Search Results for: garden

Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram after a long day at the office, why not unwind by doing a little coloring? Yes, that's right, every child's favorite pastime is now being marketed to adults. As Business Insider reported earlier this week, the two best-selling books on Amazon right now are adult coloring books–"Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford. The books feature nature scenes and geometric patterns of flowers, trees, and woodland creatures. But for those of us who prefer analyzing floor plans to arranging flowers, there's another adult coloring book called "Fantastic Cities." Created by artist Steve McDonald, it "features immersive aerial views of real cities from around the world alongside gorgeously illustrated, Inception-like architectural mandalas."
More here

April 9, 2015

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

A lot of attention is paid to West Harlem, or what many people traditionally consider THE Harlem, thanks to its rich history rooted in places like the Apollo and up-and-coming hot spots like the Studio Museum in Harlem and Marcus Samuelson's renowned restaurant, the Red Rooster. But east of Fifth Avenue, there's a history just as deep, and the neighborhood is at that fragile stage where it could easily be thrust into a wave of gentrification at any time. Defined as the area bound by Fifth Avenue and First Avenue from 96th to 125th Streets, East Harlem is commonly known as Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio by locals. What many people unfamiliar with the neighborhood don't know, though, is that this area got its start as Manhattan's first Little Italy. And if you're the type of New Yorker who doesn't venture above 86th Street, you're likely unaware of the slew of new developments sprouting up in East Harlem thanks to a 2003 57-block rezoning.
Learn about the neighborhood's transformation here

April 9, 2015

Beekman Residence with Elegant Sunken Living Room Asks $1.8M

Here’s an elegant prewar co-op at 434 East 52nd Street asking $1.749 million. The two-bedroom Beekman residence features northern and southern exposures and a stunning sunken living room. It would be interesting to see what the space would look like with less busy furniture and fewer pictures overshadowing the rich detail, but even with the distracting decor, you can see that this is a great place for a full-time residence or pied-a-terre.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 9, 2015

Lauren Bacall’s Dakota Apartment Reduced by $2.5M; Bed-Stuy Is Busy with New Residential Developments

Bed-Stuy is bursting at the seams when it comes to pipeline residential developments. It was the most active neighborhood for new residential building applications last quarter. [TRD] Lauren Bacall’s Dakota apartment gets a $2.5M price cut, down from $26M. [NYDN; listing] New York is the U.S.’s most walkable city. [Urban Land Magazine] When is it okay to leave […]

Real Estate Trends

April 9, 2015

Real Estate Legend and ‘Shark Tank’ Star Barbara Corcoran Buys $10M UES Penthouse

By Annie Doge

Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group and investor on the popular television show "Shark Tank," has snatched up a fittingly glamorous Upper East Side penthouse for $10 million with her husband, former FBI agent William Higgins, according to a report yesterday by the Post and city records released today. When we ogled the listing at back in October, the 11-room duplex at 1158 Fifth Avenue had just dropped its price to $9.95 million, having originally gone on the market in 2013 for $14.5 million. The sellers are interior and landscape designer Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard. Though the home is currently filled with antique furnishings and old-world details, the real selling point was likely the massive terrace, conservatory, and solarium overlooking Central Park.
Take a look around the stunning home here

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Our new series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Spanish Harlem. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!

April 8, 2015

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Located in an unassuming low-rise walk-up in Spanish Harlem is a tiny apartment with no views, a small living room, and thousands of pieces of one-of-a-kind art from around the world. Its owner, Hector Castaneda, is a world traveller who's visited more than 50 countries over the last 15 years. While most folks are happy simply snapping a few photos and heading home after a week or two, Hector is all about immersion and spends months at a time in some of the world's most exotic and extreme locales. As Hector travels the world he picks up art, tapestry, sculptures, furniture, and musical instruments from every country, which today magically fill every nook and cranny of his 500-square-foot apartment. "He is the only person I know who can turn a dingy walk-up building apartment into a work of art—it's really a private New York Museum and Hector is the curator," his friend Lisa Monroig told us. Once we heard that, we knew we had to pay him a visit.
Tour this miniature museum in the heart of Spanish Harlem here

April 8, 2015

Adorable Wood House Renovated with Reclaimed Materials Asks $1.2M in Gowanus

If you’re one for Brooklyn’s more hidden gems, travel with us to Gowanus, where a fixer-upper at 162 10th Street was rescued by an architect who redesigned it for her family. The end result is a sophisticated interior with treasures at every turn. We’re talking tons of reclaimed materials and details that give this $1.195 million townhouse a built-in story hour.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

Sales Launch at Clinton Hill’s Broken Angel Condos, Homes Start at $1.25M

4 Downing Street (r), 8 Downing Street (l). Renderings courtesy of Urban Compass.

April 8, 2015

Sales Launch at Clinton Hill’s Broken Angel Condos, Homes Start at $1.25M

By Michelle Cohen

The much-discussed new condos at the site of the former Broken Angel House at 4-8 Downing Street in Clinton Hill are officially on the market. Ten “hand-crafted condominium residences,” developed by Barrett Design and Development will include eight two- and three-bedrooms in the original building at 4 Downing and two two-story “generously scaled three bedroom homes” in the newly-constructed 8 Downing.
This way for prices and interior renderings

April 8, 2015

‘Amazing Race’-esque Challenge Coming to Harlem; The Logic Behind Manhattan’s Major Cross Streets

An “Amazing Race” inspired scavenger hunt coming to Harlem includes hot yoga, blind taste tests, and painting. [DNAinfo] The history of the Leslie Apartments in Forest Hills Gardens. [Brownstoner Queens] NYC once again is ranked the most walkable city in the country. [CityLab] The block on which Norman Rockwell was born, West 103rd Street between […]

Uncategorized

April 8, 2015

Developer Vornado Plans to Spend Hundreds of Millions on Revitalizing Penn Station Area

Most New Yorkers only venture to the area around Penn Station when it's absolutely necessary–traveling to New Jersey or Long Island, going to a business meeting at Penn Plaza, or seeing a Rangers game. Otherwise, we avoid it like the plague. But Vornado Realty Trust, one of the country's largest office landlords–they own roughly nine million square feet around Penn Station worth $5.5 billion–is hoping to do a complete 180 on the area by "investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new retail space, public plazas and other infrastructure, according to real-estate executives briefed on the plans," according to the Wall Street Journal.
More details ahead

Real Estate Trends

April 7, 2015

Tracing the Colorful History of Madison Square Park from the 1800s

By Lauren Price

Recent reports show that NoMad has taken over the top spot for priciest neighborhood in the city in which to rent, with a one-bedroom unit going for an average of $4,270/month. For most real estate aficionados this isn't shocking, as the neighborhood has been growing into one of the city's hottest spots for the past several years, but few know of the area's fascinating past. Named for our fourth president, James Madison, the 6.2-acre Madison Square Park was first used as a potter’s field, then an army arsenal, then a military parade ground and finally as the New York House of Refuge children’s shelter, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1839. After the fire, the land between 23rd and 26th Streets from Fifth to Madison Avenues was established as a public park enclosed by a cast-iron fence in 1847. The redesign included pedestrian walkways, lush shrubbery, open lawns, fountains, benches and monuments and is actually similar to the park that exists today.
Find out how our beloved madison square park came to be

History

April 7, 2015

Beautiful 17th Century Barn Shipped Over from England Asks $3.3 Million

Yes, New York is filled with history, but this Hamptons estate is a piece of history that is unlike anything you've ever heard. The 17th century English barn at 83 Narrow Lane is just one of five or six in the U.S. exported from the Willow Farm in Windsor Berkshire, England. The entire barn and its timber beams were shipped across the Atlantic in the early 1980s just before the British National Trust halted their exportation, making this a rare gem with a premium price tag of $3.295 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 6, 2015

Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed

Hot on the heels of last week's release of a new teaser site and rendering showing just how tall, slender and skyline-changing SHoP Architect's new tower at 111 West 57th Street will be, comes brand new renderings of the exterior and, for the first time, a look at the interiors. The images, uncovered by YIMBY, show the bronze and terra cotta supertall's elegant column-free spaces, as well as the incredible unobstructed views afforded by its 1,428 feet.
Inside the supertall here

April 6, 2015

Historic Prospect Heights Townhouse with Glass Addition Wants $4M

Want to live in an awesome Prospect Heights townhouse and earn money at the same time? This gorgeous home built in 1910 is currently set up as an owner's triplex with a one-bedroom income suite on the garden level. It must've undergone a pretty intense renovation considering the owners paid $900,000 for it back in 2007, and now it's back on the market asking $4,075,000. And it has some pretty impressive features, like floor-to-ceiling windows and a floating staircase in the back of the house, which was positioned to join the original building with the four-story glass curtain wall addition. You'll find exposed brick throughout the home, whether original, whitewashed, or boasting a deep blue hue. There are also keystones with a man's face carved in them at the entrance.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 3, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Meet the Human Behind The Dogist, Elias Weiss Friedman

By Susan Cohen

Elias Weiss Friedman has devoted himself to photographing everyday New Yorkers. His subjects are diverse, come in all shapes and sizes, and they also happen to be dogs. In a city that is estimated to have 600,000 dogs, it's only fitting that Elias developed The Dogist, a photo-documentary series capturing New York's four-legged friends. His work highlights the canines that bring so much character to the city, yet rarely get the recognition they deserve. As a photographer, blogger, and "dog humanitarian," Elias is committed to introducing the Big Apple's dogs to the world. We recently caught up with Elias to find out how The Dogist came to be, and to find out what it takes for a pup to grab his attention.
Our interview with The Dogist here

April 3, 2015

Mad for Modern: NYC Homes That Are Cooler Than Don Draper’s Park Avenue Pad

By Michelle Cohen

We admit it: We’re a bit obsessed with mid-20th century modern design–its architecturally and socially advanced concepts so often result in a perfect mix of aesthetic appeal and livability. Sometimes met with suspicion and derision in its earlier days, modernist architecture has endured the test of time and is having an enormous resurgence in popularity and appreciation. How else could you explain fans' obsession with the award-winning and pitch-perfect mid-mod sets on Matthew Weiner’s “Mad Men.” It’s often said that the best ideas in home design are the ones that make the home a great place to live; the origins of modernist design had that idea at their heart. We've rounded up a few of the city’s mid-century architectural treasures and a handful of homes that embody modernist style.
More on the 'Mad Men'sets and NYC's Mid-Century Modern gems this way

April 3, 2015

$7.25M Historic Alphabet City Townhouse Has Five Outdoor Spaces with a Few Surprises

Who would've thought there was a backyard like this hiding in Alphabet City? Built in the 1880s, this historic $7.25 million townhouse at 263 East 7th Street was masterfully redesigned by one of the architects behind the DIA Beacon Museum, and it comes with two layouts. The current floorplan is an owner's duplex, an income suite, and separate guest quarters. Option two is one giant, 4,900-square-foot single-family home with 2,400 square feet of exterior space. Plus, it's located on one of the most charming blocks in the neighborhood.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Two ‘Mad’ Pads Offer Modernist Details, Timeless Appeal

Butterfield House at 37 West 12th Street (l); 225 East 74th Street (r).

April 1, 2015

The High and Low: Two ‘Mad’ Pads Offer Modernist Details, Timeless Appeal

By Michelle Cohen

In honor of the final season of "Mad Men," we've found a pair of current listings with the modern appeal of the Draper apartment at (fictional) 783 Park Avenue. Accents that might come straight from the pages of a mid-century magazine—like a sunken living room, wood paneling and a Nelson hanging light–or 21st century perks like open kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies and city views add up to just as much modern cool as they did in the "Mad Men" era. $2.8 million gets you a serious mid-century pedigree, an enclosed balcony and a prime Greenwich Village location, but for $925,000, a top-floor Upper East Side pre-war pad with a recent renovation, city views and a compellingly modernist vibe looks like a serious deal.
Check out these two 'Mad Men'-worthy pads here

Distinctive Homes

April 1, 2015

Historic Five-Story Hamilton Heights Townhome Asks $13,000/Month

There's no doubt the Hamilton Heights Historic District is like a little gem in Harlem. This 5,000-square-foot, five-story townhouse at 329 Convent Avenue boasts gorgeous intricate original woodwork, and a lush backyard. And it's back on the rental market for $13,000 a month.
More pics inside

March 31, 2015

Live in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Former Plaza Apartment for $39.5M

Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright was once a resident of The Plaza? Neither did we! The Post reports that the 4,000-square-foot pad the prolific architect briefly called home has just hit the market for $39.5 million. Wright lived in the corner apartment of the storied building from 1954 to 1959 while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum. The location right by Central Park—and a 30-minute walk from the site of his iconic creation—must certainly have bode well for the architect's creative juices.
Inside Wright's former digs here

March 30, 2015

NYC Planning Commission Approves One Vanderbilt; A New ‘World’s Skinniest Tower’ Coming