Search Results for: garden

July 23, 2014

INTERVIEW: Renowned Architect Piet Boon on Bringing Dutch Design to NYC

Architect Piet Boon may hail from the Netherlands, but his status as a NYC starchitect is on the rise. Piet, who started his career as a builder, has over the years turned his practice to architecture and interiors, and today is a top choice amongst developers who want more than just a glass tower, but a building that promotes well-being through great design (oh-so-very Dutch). Piet recently sat down with us for an interview where he discussed everything from the differences he sees in Dutch and American design sensibilities, to his high profile Huys Penthouses project (which is almost sold out), to his new Oosten development for Williamsburg, to his definitively international style, which to our surprise he refers to as "barefoot chic."
Read our interview with Piet here
July 19, 2014

INTERVIEW: NYC Architect Drew Lang Gives Us the Scoop on Hudson Woods, A Private Eco-Community in the Catskills

Move over Hamptons — there's a new second-home hotbed for New Yorkers: the Catskills. The four-season destination has been growing in popularity over the past several years, but is now reaching new heights thanks to Drew Lang and Lang Architecture's forest getaway community Hudson Woods. Located in Kerhonkson, New York, just two hours from New York City, the 131-acre development will feature 26 sustainably designed, site-specific dwellings, each located on its own spacious lot. Buyers can personalize their homes with curated upgrades including a pool and pool house, outdoor kitchen, vegetable garden, fruit tree grove, treehouse, and solar power energy system, among other things. Hudson Woods' tagline is "where design meets nature," and one look at the site makes this statement ring true. We sat down with Drew Lang to get an inside take on the project, and to learn more about the increasingly sought after Catskills community.
Read our full interview here
July 18, 2014

Five Lush Rooftop Bars That Feel Like an Escape from the City

Summer is in full swing, and while some of us get to plan far flung escapes, others must endure the heat amidst the concrete towers. Rooftop oases are a great way to beat rising temps, especially when the foliage of a hidden garden can cool us naturally. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite lush rooftop havens around the city, all sure to help soothe your soul when a trip away from city life just isn’t in the cards. From an ultra verdant "secret garden" to a rooftop escape with the Empire State Building in view, check out these these five urban retreats offering an elevated experience.
Five wonderful lush rooftop escapes here
July 18, 2014

NYC Events 7/18: MoMA’s Pop Rally; Greenpointers Summer Market; Bohemia and Orthodox Judaism in Art

Another summer weekend with fabulous weather is upon us, and we can't wait to close our laptops and get out into the city. Start your weekend off right by catching a screening of Primal Heritage, a film exploring the world of Joseph Wolf Grazi, an artist juggling the Bushwick dream with his Orthodox Jewish roots. On Sunday, get your retail fix on at Greenpointers Summer Market, which will be chock full of artist- and locally designed goods you'll definitely want in your home. Greenpointers also invites you to sip on Brooklyn Brewery beers and Dandelion Wine sangria while you shop, so if you're looking to unwind with a drink in addition to some retail therapy, this is your best bet. And once you've hit your spending limit, mosey on over to the galleries in the 67 West building for some art... Want more? We've got a full list of events after the break.
All the best events here
July 17, 2014

Pulltab Design Brightens Up this East Village Duplex with a Living Green Wall

The green wall at the 7th Street Residence designed by Pulltab Design puts our few measly house plants to shame. The custom-made garden wall was installed as part of an apartment renovation to be a focal point of the home, as well as to give the contemporary space a mysterious quality. A shallow reflecting pool sits under the vertically planted wall and serves as a landing pad for water droplets that fall from the wall's concealed irrigation system. Additionally, the pool, fabricated from folded steel sheets and complete with swimming goldfish, adds a calming water element to the living room.
More about how this sleek apartment comes
July 17, 2014

CityLiving in Rome: Big Love in the Eternal City for One New Yorker

I didn’t come to Rome looking for love. I got plenty of the good stuff back at home in New York City. There is where most of my closest friends and family reside, along with my beloved wife, daughter and son. It also happens to be the city that is the love of my residential life. So, love in Rome was not on the itinerary. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Forum and beyond. We might still be in the infatuation stage, but I got the big love for Roma right now, and that might not ever change, primarily because of the love it’s inspired in me.
Read more of Andrew's story here
July 17, 2014

7 Cool Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Bronx

The NY Yankees, Julia the Gorilla, and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden all call the Bronx home, but as the borough named for Jonas Bronck (and affectionately called the Boogie Down) commemorates a centennial anniversary in 2014, there is much more to celebrate than Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden. We've hunted down seven cool things about the Bronx that we bet you didn't know. Read them all ahead, then venture northward to see them up close and personal.
Seven cool things about the Bronx
July 17, 2014

Corcoran Broker Susan Lamia Sells Off Her Charming West Village Townhouse for $10.75 Million

As the saying goes: If you want something done right, do it yourself. And that's exactly what Corcoran broker Susan Lamia did with her stunning Greek Revival townhouse at 54 Charles Street in the West Village. After just 21 days on the market, the property traded hands for $10.75 million, according to city records filed today. Susan and her husband originally purchased the home for $4.92 million nine years ago, turning a pretty nice profit on the recent sale. Though the buyer has yet to be disclosed, whoever they are, they've sure lucked out with their purchase. The spacious home not only sits along one of Manhattan's most picturesque streets, but also boasts many of the building's original, historic details.
See more of this lovely home here
July 16, 2014

Winamp Creator Picks Up an Ultra Cozy Tompkins Place Pad in Cobble Hill

Justin Frankel, developer of the popular early 2000s music-ripping program Winamp, just purchased a cozy Cobble Hill duplex for $2.35 million, according to city records. The Tompkins Place pad has three bedrooms and 1.5 baths and is located on what some consider to be the best block in Cobble Hill, with plenty of shopping and dining right around the corner.
Let's take a look inside
July 15, 2014

This $5.25M Young Huh-Designed Town Home Will Make You Forget You’re in the City

What if you could enjoy all the conveniences of living in the most fabulous city on Earth while still getting to come home to a peaceful hideaway? That’s what this Young Huh-designed, five-story Astor Terrace townhouse offers. Unit #TH-NE11 is a completely renovated 3BR/3.5BA townhouse with floor-to-ceiling windows and a private, tree-lined patio. Each bedroom not only has its own en suite bath, they each have their own private floor.
Sound like something you're interested in? There's more here
July 14, 2014

Tim Seggerman’s Wooden Brooklyn Townhouse Extension Blends Nordic and Japanese Design

Architect Tim Seggerman renovated an extended a Brooklyn Brownstone blending Finnish and Japanese aesthetics in a beautiful way. Located in Cobble Hill, this family home was re-conceived in a modern way, respecting its traditional brownstone facade with a surprising extension at the back. Using a variety of wood that includes white oak, mahogany, bamboo, teak and ash, the local architect turned this Brooklyn dwelling into a stylish comfortable place to live.
Tour the home here
July 13, 2014

Architect Andrew Franz Restored This West Village Townhouse to its Historic Glory

In recent years, the West Village has become one of the hippest areas in New York City, thanks to a slew of celebrity residents and its reputation as the epicenter of the cupcake boom. But at its heart, the neighborhood is still one of the most picturesque and charming in town, dotted with historic townhouses that have been around for decades. Tasked with restoring one of those iconic brick buildings, architect Andrew Franz sought to maintain its original character, while giving the owners a home that's both spacious and functional.
There's a gorgeous rooftop garden you just have to see...
July 10, 2014

New York vs. London: A Real Estate Challenge on Both Sides of the Pond

While we're all still in the patriotic mood after the July 4th festivities, we thought it appropriate to put together a friendly little challenge between New York City and her cross-pond ally and sometimes rival, (what are the kids calling it these days, a frenemy?). In the left corner is NYC, global hub of finance and media, weighing in with a population of 8,405,837. And in the right corner we have London, the world's most-visited city, population 8,416,535. According to British real estate website Zoopla, the average price of a Central London home over the past year is £1.1 million or $2 million in U.S. dollars, topping the $1.6 million average selling price of residences in the core of Manhattan.
See how the cities battle it out in our three-round real-estate showdown
July 10, 2014

Brooklyn Rents on the Rise With Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy Leading the Charge; Manhattan Rents Relatively Stable

This past week there has been a lot of talk about Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy finally having their "moment", and it looks like there are numbers in to back that up. MNS's June rental market report for Brooklyn and Manhattan reveal that both developers and renters are looking to move away from saturated areas like Williamsburg and DUMBO. By MNS's measure, average rents in Brooklyn increased from $2,556 to $2,741, or 6.2%, as compared with June of last year — very much driven by rent hikes in gentrifying areas. Manhattan rents on the other hand fell just slightly.
More on the Brooklyn and Manhattan rental markets here
July 8, 2014

Bates Masi + Architects’ Potato Barn-Inspired Luxury Home Blends With the Landscape

NY-based Bates Masi + Architects designed a luxurious family home in East Hampton that pays homage to a local typology: the potato barn. Located in a 19th century waterfront community, the Piersons Way house consists of a series of gabled interconnected volumes clad in light Alaskan yellow shakes. This beautiful house rises among bamboo canes and tall silver grasses, protecting its own privacy while blending within the natural surroundings.
Tour the home here
July 8, 2014

West Village Federal Rowhouse with Surprise Attic Space Sells for $6 Million

Attics get a bad name as the cobweb-laden crawl space to store holiday decorations, the makeshift bedroom for the angry teenager in the house, or the unknown room that no one even dares enter. But behind the dormer windows of 651 Washington Street is a modern, spacious attic space that has been transformed to fit two sunny bedrooms, one of the many factors that likely led to its recent $6 million sale. Other selling points of the five-story, 2,800-square-foot home include four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a full-floor finished basement outfitted with a home gym, a private outdoor garden, and two separate dining rooms. The lucky buyer is Charles Modica, Co-Founder and Chancellor of St. George's University located in Grenada, West Indies.
See what else Mr. Modica will get to enjoy in his new residence
July 7, 2014

Susan Wisniewski Landscape’s River House is an Enchanting Hudson Valley Escape

Nestled in the quaint town of Coxsackie, New York is a residential garden oasis with crystal clear views of the Hudson River and magical green landscaping that could very well serve as the backdrop for a children's fairytale book. The enchanting grounds of the River House were designed by Susan Wisniewski Landscape, who created a natural-looking setting to frame the environmentally friendly Hudson Valley home.
Take a tour of the beautiful outdoor space
July 7, 2014

Ready for Its Close-up: $19.5M Park Avenue Apartment With Interior Staging by Jed Johnson Associates Does Not Disappoint

Park Avenue is synonymous with luxury living and this 3BR/4.5BA apartment at the corner of 71st Street does not disappoint.  The sprawling residence at 737 Park Avenue features over 4,300-square-feet of perfection starting the moment you step off the elevator onto your own private landing. We won't blame you for doing a little fist-pump after taking possession of the keys. Expertly staged by Arthur Dunnam of renowned interior design firm Jed Johnson Associates (whose work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, and Interior Design), the home is beautifully divided into public and private spaces.
Take a closer look at Mr. Dunnam's interior vision
July 5, 2014

Brooklyn’s ‘A Cabin in a Loft’ Transforms a Space with Two Treehouse-Like Bedrooms

Remember as a kid how much you loved hiding out in a fort made of couch cushions or creating a make-shift house in the backyard? The owners of A Cabin in a Loft recreated that fun feeling by building a cabin and treehouse within their Bushwick loft to serve as private sleeping quarters. Each wooden bedroom cabin has its own semi-private garden, set at both ends of the open loft. The idea came about in 2009, when artists/designers Terri Chiao and Adam Frezzo wanted to create separate bedroom spaces within their open-plan guest house and artist space, located in a former textile factory building. Instead of cutting off light and making the unit feel half its size by building floor-to-ceiling walls, they decided to construct the simple, geometric volumes. What resulted is a space that feels like an outdoor environment and takes a new approach to loft living.
See more of the artistic loft
July 3, 2014

Game On!: Five New York Buildings with off the Hook Health Clubs

Roof decks, concierge services, screening rooms--these building amenities are so last year. The newest crop of luxury residential developments are offering more active perks. From basketball courts to rock-climbing walls, these calorie-burning features not only alleviate the need for a gym membership, but also offer the convenience of around-the-clock access and the ease of being just an elevator ride away from home.
See some of our picks for best building offerings that will get your heart rate up
July 2, 2014

Former Warner Music Co-Chairman Michael Fleisher Sells Brooklyn Heights Town Home for $6.4M

Wayfair CFO and apparent fan of extramarital endeavors, Michael Fleisher has sold his Brooklyn Heights town home, and for 6.4 million according to city records. The former Warner Music co-chairman listed the home at 273 Hicks Street five months ago with Corcoran agents James Cornell and Leslie Marshall, asking a staggering $6.95 million. After two months, he reduced the asking price to $6.495 million before finally settling in at a sale price of $6.4 million.
Take a look inside the Brooklyn Heights Beauty here
July 1, 2014

Tranquil Fishers Island House by Thomas Phifer is a Study in Light and Transparency

When you arrive 11 miles off the tip of Long Island at the Fishers Island House you'll be instantly in awe of the Long Island Sound views, apple tree orchard, lush green landscaping, and colorful mix of flowers. You then might to start to wonder where the house is... until you realize you've been peering straight through its transparent glass frame the entire time. Thomas Phifer & Partners designed the simple, 4,600-square-foot pavilion to delicately blend in to the surrounding landscape and create a seamless interior/exterior transition. At two points in the otherwise rectangular floorplan, the outdoor space penetrates inward — once in the entry way, which emerges as a shallow reflecting pool that disappears into the Sound, and again with a tranquil, mossy rock garden at the other end of the home.
Don't miss the rest of this incredible work of architecture
July 1, 2014

Movie Producer’s Brendan Coburn-Designed Williamsburg Home Sells for $3 Million

Producer Jason Sosnoff--who has worked on such films as Analyze This, The Good Shephard, and You Don’t Know Jack—has just sold his Williamsburg town home for $2.95 million, according to city records. Not only is this single family home at 154 Wythe Avenue a rare find in a neighborhood characterized by warehouse remodels, it also features three floors, a finished basement, a landscaped garden and a rooftop deck. Sosnoff had the 4BR/2.5BA townhouse redesigned by CWB Architect’s Brendan Coburn, who said, “let there be light” and–oh wait, was that another story?
Take a look inside the remodel here
June 28, 2014

LTL Architects Unites This Upper East Side House with Two Dazzling Modern Staircases

Connecting the two floors of this Upper East Side townhouse was no easy task for the team at LTL Architects. That's because six — that's right, six — distinct floor elevators stood in their way. Not only that, but the levels in the back and front don't align, making the conversion of separate units into a single-family home even more difficult. So how did the architects maneuver their way around the multiple obstacles? By installing two stunning staircases that not only tied together the four levels of the 19th-century townhouse, but also double as stand-alone centerpieces.
See how the architects overcome their dilemma
June 27, 2014

Soho Square Poised to Get Multimillion Dollar Makeover

Coming on the heels of a rezoning last spring that will yield much more residential and retail development in the area just north of Canal Street, the Hudson Square Connection Business Improvement District embarked on an ambitious $27 million campaign to create more open space and beautify the neighborhood’s streets. First up was a $200,000 investment at Freeman Plaza West a few months after the City Council approved the rezoning. The vacant property near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel was magically transformed into an unexpected but charming garden respite with the addition of umbrellas, tables, chairs and trees.
What are the plans for Soho Square?