March 31, 2016

Take a Virtual Tour of Don Draper’s Mod Park Avenue Apartment from ‘Mad Men’

It's been almost a year since "Mad Men" ended its seven-season run, but if you're jonesing for a fix of mid-century nostalgia, it's your lucky day. ArchDaily, in collaboration with Archilogic, has created a virtual tour of Don Draper's swanky Upper East Side apartment that he moved into in season five with his new wife Megan. From the sunken living room and orange kitchen cabinets to the white carpet and retro window treatments, set designer Claudette Didul didn't miss a beat when designing an authentic 1966 residence. But as ArchDaily points out, she also managed to create "a psychogram of a man who is about to fall apart at the seams."
See and learn more about Don Draper's pad
June 15, 2015

Westchester Colonial from the Early Days of ‘Mad Men’ Lists for $1.1M

Take a trip down memory lane to the good old days when Betty and Don Draper were still married and living the upstate life. Their home, which was supposed to be in Ossining, is actually located at 90 Forest Avenue in the Forest Heights neighborhood of New Rochelle, and it's on the market for $1.1 million, affording you the chance to make some (hopefully happier) memories in the original "Mad Men" residence. The 3,544-square-foot, six-bedroom, center-hall Colonial was built in 1914 and offers original details like pocket doors, crown moldings, hardwood floors, nine-foot ceilings, and four fireplaces. It also has "black shutters and a fire engine-red front door, just waiting for a briefcase-toting Don Draper to park his Plymouth and come inside to greet his wife and kids, after a steamy rendezvous with his mistress," writes lohud. Well, maybe we'll scratch that last part.
See more of the house here
May 15, 2015

Hang with Don Draper on a Midtown Bench; Brooklyn Half Is Saturday

The Brooklyn Half Marathon is this Saturday; some streets will be closed and the race ends at the Coney Island boardwalk. Good luck to all! [Sheepshead Bites] Foreign money: This map shows the city’s Chinese-backed real estate developments. [Curbed] As “Mad Men” signs off, a bench outside the Time-Life Building in Midtown will immortalize Don Draper for the summer. [Pentagram] Six tiny […]

April 3, 2015

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

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 1, 2015

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

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
April 1, 2015

Mac Conner’s Vintage Illustrations Invite Us into the World of New York’s Real ‘Mad Men’

Referred to today as the "real Don Draper," McCauley "Mac'" Conner was one of the most important illustrators working during America's golden age of advertising. Conner, now 101 years old, came to New York in 1950 and flourished in the city's publishing industry, bringing an era of deep red lipstick, unabashed chain smoking and lunch-time martinis to the pages of America's most popular magazines. With crisp lines and carefully chosen colors, Conner's vibrant works not only captured a pivotal point in American history, but he also helped shape the image of a postwar nation. Ahead are some of his most notable—and provocative, for the time—images created for magazines such as Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, Collier's, Woman's Day, and many more.
See some of his incredible illustrations this way
March 17, 2015

Peter Brant Files Work Permits for Converted Con Ed Station; Mad Men Sculpture Coming to Midtown

In addition to transforming his East Village home and former Con Ed substation into a gallery and art study center, Peter Brant plans to restore the building’s façade and add a roof terrace, among other alterations. [EV Grieve] The city’s “Taxi Kingpin” can’t pay his bills thanks to Uber. [NYP] A permanent “Mad Men” sculpture is being […]

November 4, 2014

Midtown Site of the Iconic Lutèce Restaurant Sells for $17M – Will It Be Demolished?

These three townhouses may not look like much to you, but they've for decades been making appearances in pop culture, from the penned to motion pictures, including The Prince of Tides, Wall Street, Crossing Delancey, and most recently, Mad Men. Located at 249-253 East 50th Street, this site once housed the world-renowned Lutèce restaurant. Though today the structures can be described as dilapidated at best, that hasn't stopped a group of Chinatown investors from scooping up the properties for $17 million from East 50th Development LLC. Now in new hands, what's up next for this famed locale?
More details here

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