Architecture And Design

The year was 1956. Plans to demolish Penn Station hadn't yet been set into motion. But plans to demolish NYC's other famous train station were well underway. When Grand Central was constructed in 1913, its architects envisioned that it would one day be the base of a skyscraper, but in the early 1950s, developers hoped to demolish the terminal altogether to make way for what would have been the tallest building in the world. Famed architect I.M Pei was tasked with the job, and he designed an 80-story, hourglass-shaped, futuristic tower known as the Hyperboloid.
More details and a video on the never-built project

November 16, 2015

REVEALED: Inside Bjarke Ingels’ Spectacular 57th Street Tetrahedron

By Diane Pham

Those moving into Bjarke Ingels epic pyramid VIA 57 West next year will have a lot to look forward to. New renderings of the hotly-anticipated construction sited along West 57th Street have just been released (h/t Curbed) alongside a new teaser website inviting visitors "to a special preview" of the building. The new images, which come courtesy of The Durst Organization, reveal bright modern interiors with expansive river views, floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, varying room shapes, individual balconies, and lots of luxe fixtures, finishes and amenities.
Take a tour here

November 13, 2015

This Park Slope Townhouse Is Just 12 Feet Wide!

This single-family home located on a street where Windsor Terrace meets Park Slope measures a very narrow twelve feet in width. However, a recent renovation of the skinny space by Redtop Architects makes up for the lack of stretching room with efficient planning and good design. Large windows and skylights are used to fill the home with natural light from all directions, in turn creating a sense of spaciousness that defies the structure's restricted width.
Tour the narrow house

November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design

November 13, 2015

Construction Update: 45 East 22nd Street, Flatiron’s Future Tallest Tower, Gets Glassed

The emerald glass skin of Ian Bruce Eichner’s 45 East 22nd Street has begun its rise. The 777-foot-tall tower's structure is more than halfway up and the development team recently announced that sales have already surpassed the 50 percent mark. The svelte spire designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), sports a granite base with a sculptural glass tower that gradually broadens as it ascends. The architects have said that the juxtaposition between the base and tower stems from a difference of opinion between the developer and architects. Originally, KPF proposed an all-glass tower, which Eichner felt would too strongly clash with the masonry aesthetic of the Flatiron District. Ultimately, KPF embraced a stone base and a team was sent to China to select and procure each granite piece that would be arranged in an irregular and non-linear fashion.
See more right this way

November 12, 2015

VIDEO: What It’s Like to Pull Into a $1 Million Parking Spot at Annabelle Selldorf’s 42 Crosby

Soho's 42 Crosby Street left us all astounded last year when it was revealed that each of its ten on-site parking spaces would be priced at one-million dollars a pop. On a per square foot basis, the 200-square-foot rectangles will fetch more than the three-bedroom condominiums upstairs. The cool modernists at Selldorf Architects designed the 111-foot tall building, which is now finally getting its layered facade of metal and glass. We admit, the exterior is not nearly as exciting as what's depicted in the renderings, but remember, it's not yet finished! So while we await Selldorf's magic to fully brew, watch this terrific film created by VUW Studio, which shows what it feels like to be that lucky automobile coming home to its seven-figure parking spot.
Watch the envy-inducing video in its entirety here

November 12, 2015

Unclog Your Smartphone Brain With These Urban ‘Maps From the Mind’

Without GPS and Google Maps, most of us probably wouldn't be able to get from point A to point B within our own cities. That's where these clever Maps from the Mind come in (h/t Fast Co. Design). Designed by Archie Archambault, the maps are intended to jog our memories of the basic layouts of cities, bringing our brains back to the pre-digital age of road maps and actual sense of direction. Archambault swaps traditional street grids in favor of basic circles. Not only does it create a graphic look, but it's easy to have the circles represent size and connection.
Find out more

November 12, 2015

$22K/Month West Village Townhouse Was an Underground Railroad Stop

Over the weekend, 6sqft brought you a listing for a charmingly historic upstate house that was once an Underground Railroad safe house. With its location on sprawling land in a small town, this makes sense, but even houses in bustling New York City played a role in the historic story. There was the 1830s historic mansion at 45 Grove Street, and there's this 1847 West Village townhouse at 95 Barrow Street. The Post reports that the home, now on the rental market for $21,900 a month, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The three-bedroom residence retains its historic details in the form of exposed brick walls galore, wooden beamed ceilings, and original wide-plank pine floors. But it's also recently undergone a gut renovation that added modern amenities such as radiant heat flooring (and sidewalk!), a chic kitchen, and lots of custom built-ins.
Check it out

November 12, 2015

POLL: Will Brooklyn Soon Have a Tower as Tall as Manhattan?

Earlier this week, 6sqft published the official renderings for Brooklyn’s first 1,000-foot tower, making it the tallest building in the outer boroughs. Prior to this, rumors were circulating that the SHoP-designed structure could actually rise higher than the 1,250-foot Empire State Building. To some, this may seem a little far-fetched, but others think it’s just a matter […]

Architecture And Design

Ludovic Falédam’s Celestial Luminaries Take Inspiration From Greek Mythology

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, Ludovic Falédam from Barbadine Design created a series of sculptural pendants that will make any living space shine. When creating the lamp, the French designer was particularly interested in the story of queen Cassiopeia and her daughter Andromeda, both of whom in their tale abandon their human bodies to become a constellation of stars. Beautiful and intricate like the story itself, these luminaries will bring the celestial patterns into your home—something we don’t see much of in New York City.
find out more here

November 11, 2015

432 Park in Numbers: New Renderings and Superlatives Will Blow You Away

Now that Macklowe Properties'/CIM Group's 432 Park Avenue is nearing completion, with occupancy slated to begin in mid-2016 and 70 percent of units reportedly in contract, the development's marketing and branding agency DBOX has released a bevy of never-before-seen images of our skyline's newest icon. Being the tower of superlatives it is, it comes as no surprise that it boasts a marketing campaign to match. Employing sky-cams, drone photography, a million-dollar film, and breath-taking renderings and photography, 432 Park has perhaps the most elaborate promotional campaign ever conceived for a Manhattan condominium. With dozens of spectacular images to choose from, we hand picked a few to recap the development of this monumental supertower. We've also put together a timeline in numbers–from its record breaking height to its 1,200-pound marble sinks–to illustrate the extraordinary undertaking that has paved the way for the tower to become the most successful and desirable condominium ever erected in the city (sorry One57).
See it all right here

November 11, 2015

The Gazel Sofa Features a Wrap-Around Shelving Unit Perfect for Space-Starved New Yorkers

Finding the right piece of furniture to fit your living space can be the difference between a happy and a cluttered home. And as New Yorkers, most of us are working with limited square footage and need to make these decisions considering both space and function. The Gazel sofa and shelving unit designed by Faruk Malhan for Koleksiyon is a great example of the multifunctional pieces we city dwellers should be looking for. Its elegant and modern design features wrap-around shelving, adding both visual interest and functionality to what otherwise would be a lackluster surface.
Check it out

November 10, 2015

Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook

As adults, most of our time is spent at work, and it seems unfair that we're no longer given the opportunity to delve into our creative side as often as when we were children. However the trend of adult coloring books it helping to right this injustice, and new to its roster of titles is the "Coloring Notebook." This clever take combines all of the joys of a coloring book with the convenience of a compact notebook.
READ MORE

Interview: Ansonia Insider Michel Madie Shares Stories of the Iconic NYC Building

Photo of the Ansonia by Jeffrey Zeldman

November 10, 2015

Interview: Ansonia Insider Michel Madie Shares Stories of the Iconic NYC Building

By 6sqft

Today, the Upper West Side's Ansonia is considered one of the city's most iconic and prestigious addresses. With former residents ranging from Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gustav Mahler, Babe Ruth and more recently Natalie Portman, its history reaches far back. And along its more than century-old ride, it's no surprise that it has also attracted plenty of strange activity, including playing host to what probably was the city's first rooftop farm in 1904 and a debaucherous sex club known as Plato's Retreat. While there's lots of ground to cover when looking back on this 111-year-old building, we decided to tap an insider for his take on this storied structure. Michel Madie of Michel Madie Real Estate Services has over the years become an unofficial historian of sorts to the Ansonia. Madie moved from France to New York in 1984 and almost immediately fell in love with the French-inspired building. However, being near-penniless at the time, the thought of ever taking up space in such a grand building seemed like just a dream. But as he found success in the real estate business, he focused his attention on the Ansonia. He eventually purchased an apartment and then spent decades tending to the architecture, restoring its original layouts and recreating original finishes and fixtures in the building's many units whenever the opportunity would arise. During this time, Madie also learned a thing or two about the residence, stories which he shares with 6sqft ahead.
stories from michel this way

November 9, 2015

Rendering Revealed for Brooklyn’s First 1,000-Foot Tower

News broke back in August that Brooklyn's first tower over 1,000 feet might rise in Downtown Brooklyn as the result of the $90 million acquisition of Brooklyn’s landmarked Dime Savings Bank building by JDS Development. Previously, they bought the site next door for $43 million, and combined with the bank's 300,000 square feet of development rights, they acquired the means to build a tower of nearly 600,000 square feet at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension. 6sqft got a taste of what's to come when we revealed a video that showed the insane views from the top of the could-be tower, but now Yimby has unveiled the official renderings and specs for the project, which come courtesy of starchitects SHoP. As previously speculated, it will reach 1,000 feet, making it the tallest building in the outer boroughs. The 90-story, vaguely Art Deco tower will have 466,000 square feet of residential space, amounting to 550 condo units, as well as 140,000 square feet of commercial space.
More on the development ahead

November 9, 2015

Tiny House ‘MUJI Huts’ Will Start at Just $25,000

For lovers of the tiny house movement and eco-design, it was pretty big news when environmentally conscious, "no-brand" Japanese household company MUJI announced that they'd be launching three tiny prefab cabins called MUJI Hut. The three models are of varying materials (wood, cork, and aluminum) and size, created by three well-known designers (Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, and Konstantin Grcic). One is envisioned as a true tiny home for living off the grid, another as a vacation retreat, and the third as a place to temporarily escape. The models first launched last week at Tokyo Design Week, but now Spoon & Tomago has uncovered the pricing, which ranges from $25,000 to $40,000.
Get inside all three designs

November 9, 2015

Noroof Architects Transformed This $1.6M Historic Bed-Stuy Home With Modern Appeal

By Michelle Cohen

No matter how lavish, developer and flipper renovations rarely hold a candle to the custom designs executed by architects for their clients' homes–even more so when the architects are the clients and the homes are their own. This unassuming townhouse at 702 Monroe Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the market for $1.635 million, is a prime example. In this case, the innovative pair behind architecture firm noroof (they received national recognition for their "Slot House" and specialize in designing small spaces) worked their creative and practical magic on a comparatively compact historic Brooklyn townhouse with a unique front porch and a lot of potential charm. Based on love and respect for the porch as a gathering, sheltering and enhancing element, they've named the resulting project "porchouse," an elegantly-designed home with a clean, modern interior that's perfect for family living–with plenty of curb appeal.
See how the magic happened

November 8, 2015

$350K Catskills Colonial Was an Underground Railroad Safe House

Built in 1795 in a "central chimney, post and Beam Colonial style," this home in the Catskills village of Andes was originally used as a tavern. It then had lives as a farmhouse, meeting house during the Anti-Rent War (a tenants' revolt in the early 19th century), and, most impressively, a safe house for the Underground Railroad (h/t CIRCA). In its most recent incarnation, it's served as a private home, with the current owners preserving its historic integrity, including five fireplaces, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, and .62 acres of conservation land. They've now listed the property for $350,000.
Check it all out

November 8, 2015

Morris Adjmi’s 465 Pacific Street Now 50 Percent in Contract

Just one month after kicking off sales, Boerum Hill's hottest new condominium development, 465 Pacific Street has already signed half of its 30 units into contract. Even more impressive is that the $55 million development is slated for completion some 18-months from now, with foundation pouring just commencing last month. The project is conceived by a partnership between Avery Hall Investments and ARIA Development Group who paid $18 million ($373 per buildable square foot) for the L-shaped lot in May 2013, a record for a large Brooklyn parcel according to Crain's New York.
more on the project

November 6, 2015

$4.25M Forest Hills Mansion Has Multiple Personalities

By Emily Nonko

Check out this Tudor mansion at 70 Greenway South in Forest Hills Gardens. This Queens enclave is home to some of the finest–and most magnificent–freestanding Tudor homes in all of New York, and the neighborhood's quiet and winding streets feel way more like a suburb than most of the city. This house, according to the listing, was "awarded First Prize for excellence in design and civic value in 1929." While we couldn't find more details on the award, it sure sounds fancy– there's even a plaque up on the facade. The exterior is really impressive, with inlaid stone, a turret above the entryway, and a highly-pitched roof. You also can't go wrong with a yard and a stone walkway out front, with another yard and two-car garage in back. But inside, this house is having an identity crisis. It's medieval with a hint of...something.
See more

November 6, 2015

Buy Actor Steve Martin’s Cast-Off Furniture, Items Going for $249–$70,000

By Diane Pham

It looks like comedian/actor/author/musician Steve Martin is cleaning house. Martin has joined forces with online furniture consignment shop One Kings Lane to curate a collection of his personal furniture and other pieces of decor for their Tastemakers Tag Sale. Martin's picks are wide-ranging with weird, kooky and classic stuff making his list, including a "camelback couch," bronze snakes, hand-painted chairs, and even a pencil portrait of the actor himself. But as you may have guessed, the items aren't quite priced like those at Goodwill. The cheapest piece in the bunch is a blue bucket and planter going for $249, while the priciest, an original set of artwork from Robert Crumb, rings in at a whopping $69,995. There's also a set of drapes going for $1,300.
See what Martin is selling here

November 6, 2015

Construction Update: FXFowle’s Circle-Hugging Harlem Condominium Rises Over Central Park

By Heather Cooper Vivares

Artimus Construction's upcoming Harlem condo development Circa Central Park is rapidly rising skyward. After lengthy site remediation work due to a pre-existing BP gas station, the structure is finally above ground and already beginning to frame its sixth floor. Ultimately, the building will stand 11 stories/140 feet high and will contain some 126,362 square feet of total floor area. Artimus picked up the 13,500-square-foot site at 2040 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (285 West 110th Street) for $25 million in late 2013 after being selected through a bidding process conducted by the city's Economic Development Corporation. As part of the deal, Artimus must build space for the local Millennium Dance Company, which will occupy 8,000 square feet of the ground floor, and 20 percent of the building's 51 apartments must be designated as affordable housing.
More details ahead

November 6, 2015

Iconic Plastic Armchair Sells at Sotheby’s Auction for $409,000

At a recent Sotheby's auction in London, the Miss Blanche armchair, from the Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, sold for a whopping £269,000 ($409,000 U.S. dollars). The iconic plastic resin chair was named after Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was created in 1988, three years before the artist's death. The production of the chair was rather complex, as it required each artificial rose to be held in place for long periods of time so the resin could harden around it. The artist also experimented with using actual roses, but the acrylic resin ruined the flowers before setting. Ultimately it was decided that "fake" materials were more appropriate because Blanch Dubois was in fact superficial.
More on the chair

November 5, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Jeanne Gang’s $325M Museum of Natural History Expansion