Search Results for: green

May 7, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 5/7-5/13

This week is a bit heavy on the arty side, kicking off with an opening on the Lower East Side with a ridiculously long name, or one involving smashing plates in Chelsea. Hunt for new talent at Parsons' MFA Thesis exhibition, school yourself with a gallery talk with Rivane Neuenschwander, or support a great cause (and see some great art) at Swoon's Heliotrope Foundation benefit. To satisfy your design tooth, this weekend is all about Brooklyn, as BKYLN DESIGNS hits the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint. But you can travel back in time at the week's end by celebrating the Van Alen Institute at a Beaux Arts gem, the Surrogate's Courthouse.
All the best events here
May 7, 2015

VIDEO: Bjarke Ingels Takes Us Through His 57th Street Pyramid ‘Courtscraper’

Even though big dreamer and BIG architect Bjarke Ingels's 57th Street pyramid was recently christened a less-than-desirable "Via" by its developer, Ingels and his team have given the building a moniker of their own, nicknaming it "courtscraper." In this video produced by Bloomberg, the architect takes us inside his 625 West 57th Street project, which he describes as "the lovechild of a courtyard building and a skyscraper."
Watch the video here
May 7, 2015

$13M Madison Avenue Condo Will Have One of the City’s Largest Private Pools

Now that $1 million parking spots are the new norm and luxury apartment buildings are all but expected to offer outrageous amenities like vitamin C-infused showers, pet spas, and bowling alleys, developers have to get creative with their over-the-top offerings. So, how about a private swimming pool one-third the length of an Olympic pool? According to the Daily News, that's exactly what's up for grabs at newcomer 172 Madison Avenue. "It’s the Pacific Ocean compared to the wading pools in even the fanciest new condo buildings," says the paper, and that's certainly true considering it will be 50 feet long.
More here
May 7, 2015

Organize Your Music by City with Spotimap

Next time you really feel like getting in that "New York State of Mind," just organize your playlist to include only NYC-centric songs. This would normally be an arduous task, but thanks to a new Spotify-based mapping program called Spotimap, you can sort and stream music relevant to a specific city simply by clicking on it, marked by a green musical note, on a map. As CityLab reports, once a user clicks a city, a list of songs about that place will pop up based on this highly detailed Wikipedia list. For New York, the map offers 2,707 songs about the city, sorted in alphabetical order.
Find out more here
May 6, 2015

POLL: Should NYC Dim Its Skyline?

Last week, the New York Times took a look at a proposed City Council bill that would require thousands of buildings to dim their lights overnight. Of course, from an environmental standpoint this is great — save energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and make flying through our skies safer for migratory birds. But not everyone […]

May 5, 2015

House Tours Galore: Where to Get a Look Inside the Area’s Most Fabulous Homes and Gardens

Temperatures have finally hit the high 70s mean, and that can only mean one thing–it's house tour season. Architecture buffs, history lovers, and die-hard New Yorkers look forward to these events all year. It's a time to see how the other half lives; get some design inspiration; and just enjoy a nice day out looking at beautiful homes and gardens. From Harlem brownstones to Hamptons estates to the gardens of Jackson Heights, we've rounded up this season's hottest tours.
See our full list of tours here
May 5, 2015

One-Third of 220 Central Park South Sold; One Vanderbilt Moves Forward with Full City Support

After just six weeks, one-third ($1.1B) of 220 Central Park West has been sold. “Acceptance by brokers and buyers has been extraordinary and unprecedented.” [TRD] One Vanderbilt is well on its way to becoming a reality. This morning SL Green cleared its final major hurdle, receiving approval, with some amendments, by a key City Council subcommittee. [Crain’s] Philip […]

May 5, 2015

Jason Kidd Sells Hamptons Mansion for $7.1M

Just in time for summer in the Hamptons, retired Nets star Jason Kidd has sold his sprawling mansion at 100 Flying Point Road in Water Mill, fetching an impressive $7.1 million, reports the Post. He bought the then-brand-new, four-building luxury compound in 2012 for $5 million, originally listed it through Corcoran in October 2014 for nearly $8 million, but re-listed it with Douglas Elliman this past January for $1 million less. The home came fully furnished and offered the best of Hamptons living.
Take a look around the summer-ready estate
May 4, 2015

The High and Low: Two Pretty Prewar Co-ops on Prospect Park

Just north and west of Grand Army Plaza and the green expanse of Prospect Park, the heavenly slice of brownstone Brooklyn where Prospect Heights  meets Park Slope is considered one of the best spots in the borough–possibly the city–to live. Its streets offer some of the area's loveliest historic townhouses and some of Brooklyn's most gracious prewar apartment buildings, home to notables from Sen. Charles Schumer to Chloë Sevigny. Near an alphabet soup of subway lines and every amenity you could imagine–from the Brooklyn Museum to Barclays Center–these two classic prewar co-ops claim this prime location, sought-after full-service buildings and pretty Deco-era bones. The first also offers the spacious layout sought by co-op buyers, and at $1.4 million for a large three-bedroom, there's plenty of room to roam. And though a diminutive studio is best for one (or two who like to be very close) this particular version, asking a double-take-prompting $350k, is on a high floor in one of the area's loveliest buildings and has the same look–minus a few hundred square feet–as its more spacious sibling.
Take a side-by-side look
May 4, 2015

Will the Bronx Be the Next Branded Borough? This Hot Sauce Says Yes

Just about everything from artisanal mayonnaise to scented candles has branded itself as “Brooklyn,” so much so that we recently wrote an entire feature on the made-in-Brooklyn trend. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that another borough is now looking to get in on the action. The Bronx Hot Sauce is a locally made product that gives back and […]

May 4, 2015

Westward Ho! More and More New Yorkers Are Moving to Los Angeles

New York and Los Angeles have long been rivals, but while New York has historically emerged as the center of all things cool, the tides seem to be turning. The Times reports that more and more of the city's creatives are turning to Los Angeles as a place to call home, spurring a renaissance in a town once considered a cultural wasteland. No longer is L.A. a sun-soaked land littered with dejected actors and models, but instead it's emerging as a haven for those looking to experiment with their art without struggling to make ends meet. Read: The rents are cheap!
Find out more here
May 4, 2015

Robert De Niro Lived in a Penthouse with Seven-Car Garage; Leasing Starts at Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower

Turns out Robert De Niro called this extravagant penthouse with glass floors and a seven car garage home for two years. [NYP] Brooklyn’s upcoming tallest tower, the Avalon Willoughby West, has started leasing. Studios will go for $2,890 a month. [Brownstoner] A federal transportation bill could lead to the city to removing some of the oversize […]

May 4, 2015

Architect Sharon Davis Builds Herself an Eco-Retreat Next to an Historic Upstate Road

The Old Albany Post Road is a 6.6-mile historic supply route in Philipstown, New York and one of the oldest unpaved roads still in use. One of the most charming places through which it winds is a hamlet called Garrison, where NYC-based architect Sharon Davis has had a house for more than 20 years. The visionary first bought the 70-acre plot to protect its land from developers, but ended up building herself a new home that is both cozy and modern, as well as an homage to the historic nature of the old road.
Learn more about this eco-friendly humble home
May 1, 2015

West Village Rowhouse Once Home to Photographer Diane Arbus Lists for $13.5M

If you've ever seen the work of legendary photographer Diane Arbus, you know her style is a little offbeat. Born into a rich NYC family in 1923, Arbus became famous for capturing "deviant and marginal people," those who would otherwise seem ugly to most, with her camera. Unfortunately, she's also remembered for taking her own life at the age of 48 while living at the Westbeth Artists Community. But before moving to the well-known artists' complex, Arbus lived in an appropriately "secret world," a West Village back house that was once a stable, hidden behind its classic, Federal-style rowhouse at 131 Charles Street. She moved into the rear carriage house in 1959 after separating from her husband Allan Arbus and lived there until around 1968. As the Wall Street Journal reports, both the front and back houses are now on the market for $13.5 million.
Look inside this magnificent, historic home
May 1, 2015

Starbucks ‘Express’ Store Lands in Manhattan; Is This the Largest Personal LEGO Collection?

Don’t miss Sunday’s annual Greenwich Village house tour…highlights include a famous artist’s studio and a townhouse that can link its history to the Croton Aqueduct. [GVSHP] Today on Wall Street, Starbucks has launched a model of its “express” store where your coffee will be ready by the time you get up to the counter. [Refinery29] A Seattle […]

April 30, 2015

Awesome Attics: Inside the ‘Other Penthouses’ of New York City

New York City is abuzz with penthouse talk, whether it's the $100M blockbuster sale at One57, the unbelievable $150M ask for the topper at the Sony Building, or if it's all the chatter around just how much more folks are willing to pay to have these two letters in their address: PH. While we love playing the game "If I had the money..." as much the next person, we thought before we start daydreaming too far out of our financial means—or cursing the system altogether—that we'd pay homage to the city's "other penthouses," the ones far closer in reach. Okay, so they're really just tiny attics or additions, but what each of these little spaces lacks in floor area, they certainly make up in character. Check out some of the coolest, cutest and just downright amazing attic spaces we've dug up ahead!
NYC's Amazing and Adorable Attics This Way
April 30, 2015

$2.5M Clinton Hill Townhouse Is Dripping with Historic Details

This beautiful Brooklyn townhouse, located at 181 St. James Place, is right in the heart of the Clinton Hill Historic District. The single-family property itself is historic inside and out–all three buildings were designed by the prominent Brooklyn architect William Tubby. No. 181 is the centerpiece, a combo of both Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles with an oeil-de-boeuf (bulls-eye) with four keystones at the center of the gable. The interior is decked out with incredibly restored historic details... a carved wooden staircase, fireplaces, stained glass windows, even a claw foot tub. To live in this piece of Brooklyn history, it's going to cost you $2.545 million.
Tour the interior right here
April 29, 2015

The Four Seasons: An Iconic Interior Landmark Faces an Uncertain Future

As you probably already know, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the NYC landmarks law. And one of the ways the city is marking the historic event is with an exhibit at the New York School of Interior Design called Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York’s Landmark Interiors, which focuses on some of the 117 public spaces throughout the five boroughs that have been designated interior landmarks. In conjunction with this exhibit, Open House New York recently hosted an interior landmark scavenger hunt (for which 6sqft took eighth place out of 40 teams!), which brought participants to designated interior spaces in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn over the course of seven hours. One of the spots we visited was the Four Seasons restaurant inside the famed Seagram Building. Through our scavenger hunt challenges here, we learned just how groundbreaking this restaurant was for its innovative design and role as the quintessential Midtown "power lunch" spot. But the Four Seasons, despite its landmark status, is facing an uncertain future.
Learn about the past, present, and future of the Four Seasons here
April 29, 2015

Rustic-Meets-Industrial Chelsea Pad Is Like a Parisian Atelier

If you value location and like exposed brick, wood beams and skylights, this $650,000 Chelsea pad at 127 West 15th Street just might be the answer to your prayers. The restored one-bedroom boasts all those features and more, including tall ceilings and a decorative fireplace. And if you want your own gym you can just forget a few items when you leave the house and run back up and down the three flights to this top-floor walk-up. We're only 50% joking.
More pics inside
April 29, 2015

This Cozy Brooklyn ‘Slot House’ Fits a Bed in the Kitchen

Who says small spaces can't be designed luxuriously? In fact, this compact home in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn looks downright gorgeous—even if there is a bed lofted above a refrigerator. Noroof Architects designed the home in the early 2000s, and nicknamed the project "Slot House." The exterior "slot" was inspired by the existing maple tree on site, which the owners did not want to remove. The slot allows the tree to be seen from the inside, and this clever slotted design gesture was carried to the interior.
See the impressive result here
April 28, 2015

Five Luxury Towers Will Account for One-Third of New Development Sales over the Next Five Years

It's projected that over the next five years, new development sales in Manhattan condos will total $27.6-$33.6+ billion, but this sky-high figure is heavily skewed by prices in just five buildings. These luxury towers will account for one-third of the total projection. Three of the buildings -- 432 Park, 220 Central Park South, and 550 Madison Avenue (the former Sony Building) -- are located on billionaires' row and are expected to bring in a whopping $8 billion. The Greenwich Lane and 10 Madison Square West will also likely bring in close to $1.5 billion each. Along with this boost from the upper end of the market comes a trend where fewer units are selling, but prices are shooting up.
More info and CityRealty's full infographic here
April 28, 2015

The Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate of Brooklyn’s… Gravesend?

When people talk about expensive Brooklyn real estate, the conversation often revolves around the well-kept townhouses in Brownstone Brooklyn, the waterfront condos of Williamsburg, the freestanding mansions of Prospect Park South. Gravesend is not a neighborhood that’s on most New Yorkers' minds. But this South Brooklyn enclave, bordered by Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Bensonhurst and the waterfront, sees some of the highest home sales in all of Kings County. Here, it’s not uncommon for selling prices to break the $10 million mark. Two years ago, a home hit the market for $14 million. So what’s happening in Gravesend? Simply put, this is not your average New York City real estate market. This neighborhood is home to the largest Sephardic Jewish community in the United States, and real estate is dominated by proximity to synagogues and Jewish Community Centers. That pressure for proximity has driven real estate prices into the multi-millions.
Learn more about the unique Gravesend real estate market…
April 27, 2015

Ikea’s Concept Kitchen 2025 Predicts We’ll Soon Use Smart Tables and Drone-Delivered Groceries

As part of Milan Design Week, Ikea has revealed their Concept Kitchen 2025, created in collaboration with London-based design firm IDEO and students from Sweden's Lund and Eindhoven universities. The futuristic kitchen prototype is based on predictions about what the world will be like ten years from now. It assumes we'll all be living a much greener, reduced lifestyle and technology such as smart tables and drone-delivered groceries will run kitchen operations.
Learn all about the modern kitchen prototype
April 27, 2015

WSP Eco Map Tracks the Hidden Minetta Creek and Trees of Washington Square Park

It's easy to get distracted in Washington Square Park by all the NYU students and street performers, but there's a lot more than meets the eye in this historic public space. For instance, did you know the Minetta Creek runs under the park and through the surrounding neighborhood? Or what about all those beautiful trees, wouldn't it be fun to know a little more about them? With a new mobile map called the WSP Eco Map, you can identify the species of many trees in the park, locate other environmental park components like nesting boxes, and see exactly where the Minetta Brook/Creek is hiding.
Find out more here