Architecture And Design

Any seasoned New Yorker knows that unfavorable weather conditions can rear their ugly head in a New York minute. However, if we let a little rain or snow muck up our productivity we'd get nothing done come fall and winter (and who wants to work in the summer?). But that doesn't mean we're happy about it. This "Fuck You Rain Umbrella" helps us to move on with our day despite the rain or snow, and maybe make us feel a bit better in the process—we're just venting here.
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Turkish Consulate’s New Tower Across From UN Finally Moves Ahead, Offices and Apartments Planned

Concept design by Chelsea Atelier

October 9, 2015

Turkish Consulate’s New Tower Across From UN Finally Moves Ahead, Offices and Apartments Planned

After more than three years on the drawing board, the replacement tower for Turkey’s Consulate General and Permanent Mission to the United States at 821 First Avenue is finally moving forward. First announced in 2012, the proposed project, known as the Turkevi Center, has commissioned Perkins Eastman as the architects of record. The building will house new offices for the consulate, and diplomatic residences for permanent staff and visitors above.
Find out more here

Starchitect Rafael Viñoly Will Donate Services to Design Science Center at Tribeca’s Pier 26

Pier 26 image via Curbed

October 9, 2015

Starchitect Rafael Viñoly Will Donate Services to Design Science Center at Tribeca’s Pier 26

When he's not designing the city's tallest towers, starchitect Rafael Viñoly has a philanthropic side. The New York Times reported that he'll be donating his services to the Hudson River Park Trust to design the long-planned science education and research center on Pier 26 in Tribeca (famous for serving as the location of the Village People's 1978 "Y.M.C.A" video). Known as an estuarium, the project is part of a larger redevelopment of the pier, which will include a new park by landscape architects OLIN, the current free kayaking program and dog runs, and a City Vineyard restaurant, according to Curbed.
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Architecture And Design

October 9, 2015

Construction and Sales Begin on SCDA’s Billionaires’ Row Tower, 118 East 59th Street

Construction and sales have commenced on a glass-encased, 500-foot-tall condominium tower at 118 East 59th Street developed by Euro Properties and designed by Soo K. Chan of SCDA Architects. Situated mid block between Park and Lexington Avenues, the tower is surrounded by the crème de la crème of New York real estate, positioned within the nexus of several high-value locales: The Plaza District, home to the GM Building, commands the city's top office rents; nearby shopping stretches of Fifth and Madison Avenues hold the world's most coveted retail corners; and a one-mile long, super-luxury residential corridor, nicknamed Billionaires' Row, straddles the southern bounds of Central Park and is set to reshape the city skyline into a trophy shelf of wealth.
More details ahead

October 8, 2015

Long Island City ‘Micro’ Units Will Have Three Bedrooms

To date, the city's biggest and most news-worthy micro housing complex, My Micro NY, has offered only studios, which makes sense considering a micro apartment is typically defined as encompassing less than 350 square feet. But the term "micro" is getting an expansion (figuratively and literally) in Long Island City, where a new rental complex will offer 57 two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 490 to 735 square feet, according to the Wall Street Journal. The project at 37-10 Crescent Street is being developed by Ranger Properties, whose managing principal Sheldon Stein said, "Our concept is we can offer really high-quality public amenity space, and better value with smaller private spaces, and bring the rental cost down."
More details

October 8, 2015

There’s an Historic English Muffin Oven Hiding Underneath This Chelsea Co-op

By Emily Nonko

Although the popular song would have you believe that the muffin man lives on Drury Lane, he actually has digs right here in Chelsea on West 20th Street. 337 West 20th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, is a nondescript, four-story brick building that is officially known as "The Muffin House." Looking at the building from outside, you wouldn't think there's anything special to it. But underground, preserved below what is now a modest co-op complex, there's a massive bakery oven. And not just any old oven, although that discovery is unique in and of itself. This is the oven once operated by a very well-known baker, the one responsible for introducing English muffins to the United States.
His name was Samuel Bath Thomas

October 8, 2015

Jan Eleni’s Brooklyn Townhouse Mixes Primitive and Industrial Styles for a Perfectly Curated Look

Jan Eleni, the designer responsible for the interior of this Brooklyn townhouse, first made a name for herself in NYC in the '90s with a little shop in the East Village. The store, also under her name, provided New Yorkers a place to buy an eclectic mix of primitive and industrial pieces. A self-taught designer who loves to "hunt," Eleni filled her shop with items that she found to be the most intriguing. She now splits her time between New York and Brazil and infuses this same aesthetic into her clients' interiors, with this home serving as a great example of her eclectic style.
Check it out

October 8, 2015

Stylish Cat Bed for Your Modern Home Also Provides Jobs to People With Disabilities

Cats are self-sufficient animals and make excellent city pets. While their smelly litter boxes aren't our favorite household item, The Cube, a cat bed designed by Aude Sanchez and Guillaume Gadenne of Meyou, will fit in beautifully with your modern home decor. But the fact that the bed is nice to look at isn't even the best part. Sanchez, who has a background in marketing and communication, and Gadenne, who's an industrial designer, have teamed up with an organization dedicated to rehabilitating the disabled through work for the bed's manufacturing and stock management. The cotton beds will retail for $200 and will start shipping by March of 2016.
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October 7, 2015

The Liberty Bridge Would Connect Jersey City to Battery Park City in High Line-esque Fashion

Jersey City resident Kevin Shane was sick and tired of the traffic and faulty mass transit that impeded his trip into the city. Like many Jerseyites, he longed for a way to get across the river by foot or bicycle. But unlike everyone else, he stopped complaining and enlisted Jeff Jordan Architects to get the ball rolling. The firm has envisioned a 5,000-foot pedestrian bridge between Jersey City and Battery Park City. The proposal is certainly ambitious, but as Curbed notes, not entirely far-fetched considering the Hudson River is only about a mile wide. Dubbed the Liberty Bridge, it touts High Line-like features such as views from 200+ feet, plantings, ADA-compliant access points, integrated seating, public art, solar panels, free wifi, and cafes and shops.
More details and renderings right this way

Architecture And Design

Tips From a Professional: Interior Designer Michael Herold on How to Personalize a Rental

By Michael Herold

As a designer, I pride myself on my ability to bring a bold, modern approach to classic design, but working in the tri-state area (my office is based in Lambertville, NJ), I've encountered many rental properties where I don't have the option to make some of the permanent changes I normally would. Since this issue is more common in New York City than perhaps anywhere else, I've put together here some personal tips on how to dress up a rental.
All of the tips here

October 7, 2015

Inspired by Dumpster Living, Kasita Is the Micro-Apartment You Can Take Anywhere

Jeff Wilson's new design, Kasita, is a radical approach to apartment living. Now like never before you can literally move your entire apartment from one city to the next with the push of a button. The design of the tech-packed home was inspired by Wilson's radical experiment in apartment living when he spent the better part of a year living in a converted dumpster. The alternative lifestyle was supposed to provide commentary on the excessiveness of the typical single-family house, but it did far more than that.
More about Kasita Here

October 7, 2015

Real Money Gets Recycled Into New Fabric for Designer Furniture

Did you know that most money only has a lifespan of 18 months before it is decommissioned and sent to the incinerator? In reality, your cold hard cash is nothing more than a fancy blend of cotton and linen, and as we move deeper into the digital age, our tactile dollars are being used less and less. So what will happen to our coins and bills when they become obsolete? Well, London-based designer Angela Mathis is thinking ahead with her new project VALUE, which recycles shredded notes to form a new textile that can be applied to a variety of upholstery needs.
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October 6, 2015

Union Square Bachelor Pad With Indian Decor Has Its Very Own Coffee Bar

Getting settled in Manhattan can be challenging, but with help from the designers at Peti Lau Inc. this bachelor from Bangalore, India created a place to call home with an epic interior inspired by his love for travel, all things vintage, and coffee. Located in Union Square, this 1,800-square-foot one-bedroom apartment boasts a variety of noteworthy design details, including a cafe-inspired kitchen and tchotchkes and rugs gathered from the owner's trips to Africa, Morocco and India.
Take a look around

October 6, 2015

Angelina Jolie’s Mid-Century Modern Childhood Home Is for Sale

By Annie Doge

Yes, there's A-list star cred here, but really, the pitched gabled roof is more than enough to convince us to take out a mortgage for this mid-century modern gem just 20 miles out of Manhattan. According to the WSJ, the Rockland Country home where Angelina Jolie spent her formative years has just hit the market for $2.049 million. Measuring a sprawling 4,088 square feet, it features three bedrooms, a dramatic pitched roof, exposed roof beams, and two very lush acres within the hamlet of Snedens Landing. Given that hubby Brad Pitt is quite the modern architecture enthusiast himself, could this not be a wonderful investment for the Jolie-Pitt brood?
go inside the home here

October 6, 2015

Hanging Stalaclights Bring Art Deco Skyscrapers Into Your Home

The buildings of the skyline have been illuminating the dark city nights for centuries, and now with Stalaclights they can light up your home as well. These awesome 3D-printed shades from Studio David Grass were designed to replicate the Art Deco skyscrapers of New York City and Chicago while providing a nice warm glow.
More on the lights here

October 5, 2015

October 18th Is Your LAST CHANCE to See the TWA Flight Terminal In All Its Glory

By Diane Pham

If you’re an architectural purist who’s somehow managed to miss exploring Eero Saarinen’s masterpiece at JFK in person all these year, you won't want to miss out on what will foreseeably be your last chance to experience the structure as it was meant to be. For one day only, the iconic building will open to the public for FREE for just four hours as part of the annual Open House New York Weekend festival. As written in an OHNY Weekend press release, Sunday, October 18th, "is likely to be the last time the TWA Flight Center will be open to the public in its current form." As 6sqft previously reported, the terminal will soon be redeveloped into a 505-room hotel by MCR Development and JetBlue.
FInd out more details here

October 4, 2015

Get a Back Massage From Your Kid With This Road Map T-shirt

New Yorkers often pride themselves on their busy schedules, constantly running from one thing to the next, and for the brave souls who also have children, life in the big city is even more complicated. Well, tired parents, have we got the thing for you. This awesome t-shirt comes complete with a toy car-sized roadmap on the back, so you can entertain your kids and get a back massage at the same time!
Find out how to get your own roadmap t-shirt

Architecture And Design

October 3, 2015

Affordable Housing Lottery Launched for Bjarke Ingels’ Epic Pyramid, VIA 57 West

Applications are now being accepted for the 142 affordable apartments in Bjarke Ingels' tetrahedron-shaped rental building dubbed VIA 57 West, aka "the Pyramid Building." By downloading applications here, you and 141 other lucky families may have the chance to live in a future landmark that is already turning out to be the most audacious rental building ever built in the city. The massive, half-block-long development will contain a total of 709 units, of which 20 percent will be deemed affordable. Subsidized rents range from $565/month studios for single-person households making between $19,222 - $24,200 annually, to three-bedroom apartments going for $1,067/month for three- to six-person households.
More construction shots and the full pricing breakdown

October 2, 2015

Zaha Hadid Launches Sales at Her High Line Condos, Talks the Evolution of NY Architecture

Related Companies has officially launched sales for their highly-anticipated upcoming condominium, 520 West 28th Street. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and artist Zaha Hadid, the eleven-story building will be Hadid's first ground-up structure in New York and will offer 39 distinctive two- to five-bedroom homes priced from $4,950,000 to $50 million for the largest penthouse. The under construction building, now five-stories up, rises alongside the High Line elevated park from an L-shaped parcel between West 27th and 28th Streets in the center of West Chelsea's art gallery district. Related Companies purchased the site for $65 million in 2012 and soon after commissioned the Iraqi-British designer, who beat out the likes of fellow Brit, Norman Foster. Yesterday, at the development's launch, Hadid said she has "always been fascinated by the High Line and its possibilities for the city. "
More from the event here

October 2, 2015

Olson Kundig Architects Turn an Upper East Side Water Tower Into a Fantasy Penthouse

By U.S. standards New York is a pretty old city, and over the years New Yorkers have been pretty diligent about preserving its historic architecture. As we head into the future, we're seeing more and more old industrial buildings being transformed into beautiful homes. A great example is this Upper East Side penthouse built inside a water tower that is not only awesome in concept, but is also stunning to look at. Lili and Lee Siegelson, the couple who own the immaculate home, worked with Olson Kundig Architects, and together they transformed two floors of the building into an apartment big enough for their happy family.
Go inside this stunning penthouse

October 2, 2015

Emanuele Magini’s Sosia Sofa Transforms From Daybed to Couch in Just Seconds

With limited space, New Yorkers need to be smart about how they furnish their homes. This is no easy task, so when a piece of furniture as versatile as Sosia comes along, you bet we're paying attention. At first glance this green-colored floppy foam looks like a standard room divider, but in reality it is a lot more than meets the eye. Designed by Milan-based Emanuele Magini, the bendable foam can be easily be reshaped for a variety of different purposes including a dressing room, two-seat sofa, bed and more.
Learn more about Sosia

October 1, 2015

Carroll Gardens Townhouse Gets Modern Update With Glass, Metal and a Floating Staircase

When someone says, "Carroll Gardens townhouse," metal and glass aren't always the first things that come to mind. However, in this modern home designed by Robert Young Architects, they are both major players. The home's interior color palette is also unique, contrasting deep reds and bright citrus greens with brick walls and hardwood floors and furnishings. The multiple levels are structured around an open central channel, giving the home expansive views from every floor.
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October 1, 2015

Construction Kicks Off at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Eight-Acre Marina Atop a Subway Line

Most of the conversation about Brooklyn Bridge Park has been centered around the residential Pierhouse and the controversy surrounding its height, but right next door, an entirely different part of the urban development is taking shape. The Wall Street Journal reports that construction on the eight-acre $28 million marina between Piers 4 and 5 has commenced, with an opening planned for next spring. Officially called One° 15 Brooklyn Marina, its sailing club already has 145 pre-registered members. In addition to the fact that it will bring 140 slips to Brooklyn Heights, the project is most notable for its unconventional construction. Normally to build a marina, dock builders drill piles into the waterbed to support the docks, but at this site the R subway line is directly below. "The solution was to sink 160 giant concrete blocks, weighing 10 tons each, to the bottom of the East River," says the Journal. Then, "a large, elastic bungee cord-like mooring system called Seaflex will be used to connect the dock on the water’s surface to the concrete block below."
More details and renderings

Architecture And Design

September 30, 2015

Revenge Architecture: Four New York Buildings Constructed out of Spite