architects (GHWA) as the architects.
More details ahead
REVEALED: New East Williamsburg Rental 66 Ainslie Street Aims for Ubiquitous Factory Look

Rendering of 66 Ainslie Street via Slate Property Group

December 29, 2014

REVEALED: New East Williamsburg Rental 66 Ainslie Street Aims for Ubiquitous Factory Look

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Here's the first look at 66 Ainslie Street, a seven-story, 50-unit rental building set to rise from the East Williamsburg corner of Ainslie and Keap Streets. According to The Real Deal, the project is being developed by Slate Property Group, led by Martin Nussbaum and David Schwartz, and the site's previous sole owners, Tavolario and Meszaros Realty Corporation. Slate purchased the site for $15 million in an off-market deal in September. Construction permits filed this past November by Aufgang Architects indicate that the building will contain 42,500 square feet of residential and retail space, 23 parking spaces in an underground garage, and a roof deck and fitness center. The site is also around the corner from the Metropolitan-Lorimer G and L train stop. The filing of a "major alteration" application indicates that at least some part of the existing one-story factory building will remain.
More details ahead
Say Goodbye to Williamsburg’s Iconic Diner, New Six-Story Apartment Building Coming

Image by Avagara via Panoramio

December 24, 2014

Say Goodbye to Williamsburg’s Iconic Diner, New Six-Story Apartment Building Coming

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Amongst Williamsburg's ever-growing, rapidly-rising new developments remains a neighborhood icon that has managed to stick around in the face of change. However, it looks like time has finally caught up to this tiny 1950s treasure, as Brownstoner reports that permits were filed today to replace the classic metal structure with a six-story, 10-unit apartment building. The replacement may not surprise too many given the transformation of the area, as well as the restaurants taking up space—from a diner in '52 to a beloved burger joint from '97 to 2010 to today providing a somewhat less fitting location for upscale La Esquina's satellite Mexican restaurant/cafe—but without a doubt it's still one that we're sad to see happen.
More details here
WE Design’s Brownstone Renovation Melds the Old with Mid-Century Modern Touches
December 23, 2014

WE Design’s Brownstone Renovation Melds the Old with Mid-Century Modern Touches

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We've featured the work of WE Design before, but here's another one of their Brooklyn beauties that's captured our attention. In a gut renovation of a historic brownstone, the architects brought a 19th century home right into the 21st by juxtaposing the old and the new and making way for spaces that are all about modern living.
Have a look inside this stunning home
So You Think You Know Everything About One57?
December 22, 2014

So You Think You Know Everything About One57?

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Well, you might want to think twice. Even though the city's most expensive condo building is also perhaps the most written-about (even the Times has run out of ways to describe it), there are still plenty of little-known facts about the 1,005-foot-tall tower. One57 is considered the crown jewel of what's been dubbed "Billionaire's Row," and can also be credited with launching the ultra-luxury building boom. Developed by Extell's Gary Barnett and designed by Pritzker-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, the sleek tower is currently the second tallest structure in the city. And that's just the beginning.
Bone up on your One57 factoids here
$2.5M Romanesque Revival Rowhouse in Prospect Heights Is Full of Original Details
December 17, 2014

$2.5M Romanesque Revival Rowhouse in Prospect Heights Is Full of Original Details

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"I want something with character." This is definitely a line brokers hear all the time. And if their current character-seeking client is looking to move to brownstone Brooklyn, this $2.5 million Romanesque Revival rowhouse in Prospect Heights is the perfect place to satisfy their check list. Located at 268 Prospect Place, the three-bedroom, 2,430-square-foot home was built by William L. Beers in 1899. It's oozing with historic details, including six fireplaces, stained glass transom windows, moldings galore, a carved wood staircase, sand wood floors, original wainscoting, cornices, and shutters.
Tour the historic home here
Brand New NYC Water Taxi Stop Makes It Easier to Explore Red Hook
December 16, 2014

Brand New NYC Water Taxi Stop Makes It Easier to Explore Red Hook

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Those who've been dying to check out up-and-coming Red Hook will now have a much easier, much more comfortable way of getting to the cozy, cute nabe. The New York Water Taxi Commission has just added a brand new stop that will ferry passengers to Van Brunt Street from Lower Manhattan, DUMBO and Midtown on the West Side. Locals residents have been championing for a stop for the last few years, citing that it would be a boon to business development in the area, particularly for those still hurting from the effects of Superstorm Sandy.
Find out more here
Daily Link Fix: A History of the Rockettes; Journalists and Researchers Have Different Ideas of Gentrification
December 15, 2014

Daily Link Fix: A History of the Rockettes; Journalists and Researchers Have Different Ideas of Gentrification

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Did you  know the Rockettes were originally the Missouri Rockets? Read this full history of the leggy holiday dancers. [Bowery Boys] A neighborhood guide to the Latino and Chinese cultures of Sunset Park. [Brooklyn Based] There seems to be a disparity between what journalists report as gentrification and what research actually finds. [City Lab] This […]

Witness Superb Woodwork from the Days of Yore at This $2.4M Brooklyn Townhouse
December 15, 2014

Witness Superb Woodwork from the Days of Yore at This $2.4M Brooklyn Townhouse

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Here at 6sqft we have a strong appreciation for all kinds of architecture–both old and new; but the truth of the matter is, they just don’t make homes like this anymore. In September 2013 this two-family home at 398 Sterling Place hit the market, asking nearly $3 million. When its price dropped to $2.79 million a month later, the townhouse was quickly snatched up. Now, the building’s 2,480-square-foot lower duplex is back on the market, touting restored original details and a new and improved reverse floor plan, for $2.39 million.
More pics inside
New Yorker Spotlight: Tony Muia Brings Us a Slice of NYC’s Largest Holiday Light Display in Dyker Heights
December 12, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Tony Muia Brings Us a Slice of NYC’s Largest Holiday Light Display in Dyker Heights

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Each December, New York transforms itself into a metropolitan holiday wonderland. From window displays to the Rockefeller Center tree to the Rockettes, the city is brimming with cheer. But there's one thing missing. Aside from the occasional decorated townhouse, New York lacks the light displays and decked-out front yards that are typically associated with the suburbs. But there is one place where New Yorkers can get their fill of small-town nostalgia, and it's just a quick trip away in Dyker Heights thanks to Tony Muia's bus tour of the "undisputed capital of Christmas pageantry." Inspired by the hospitality he experienced traveling abroad, Tony started giving guided pizza tours of Brooklyn in 2005. He later expanded A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours to include neighborhood tours and his famous Christmas Lights & Cannoli Tour, which was featured in a PBS documentary and on TLC. We recently spoke with Tony, the ultimate Brooklynite, about his passion for the borough, A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours, and the magic of Dyker Heights.
Read our full interview with Tony
Stylish Williamsburg Loft in Desirable Gretsch Building Asks $2.5 Million
December 12, 2014

Stylish Williamsburg Loft in Desirable Gretsch Building Asks $2.5 Million

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There’s a hot new loft available in Williamsburg’s coveted Gretsch Building, asking $2.5 million. The 1,832-square-foot corner apartment boasts three bedrooms and unobstructed views of the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. Add to that soaring 13-foot beamed ceilings, imported custom cabinetry, high-end custom finishes and…well, just look at it. The place is to die for.
More pics here
$2M Victorian Diamond in the Rough Could Be Your Next Dream Home
December 12, 2014

$2M Victorian Diamond in the Rough Could Be Your Next Dream Home

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Sometimes finding your dream home starts with a diamond in the rough. For those willing to put in a little sweat equity, that grubby little rock can be polished to perfection, revealing a rare gem. Okay, this home isn’t exactly a grubby little rock. It’s actually a stately Victorian on one of Ditmas Park’s best blocks. The $2.199 million house is on the market for the first time in 24 years—and it definitely looks like it hasn’t been updated during that time. But in every ugly duckling there’s a beautiful swan and this five-bedroom home's potential is undeniable.
Take a look, here
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