Search Results for: garden

There’s something about the grotto-esque garden duplex at 121 West 15th Street that makes us feel like we just stepped into a Disney movie. Perhaps it’s the soft edges and delightfully crooked banisters, or the whimsical fireman’s pole—yes, there’s a fireman’s pole. Whatever the case, this magical apartment may not be “the happiest place on earth,” but it will undoubtedly put a smile on your face.
Take a look inside here

September 8, 2014

Cliffs Notes on New York’s Most Famous Storied Residential Buildings

By Lauren Price

The newest apartment houses, be it now or some 150 years ago has always been of great interest to New York buyers and renters. And like today, their appeal make sell-outs as easy as pie. From Manhattan's very first apartment building to those that followed a decade or so later, those initial projects continue to remain the city's most coveted digs—not to mention the city’s most expensive. But what stands out among these famous buildings as the years passed was the introduction of not-yet-available services—ranging from running water and elevators to electricity and communal amenities. Whether we are talking about the Dakota or the luxurious the Osborne Flats, learn why these century-plus-old buildings continue to enchant the rich, the famous, and the rest of us.
Click here for Cliffs Notes on NYC's most historic homes

September 8, 2014

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Greenwich Village Townhouse Back on the Market for $22M

By Annie Doge

Everybody's favorite Sex and the City star and her hubby just put their Greenwich Village townhouse back on the market for $22 million. After a brief disappearance in April, a new listing, held by none other than Million Dollar Listing's Frederik Eklund and John Gomes, has emerged with a small price chop, down $3 million from its previous ask. The beautiful five-bedroom home at 20 East 10th Street is certainly fit for a star, measuring 6,800 square feet and boasting seven fireplaces, a private garden with a Juliet balcony, two oversized skylights, 50' long bookcases, and a full floor master bedroom with terrace—amongst many, many other luxuries. The townhouse, of course, also comes with two Carrie-worthy walk-in closets, which are worth a peek just to see what SJP has stored away.
Take a tour of the incredible home here

September 5, 2014

Gorgeous Upper East Side Townhouse is Looking for Its Forever Owner

With all the hubbub over Common Core these days (have you seen the NEW math?), it’s nice to know that some things simply add up the way they should – like this incredible 4,125-square-foot single-family townhouse located at 506 East 87th Street. Situated on a tree-lined street near Carl Schurz Park, this beautifully renovated residence built in 1899 was purchased in April 2013 for $7.99 million, but then sold in January 2014 for $6.85 million, a pretty steep drop for just eight months. It's now back on the market for $7.75 million, so here’s hoping the third time’s the charm and the new owners will spend many years enjoying all that this home has to offer.
Take a peek inside this incredible home

Distinctive Homes

Coffee Culture: Are Neighborhood Cafes the First Sign of Gentrification?

Photo: Cafe Grumpy in Greenpoint by Premshree Pillai cc

September 3, 2014

Coffee Culture: Are Neighborhood Cafes the First Sign of Gentrification?

By Michelle Cohen

From “coffices” to lab-like minimalist gourmet coffee meccas to cozy neighborhood hangouts, neighborhood cafes are a fine example of the essential “third place” mentioned in discussions of community dynamics: that place, neither work nor home, where regulars gather and everyone’s welcome. Along with yoga studios, art galleries, community gardens, vintage clothing shops, restaurants with pedigreed owners and adventurous menus and, some say, a change in the offerings on local grocery shelves, cafes are often the earliest sign of neighborhood change. The neighborhood cafe serves as a testing ground for community cohesiveness while adventurous entrepreneurs test the still-unfamiliar waters around them. Beyond the literal gesture of offering sustenance, cafes provide a place where you can actually see who your neighbors are and appreciate the fact that at least some of them are willing to make an investment locally.
Get a fleeting glimpse of old New York City cafe culture in the West Village, meet the future of coffee distribution in Red Hook.

September 3, 2014

Historic Renwick Triangle Townhouse in the East Village Asks $7.5 Million

Situated in the St. Mark’s Historic District, 114 East 10th Street and the surrounding Anglo-Italianate houses make up what many consider the most beautiful street in the East Village. Prominent architect James Renwick Jr. designed the original home as part of the distinguished Renwick Triangle back in 1861—some of the last single-family dwellings built in the neighborhood. This gut-renovated, historic townhouse didn’t have the best of luck when it sold for $5 million cash after several price drops from its initial $7 million asking. However, after four years, the six-story townhouse has emerged bright, fresh, and asking $7.5 million.
Take a look inside, here

September 2, 2014

Contemporary HEDGE Planters Pay Homage to the Pioneering Women of Landscape Design

There's nothing we love more than an innovative, green design that also carries a social message, and these contemporary HEDGE planters do just that. Aside from being a fun way to bring the outdoors in to small spaces, they are named after the pioneering women who broke into what were once the male-dominated fields of landscape and garden design. They include Gertrude Jekyll, Beatrix Farrand, Marian Cruger Coffin, and Florence Bell Robinson. Cora Neil, a Los Angeles-based environmental designer, created HEDGE with these notable women in mind while working on a public garden space project at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. The colorful, indoor/outdoor planters look great anywhere, notes Cora. She also says, "It's hard to find planters that fit—and actually look good—in your home or on your patio or balcony. The modern design and clean geometry make them fashionable solo, but look equally as good as a pair, trio, or sextet."
More on the design ahead

August 28, 2014

Thomassons: Those Peculiar Architectural Relics That Serve No Purpose

By Diane Pham

We've all seen them. They're those weird outcrops, stairs, doors and out of place architectural adornments that just have us going "Whaa?" As it turns out, these urban vestiges that serve absolutely no purpose have a name. They're called "Thomassons." Inspired by the recent the Roman Mars 99% Invisible podcast which talked about the urban phenomenon, we decided to scope out some of the Thomassons around New York. What we uncovered is pretty amusing.
All of our findings here

Architecture And Design

August 28, 2014

More and More Brownstone Owners Are Turning Their Homes into Condos

By Diane Pham

For all of you who've stared down a four-story brownstone and wondered "What family needs all that space?", the answer appears to be not many. According to the folks over at Douglas Elliman, more and more owners of Brooklyn brownstones are carving their homes into multiple condos for resale. The piecemeal move they say not only manages to bring in more bucks than an individual sale, but also welcomes more housing without compromising the integrity of a neighborhood—i.e. they help keep tall, glass towers at bay.
More on the trend here

Real Estate Trends

August 28, 2014

Leroy Street Studio’s Louver House is a Contemporary Interpretation of the Traditional Barn

Leroy Street Studio was tasked with creating a contemporary Long Island home that responded to their client's passion for barns. The firm infused traditional barn qualities like spacious rooms and repetitive timber frames into the project, while developing a modern structure that was sensitive to its adjacent corn field and close proximity to the ocean. The client also has an affinity for woodworking and asked the architects to build a woodshop on the site. To meet the challenge, several external buildings and interior gardens were added to the plan, creating a separation of space under a unified whole. The result is the Louver House, named for its exterior skin comprised of a series of louvers that let plenty of natural light in while still maintaining privacy. They also create a stunning effect at night, when interior light cascades onto the many outdoor spaces.
More on the modern barn design here

Architecture And Design

August 27, 2014

HS2 Architecture’s Wooster Street Loft: Elegant Furnishings plus Industrial Details Add up to Perfection

Sometimes when we’re presented with a blank page, we aren’t sure where to start. Thankfully, when HS2 Architecture set out to transform the entire top floor of a classic Soho building, they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve. When they looked at their blank slate they saw the “opportunity to create a large central sunlit hall with a sculptural steel and walnut stair connecting the living areas to a large private roof-top garden.” This is why we write about architecture and don’t practice it. But lucky for us that means we get to bring you the stunning end result of their vision.
Check out the result of HS2's vision

August 26, 2014

Saul Rubinek Sells Nolita Loft for $4.9 Million

By Annie Doge

Entertainment jack-of-all-trades Saul Rubinek has unloaded his Nolita loft at 285 Lafayette Street for $4,875,000, according to city records. The Canadian actor, producer, director, and playwright originally listed the three-bedroom unit in May as a $22,000/month rental. The price gradually dropped to $15,000/month by July, but now he's completely parted ways with the home, selling it for much higher than the $2.95 million he paid in 2011.
Take a look inside the award-winning apartment

August 25, 2014

Landmarked 1887 Townhouse is Right at Home in 21st Century Park Slope

This meticulously renovated four-story townhouse located at 27 7th Avenue in Park Slope is a stunning example of the “best of both worlds”. While careful to retain gorgeous period details such as decorative mantels, original millwork, plaster mouldings, pier mirrors and pockets doors, The Brooklyn Home Company left no stone unturned in its quest for modernity within the home’s classic interior.
See how old seamlessly meets new

August 25, 2014

Actress Julia Stiles Sells Off Her Gramercy Apartment for $2.75M

By Annie Doge

Actress Julia Stiles may not make the news much these days, but she found her way into Variety over the weekend with the sale of her Gramercy duplex apartment. The three-bedroom pad, which sits in a six-unit brownstone building at 310 East 15th Street directly across from historic Stuyvesant Square, was placed on the market last summer for $3.5 million. While the apartment saw a price chop just a few months after being listed, Stiles still managed to finagle $2.7 million from a less than famous buyer—a pretty nice profit considering she originally paid $1.995 million for the unit 10 years ago.
Take a look inside Stiles' former digs

August 23, 2014

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Our list of architectural saviors includes sites saved from the wrecking ball, as well as those that have remained intact and been adaptively reused. We looked at the history of Herald Square AND Gramercy Park (it was a nostalgic kind of week). Floorplans of the Woolworth Building’s $110 million ‘Pinnacle’ penthouse were revealed, making it one of the […]

Uncategorized

August 22, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: We Visit Lillian Wright of Mimosa Floral Design in her Crown Heights Studio

By Susan Cohen

New York is known for having spectacular weddings of all shapes and sizes at every venue imaginable. Aside from the bride, the groom and the dress, flowers are often the center of attention at these affairs. And if you have attended one such wedding, Lilli Wright's centerpieces may have graced your table. As the owner of Mimosa Floral Design Studio based in Crown Heights, Lilli has become one of the city's most sought after florists. She recently did the flowers for a ceremony at the New York Public Library, and on another weekend she found herself designing flowers for five different weddings. Lilli—whose full name is Lillian—has always had a flower in her name, but it wasn't until a friend asked the then-actress to handle flowers at a wedding that she found her true calling. After a slew of floral-related adventures throughout the city, in 2010 Lilli became a bonafide Brooklyn entrepreneur when she started a flower business right out of her apartment. In June of this year, Lilli opened up a brand new storefront studio on Kingston Avenue. 6sqft recently caught up will Lilli at her Brooklyn studio to find out more about her new shop, Crown Heights' renaissance, and why the New York wedding scene is like no other.
Read our full interview with Lilli here

August 22, 2014

Stuyvesant Square: Not Gramercy Park Nor Stuyvesant Town

That's right--Stuyvesant Square is its own neighborhood. Haven't heard of it? That may be because you've been confusing it with neighboring Gramercy Park or Stuyvesant Town. But in fact, this charming little neighborhood is a highly desirable enclave in its own right. Situated around Stuyvesant Square Park, the area is bound roughly by 14th and 18th Streets and First and Third Avenues. It could be considered the southeastern corner of Gramercy Park or an extension of planned development Stuyvesant Town, but some real estate professionals like the exclusivity that the lesser-known moniker offers. Others have come up with creative alternatives like "Gramercy Park on Stuyvesant Square." But regardless of what you call it, Stuyvesant Square has a unique blend of limited space, historic landmarks, and mixed uses that makes for a bustling New York City neighborhood.
More on Stuyvesant Square here

Real Estate Trends

August 21, 2014

Mastering the Master Plan: A Look at NYC’s Planned Neighborhoods

We often think of the street grid as New York's greatest "master plan." Officially known as the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, this put in place the original, gridded street pattern that we still know today. But there have been several other master plans that took shape on a smaller scale within the linear configuration of Manhattan. These planned communities were largely conceived to transform blighted or underutilized areas into suburban enclaves or peaceful oases within the big city. And just like the neighborhoods that grew organically among the street grid, these master-planned areas each have a unique character. They've also influenced a new crop of developments, currently under construction on the West Side and in Brooklyn.
We take a look at planned communities that historically changed the fabric of the city, as well as those on the horizon

August 21, 2014

Priciest Townhouse in Washington Heights Sells for $2.4 Million

Acknowledged back in June as the most expensive townhouse in Washington Heights, this historic home at 431 West 162nd Street was met with skepticism from local bloggers. They cited its “colorful wall-to-wall carpeting” and the dearth of immediate amenities in the area. But according to city records, the townhouse has sold for $2.38 million, less than $200,000 under its $2.5 million asking price and still higher than any other townhouse in the area. Looks like Washington Heights gets the last laugh here.
Take a look inside the home that beat the odds

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

Adorable Park Slope Apartment Comes With Its Very Own Pied-à-Terre (Sort of)

Homes like this adorably perfect apartment don't come on the market all that often in this neck of the woods -- because who would ever want to leave? Even if Park Slope hadn't been "New York" magazine's choice for the 'Most Livable Neighborhood' in the city in 2010, one would have to look no further than its charming, small-town feel and notable residents (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kerry Russell and Steve Buscemi, to name a few) to know they hit the neighborhood jackpot. Plus, this gem of a home located at 99 Berkeley Place has a fun bonus all its own. We'll get to that a little later on.
This way for a great apartment in a great neighborhood

Distinctive Homes

August 19, 2014

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

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 18, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Are Open Plans Falling Out of Favor?; The Sultan of Brunei Is Hotel Shopping in NYC

By Diane Pham

A developer is demanding volunteers pay $1M if they want to keep their community garden. [NYP] The Sultan of Brunei is hotel shopping in NYC and London and is reported to have has his eyes set on The Plaza. [WSJ] A campaign to build a light rail system on Staten Island has been relaunched—nearly 10 […]

Real Estate Trends

August 18, 2014

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