Architecture And Design

August 20, 2014

Pulltab Design’s Penthouse Renovation Lets the Light in with a Beautiful Brise-Soleil Sun Room

There’s no question that indoor/outdoor living is a trend that is alive and here to stay. And when you live in a neighborhood as lively and eclectic as the East Village, it’s only natural to want a peaceful haven that still allows you to enjoy the energy of the city that never sleeps. The owners of this residence were looking for just that. They wanted a seamless indoor/outdoor living space off their fifth floor loft that was conducive to entertaining guests as well as enjoying a quiet afternoon with a book. Enter Pulltab Design who set out to create a home that was both durable and elegant, while accommodating the practical needs of their clients.
Take a look inside this sturdy renovation, here

Architecture And Design

August 20, 2014

Sands Point Renovation by CDR Studio Architects is Clad in Charred Cedar

By Dana Schulz

Can't you smell the musky cedar just by looking at this rustic dwelling? Located in a rural community on the edge of the Long Island Sound, this Sands Point home was renovated by CDR Studio Architects to both preserve and refine the structure that had been present on the site since 1961. To achieve this balance, the firm retained the house's frame, but added large expanses of open windows and a more seamless roofline. The dilapidated skin was replaced with a highly insulated, open-joined rain screen made of cedar boards charred using the traditional Japanese burning method of Shou-sugi-ban, an environmentally friendly way to preserve the timber.
See more of this vision in cedar

August 20, 2014

Watch Charles and Ray Eames Unveil Their Iconic Lounger on NBC’s ‘Home’ Show

By Diane Pham

Few chairs are as recognizable as those designed by Charles and Ray Eames. And though Modernist duo were pioneers in the creation of quality furniture, both easily produced and sold at affordable prices (though you wouldn't exactly guess that now), did you know that their lounger was their first foray into the high-end furniture market? Officially titled Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671), the chair was originally designed for Herman Miller back in 1956, and when it was released, Charles and Ray were already household names counting nearly 1 million chairs in homes across the country. To that end, when the pair were ready to debut this latest luxury creation, NBC's Home show invited them to come on and talk about their design. Anyone who admires the Eames will without question love this video featuring the adorable twosome modestly taking compliments from host Arlene Francis while discussing everything from their plywood chair, to their precedent home in Los Angeles, to their lounger, which in the segment gets a comically dramatic unveiling complete with curtains, lights and music.
Watch the video here

August 19, 2014

Quirky West Village Co-Op Has Beams Made from Salvaged Ship Parts

By Aisha Carter

For some bizarre reason the owner of this remarkable home decided to put her stamp on it, then vacate. Well, life’s too short to contemplate all of its mysteries. Instead we’ll just accept this twist of fate as the perfect opportunity to take a glimpse behind the private gate on Greenwich Street, and inside a truly unique West Village co-op. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy shop the minute you step inside this 3,000-square-foot, oversized playhouse at 719 Greenwich Street. Unit 1S is filled with whimsy, from the salvaged sailing ship beams that adorn its nearly 13-foot ceilings, to the international door collection, which includes a few beveled glass models from a hotel in Fleury, France.
Take a look inside this charismatic loft here

August 19, 2014

Levenbetts’ CCO1 House Leaves a Modern Mark on an Upstate Agricultural Field

By Dana Schulz

When you think farmhouse, images of red barns and wooden fences probably come to mind. But the CCO1 House by Levenbetts couldn't stray farther from this nostalgic vision; and that's a good thing. Built in the middle of an agricultural field in Columbia County, New York, this contemporary home was designed to work around the site's existing linear grooves, etched into the rolling hills from years of farming. The organization, cladding, and details all take the topography into account, and the house steps up from east to west to follow the contour of the land.
Plenty more design details are ahead

August 19, 2014

Federica Bubani’s Wood and Ceramic Nordic Lamp is Beautifully Strange

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Italian designer Federica Bubani is constantly researching and experimenting with new materials, but she especially loves ceramics. One of her latest designs, the beautifully strange Nordic Lamp, was the result of one of her explorations. The lamp consists of two parts made from the earthen material, which together with the wooden parts and grey cable give the design a cool Scandinavian appearance.
More details on this beautifully simple Nordic Lamp here

August 19, 2014

Soho Loft with Taxidermy Tendencies Sells for $4.7M

By Dana Schulz

We were quite astounded when, earlier this summer, we came across a taxidermy-filled apartment on Central Park West (there's a first time for everything!). And now, in an even more surprising twist, we've stumbled upon another "stuffed animal" loving pad. Though not filled to the brims like our first find, this apartment at 465 West Broadway will still make you look twice. The three-bedroom unit has been picked up by jewelry designer and artist Lisa Pevaroff for $4.7 million. Likely selling points include 15 windows, four exposures, and an easily convertible floor plan.
Check out the rest of this funky home

August 19, 2014

Stunning…Exquisite…Classic…We’re Running Out of Adjectives for this $16M Brooklyn Heights Townhouse

By Stephanie Hoina

We have never been more thankful for the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words." And though we may have expressed this sentiment before when bringing you other properties, we are pretty sure our words for this $16,000,000 townhouse at 192 Columbia Heights may fall a wee bit short. Fortunately, we have lots of lovely photos in our gallery to ensure you are properly astonished. We had our pick of beautiful Brooklyn residences to share with you today, but this one called to us. It wasn't a "Pick me, pick me!" kind of calling, but more of a "Could this home be anymore beautiful?" type of calling. In our humble opinion the answer is "no."
Come see why this home spoke to us, and in turn, left us speechless

August 19, 2014

Steven Harris Architects’ West 87th Street Townhouse is a True Urban Sanctuary

By Dana Schulz

Walking down West 87th Street past the stately brick and brownstone townhouses, a stunning white home with huge picture windows stands out as something special. The magic really starts, though, upon entering the house. Renovated by Steven Harris Architects, this striking townhouse not only provides a spacious layout filled with tasteful contemporary furniture, but the firm's work retains historic details like ornate crown moldings and the original, commanding staircase. The highlight of the townhouse is the oversized windows, which let in plenty of natural light, offer cross ventilation, and open to an abundance of outdoor space.
Tour the rest of this Upper West Side beauty

August 18, 2014

Morpholio’s Innovative Mood Board App Lets You Design Your Entire Apartment on an iPad

By Diane Pham

The brilliant minds over at The Morpholio Project are at again, and this time they've introduced a real doozy to their already impressive suite of design apps. Devised for interior design professionals and design enthusiasts alike, this ground-breaking new application is pretty much like Pinterest on steroids, but made for the tech savvy who never stop creating. Featuring an incredible cloud library of over 1,000 top-notch curated design products and a highly refined suite of editing tools, this powerful app allows you to pull images of everything from furniture to materials to complete backdrops, onto a digital board that can be manipulated and transformed into a one of a kind vision: your own. The app was launched today and is now available at the Apple store for free!
More on this game-changing design app here

This West Village Remodel by HS2 Architecture Wows with a Greenhouse Dining Room

By Aisha Carter

It’s rare that you see a townhouse as grand and spacious as this 6,500-square-foot West Village dwelling. So, it’s no wonder the team at HS2 Architecture was delighted for the opportunity to renovate the historic house of their clients, the family of a work-from-home author. The goal was to create a home that reflected the clients’ lifestyle, transforming the space into a residence that makes a strong architectural statement while maintaining a level of comfort and functionality.
Take a look inside this Greenwich Village remodel here

August 18, 2014

Amazing NYC Office Interiors That Inspire and Promote Innovation

By Jason Carpenter

Workplace designers are always trying to find new ways to make offices a more inspiring and productive place, especially for professional creatives. A beautiful work space can keep employees excited when they clock in every day, and make sure that the water cooler talk is about new ideas, not the shoddy carpet. These new NYC offices are pretty to look at and to work in.
See our gallery of amazing workplaces here

August 18, 2014

Trapezoidal Pool by Susan Wisniewski Landscape Completes the Greene County Residence

By Dana Schulz

In typical rural esthetic, the grounds of the Greene County Residence are rolling and untamed. To work with this natural terrain, as well as juxtapose it, Susan Wisniewski Landscape created an angular outdoor pool setting that is both traditional and modern. The flat, rustic pavers surrounding the watering hole fit with the conventional barn, but the pool's trapezoidal shape adds a geometric punch to the otherwise organic setting.
More about the outdoor design here

Architecture And Design

August 17, 2014

Tower House by Gluck+ is a Stairway to the Treetops in the Catskills

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Though you may not be as limber as you once were, there's still hope that you can climb to the top of a tree. Well, sort of. Rising above the Ulster County landscape is a uniquely glazed home that was designed as a stairway to the top of its surrounding landscape. Created by New York-based architecture firm Gluck+, the contemporary Tower House works as both a viewing platform and a functional home, sitting atop a plateau on the 19-acre property. Its unusual, cantilevered shape causes minimal impact on the ground and provides inhabitants with amazing views of virtually the entire Catskill mountain range.
Learn more about the Tower House and peek inside

August 15, 2014

The Nearly Fatal Design Flaw That Could Have Sent the Citigroup Center Skyscraper Crumbling

By Jason Carpenter

When it comes to skyscrapers, we put a lot of trust in architects. We have to trust that they know what they're doing, and these seemingly impossible buildings are safe to be in and around. It's even harder to trust what used to be known as the Citicorp or Citigroup Center, now 601 Lexington Avenue, whose bottom floors are like four stilts, holding 50 stories of building above them. It looks like a strong wind would blow the whole structure over. And when the building was constructed in 1977, before some emergency repairs, that was true.
The dangerous details after the break

August 15, 2014

Architecture Day Trip: Visit the Mansions of Gatsby’s “Gold Coast”

By Jason Carpenter

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is an immortal novel about Long Island millionaires in the Roaring Twenties, inspired by actual parties Fitzgerald attended at the time. The Jazz Age mansions of Long Island's "Gold Coast" certainly represent a bygone era, but you can still visit several of these Gatsby-esque architectural relics today.
Plan your architecture day trip here

August 15, 2014

Aureola is an Elegant, Stackable Tea Set Inspired by Russian Nomadic Traditions

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

The beautiful Aureola tea set was born out of a collaborative effort between a Venetian and a Russian designer. Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva created the elegant set from two noble materials, porcelain and wood. The inspiration comes from traditional objects used by ancient Russian nomads and consists of a stackable teapot and cups that can be carried with just one hand.
More about the Russian-inspired tea set here

August 15, 2014

NYC Events 8/15: Run Free Down Park Avenue; Sip Cocktails with Architects or Party with Artists in Red Hook

By Lori Zimmer

Another summer weekend is upon us and we can't wait to get out the office and into the city. This weekend Manhattan's Summer Streets is back, and New Yorkers are invited to stroll (or bike) up and down Park Avenue, which will not only be closed to moving traffic, but jam packed with countless activities, music and food the whole way through. And if you decide to take this car-free jaunt, be sure to check out Ewerdt Hilgemann's sparkling sculptures along the pedestrian median. Once you've got your fair share if sunshine, head on over to the AIA NY's happy hour and mingle with architects and their fans. If art is more your thing, get to know Newark's public art community and their ideas over drinks at the NeWWalls mixer. And finally, for graffiti art and heady assemblages pay visits to the exhibitions at Tabla Rasa Gallery and Pioneer Works in Red Hook—the latter followed with a wild after party, of course.
More details on all the best events here

August 14, 2014

The Architecture of Cesar Pelli: How a Sense of Place Left a Lasting Mark on the NYC Skyline

By Dana Schulz

Growing up just west of the Andes Mountains in the small town of Tucumán in northwest Argentina, Cesar Pelli wasn't exposed to the vibrant cityscapes that he today helps to shape. He got his start designing low-cost, affordable housing for the Argentine government, which helped him develop an appreciation for each project's unique sense of place. Breaking from the traditional mold of many world-famous architects, he designed buildings as a response to their neighborhoods, not as a preconceived signature aesthetic. Now, with a long list of acclaimed international projects to his name, Pelli is lauded for creating structures that honor a city's history and enrich the local landscape. And here in New York City, home to some of his most celebrated works, the Pelli mark has making an indelible impression on the architecture and real estate fields.
We dive deeper into Cesar Pelli's past, present, and future

Morningside Heights: From Revolutionary Battle to Columbia University Campus

Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) and 114th Street in 1895

August 14, 2014

Morningside Heights: From Revolutionary Battle to Columbia University Campus

By Michelle Young

Today, it's hard to imagine Morningside Heights without the flurry of students hurrying to class at Columbia University. It may be even harder to imagine it without some of its signature architecture: the gothic Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest cathedral in the world, Riverside Church, with its former bowling alley, or Grant's Tomb along the Hudson River. But Morningside Heights got an exciting start in the history of New York City (and America, as it turns out)!
The incredible story of Morningside Heights, from past to present, this way

August 14, 2014

Jonathan Adler’s Shelter Island Vacation Home is Part Modernist Fantasy Part Rustic Beach Retreat

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This beautiful Shelter Island vacation home is the place where two of New York City’s most creative minds take a break from it all. We're of course talking about interior designer Jonathan Adler and fashion guru Simon Doonan, who with the help of Gray Organschi Architectural Studio created their dream seafront property by mixing rustic and contemporary designs to create a truly stylish aesthetic. Located in a secluded area on Crab Creek, this lush retreat is modernist expression with an explosion of color inside.
Learn more about this celebrity vacation home here

August 14, 2014

Could You Live on a 9 x 18 NYC Public Parking Space?

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this year, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) unveiled new ideas for public housing--in a parking lot on its Atlanta campus. SCADpads, as they're called, reimagined the common public park space as a solution to the growing need for sustainable, efficient housing worldwide. Now, a team of architect-fellows at the Institute for Public Architecture are building on the same idea, proposing ways to turn unused public parking spaces in New York City into housing, co-working spaces, bike-share stations, playgrounds, and farmers markets. The group is called 9 x 18, the size of a typical parking spot, and they have reevaluated the current zoning laws surrounding parking and affordable housing, using the Carver Houses in East Harlem neighborhood as a case study.
More about the new ideas

August 13, 2014

Curb Appeal: The Psychology of Moving Buyers from Cab to Curb to Contract

By Lauren Price

Great neighborhood? Check. Great apartment? Check. Curb appeal? Killer first impressions can be long lasting — and whether it’s a newly advertised flavor of Ben & Jerry’s, an ad for Tory Burch’s latest shoe collection —or finding new digs, “love at first sight” spot-on marketing moments play a sizeable role in how we make our decisions. Industry experts note that a large percentage of a house hunter's decision to explore a property further than the curb is based the project’s “wow” factor. Truth is, it sets the “perception” stage of what’s to come beyond a grand entrance or swanky lobby that was designed to provide a sense of arrival and belonging. Obviously, at the end of the day, a building’s outside will only persuade potential buyers to see more, and first impressions can vary from one individual to the next, but the “I was meant to live here” moment is fairly universal.
How a building's design tugs at your desire to 'be someone'

August 13, 2014

Live in the Plywood Version of Philip Johnson’s Glass House for $1.6M

By Diane Pham

Philip Johnson is best known for his use of glass, and his iconic Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, is without question his most famous work. But did you know that Johnson also dabbled in plywood construction? In fact, the architect designed several wood homes in the forestlands of Connecticut, including the Wiley Speculative House. The home was the first (and ultimately, only) of Johnson's "speculative houses" planned for a large scale residential development headed by the Wiley Development Corporation in 1954. Though built without a hitch, and despite Wiley's willingness to replicate the home for anyone, anywhere in Connecticut's Fairfield County, Wiley's hope for a Johnson-designed development flopped as nobody wanted to pay $45,000 to live in one of the houses. As a result, the Wiley Speculative House saw a somewhat sad fate and remained under the ownership of Wiley's trust until it was sold off a year later. Since then, the home has changed hands at least nine times, and now nearly 60 years later it's for grabs again, this time for $1.575 million.
More on the lesser-known Johnson house here

August 13, 2014

Colorful Shelter Island Pavilion is a Sustainable Take on Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Keeping the plan of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion in mind, New York-based architects Stamberg Aferiat created an eye-catching, colorful home. Built using industrially produced materials and current sustainable principles, the home features seemingly disjointed planes that create the overall geometry of the structure. Located in the island with the same name, the Shelter Island Pavilion is an experiment in color, shape, and sustainability.
Learn more about this striking sustainable home here

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