All articles by Emily Nonko

Emily is a Brooklyn-based writer who has covered New York City real estate, architecture and design for Brownstoner, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell and other publications. You can follow her on Twitter @EmilyNonko.

December 7, 2016

$1.41M for an opportunity to combine two West Village units into one lovely apartment

By Emily Nonko

Here's an opportunity for a New Yorker not afraid to renovate. Two small one-bedroom apartments at 41 Perry Street, in the West Village, are being offered as a package with the opportunity to combine them into one larger pad. The listing promises that the transformation into a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment will be easy—it's been done several times before in this building—but it'll cost $1.41 million with renovation costs on top of that. Separately, each apartment is asking $715,000 and $695,000.
Take a look at both

Distinctive Homes

December 6, 2016

Charming, compact triplex with a roof deck asks less than $1M in Gramercy

By Emily Nonko

Over at 160 East 26th Street in Gramercy Park you'll find quite this charming one-bedroom apartment with some outdoor space and a decent price tag. The apartment--which is one of the most compact triplex units we've ever seen--is asking $850,000. On the first level it manages it hold a living area, dining area and kitchen, then there's a bedroom above, and finally a private roof deck that is sure to charm you.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

December 5, 2016

$4.5M Williamsburg building has two apartments and one great backyard

By Emily Nonko

This Williamsburg building has two big things going for it: lots of space and a central neighborhood location. The home is right around the corner from the Bedford Avenue L train, and it holds two apartments and a ground-floor commercial space. Out back, there's an incredible private backyard that looks like the best part of the property, which is now on the market for almost $4.49 million.
See it all

Distinctive Homes

December 2, 2016

Rent an eclectic, fully furnished East Village loft overlooking Tompkins Square for $6,500/month

By Emily Nonko

This floor-through apartment at 307 East 10th Street in the East Village is a convenient and chic option for someone on the hunt for a short-term rental. Asking $6,500 a month, it's a furnished space with lots of drool-worthy furniture and a good location right across from Tompkins Square Park. It'll be available from January 15th through April 15th, with the option to extend if a renter happens to fall in love.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 1, 2016

$2.5M for a Central Park duplex with its own romantic terrace

By Emily Nonko

This duplex from the 444 Central Park West co-op, in the Upper West Side, has a lot going for it. Its upper-floor location—and three exposures to the east, west and north—affords views over Central Park, St. John the Divine Cathedral and upper Manhattan. It is also decked out with unique details like wood paneling from an 1800s English church, crown moldings and a marble fireplace. The asking price comes in at $2.5 million.
Take the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

November 30, 2016

This Connecticut pyramid designed by mid-century architect John Black Lee asks just $750K

By Emily Nonko

Just outside of New York City in New Canaan, Connecticut is the incredible home of the late John Black Lee, a renowned mid-century architect. He designed this glass and concrete pyramid for himself into the hill overlooking the Silvermine River in 1990, and lived there until his death this April. A striking open floorplan surrounded by the glassy pyramid walls embraces the surrounding wilderness; Lee had said that "this house is the only one in New Canaan that you enter through a skylight." It's now on the market for $750,000 after a recent price chop of $249,000.
Take a look inside

November 29, 2016

$9M for a live/work Soho loft designed by a world-renowned photographer

By Emily Nonko

The days of artists sneakily living in lofts not zoned for residential living are mostly over, but there's still this live/work loft in Soho at 145 Sixth Avenue. The apartment, says the listing, is a "commercially-zoned corner condominium... in a discreet, converted 1900s column-and-beam loft building." (Previously, it looks like the loft was home to the New York jewelry boutique Talavera.) For nearly $8 million you can have your own commercial space tacked onto this well-designed apartment, which the listing promises was envisioned by an unnamed, famous photographer.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

November 28, 2016

Funky freestanding home in Gravesend hits the market for $1.5M

By Emily Nonko

Although Gravesend is a neighborhood way out in South Brooklyn, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good place to find a deal. In fact, the area is known for its multi-million dollar real estate because of its large Sephardic Jewish population--homes near synagogues and Jewish Community Centers have asking prices that soar into the millions. This house at 8738 23rd Avenue is asking nearly $1.5 million. It's a freestanding four-bedroom property with a funky, cottage-like exterior and a few interior quirks.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

Image Kushner Co./LIVWRK

November 28, 2016

Spotlight on Jared Kushner, real estate wunderkind and unexpected presidential advisor

By Emily Nonko

Our newest president’s right hand man got his start—much like Donald Trump—as a New York real estate developer. Kushner Companies is a private family real estate company now run by Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and son of Charles Kushner, who founded the firm in 1985. Kushner, as Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was an early […]

Where I Work

November 26, 2016

$650K co-op with a grand fireplace and Moroccan tiles graces the Upper West Side

By Emily Nonko

341 West 87th Street is a gorgeous and historic apartment house located just around the corner from Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side. And you can now snag a six-digit apartment there, this one-bedroom co-op on the market for $650,000. Like the building itself, the apartment has a historic feel with one very impressive wood-burning fireplace, moldings and a juliet balcony. Renovations have brought nice quirks, like a bonus loft space and Moroccan tile decorations.
Check it all out

Distinctive Homes

Live in an elegant townhouse near the new Second Avenue Subway for $8M

By Emily Nonko

As 2016 winds down, New Yorkers are still hoping that the Second Avenue Subway will finally open this year without (more) delay. The new subway stops promise to transform the surrounding area and perhaps boost real estate prices. So that's something to consider with this Upper East Side townhouse, which has hit the market for a hair under $8 million. It's located at 310 East 84th Street, just twos block from the new subway stop planned for East 86th Street and Second Avenue. This historic townhouse isn't too shabby, either, with many of its prewar details intact.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

November 22, 2016

The Halston House, a former party spot of Andy Warhol, gets a price chop to $28M

By Emily Nonko

A piece of New York City history has become (just slightly) more affordable to own yourself. The mid-century home at 101 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side, known as the Halston House, is one of only three residences in Manhattan designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph. Not only is the architecture iconic, but after designer Halston moved in in 1974, he spent the next 15 years hosting parties attended by the likes of Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger. The former carriage house turned party destination turned luxury residence first hit the market for $40 million last year when it was said that contemporary art dealer Jeffrey Deitch was “angling” to make a deal. It must not have worked out, because it's back on the market at a discount, asking $28 million.
Hear more about this iconic home

November 18, 2016

This 1755 Connecticut cottage is asking just $360K

By Emily Nonko

For the same price as a modest Manhattan apartment, this adorable 18th century Connecticut cottage could be yours. The cedar-sided home was constructed in 1755 in the town of Clinton, at 11 Pearl Street. More recently, the interior got a full renovation, meaning that the inside is surprisingly modern. Best yet, its located in a quaint town just outside of New York Side, and is only a five minute walk to the MetroNorth Railroad. Sounds appealing? It's hit the market for $360,000.
Here's a look inside

November 18, 2016

Charming railroad co-op hits the market for $675K in Carroll Gardens

By Emily Nonko

Carroll Gardens is well-known for its blocks of charming townhouses that boast a New York rarity--a front yard. Located at 66 4th Place, one of those "front yard blocks," this apartment is part of an eight-unit co-op and has just hit the market for $675,000. The railroad pad will certainly charm potential buyers with details like wide-plank floors, exposed brick, the original pocket shutters and a working wood-burning fireplace.
Take the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

November 16, 2016

Park Slope mansion with insane prewar details, and a 1950s diner, asks $29K/month

By Emily Nonko

Talk about rental goals: this grand Park Slope mansion, just outside of Prospect Park, is chock full of historic details and could be yours for $29,000 a month. Located at 21 Prospect Park West, it is a Renaissance Revival home designed by the Brooklyn architect Montrose Morris. It's been restored to its single-family grandeur, with over 7,000 square feet (and eight bedrooms!) practically dripping with features like stained glass, carved woodwork and marble fireplaces. Oh yeah, and there's a diner inside that looks straight out of Happy Days.
Take the impressive tour

Distinctive Homes

November 15, 2016

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s childhood home gets a major price cut to $29.5M

By Emily Nonko

There have been some big price chops for an apartment at 740 Park Avenue, one of New York's most iconic co-ops, once lived in by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself. The former first lady—whose grandfather developed 740 Park in 1929—lived in this apartment between the ages of two to seven. It is now owned by David Ganek, a hedge fund manager, who has used the Rosario Candela-designed co-op as a home for his impressive modern art collection. He first listed it in 2014 for $44 million, and now it's on its third price chop down to $29.5 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

November 14, 2016

Apartment building designed by notable Brooklyn architect Montrose Morris asks $6.25M

By Emily Nonko

The prolific and talented Brooklyn architect Montrose Morris was known for designing some of the first multi-unit apartment buildings in the borough. This is one of them, at 109 South 9th Street. Built in 1890, the Williamsburg building is decorated with stone, brick and terra cotta alongside oversized, bracketed cornices. Inside is a massive, four-story space with nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms. To make the whole building look good, it's going to require a big renovation from any buyer.
Take a look at this reno project

Distinctive Homes

November 14, 2016

Chandeliers and custom closets at this $3.25M Greenwich Village co-op

By Emily Nonko

There's lots of lofty space at this three-bedroom apartment at 303 Mercer Street, a Greenwich Village cooperative. Two units were combined into one and the seamless space was designed with chic, upscale finishes like mahogany doors, crown moldings and Brazilian hardwood floors. (Not to mention three different chandeliers.) The listing calls it Greenwich Village’s only three-bedroom, two-bathroom pad under $3.5 million with an ask of $3.25 million.
Go check it out

Distinctive Homes

November 11, 2016

This $675K prewar studio is right across from the Museum of Modern Art

By Emily Nonko

This 650-square-foot pad is nestled inside a six-story, Beaux Arts brick and limestone townhouse located just across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. Located at 35 West 54th Street, in Midtown West, this is a former one-bedroom apartment renovated into a spacious, open studio by its owner architect. The reno retained some of the classic Beaux Arts details while giving the interior a modern look.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

November 9, 2016

Soori High Line penthouse with its own private pool hits the market for $22.5M

By Emily Nonko

The new Chelsea condo Soori High Line, at 522 West 29th Street, has made headlines for apartments that come with their own private pools. And now one of the building's most luxurious condos has hit the market—a penthouse triplex asking $22.5 million. This pad boasts nearly 20 foot ceilings and one incredible, 25-foot-long, four-foot-deep heated rooftop pool.
Take a look

November 8, 2016

Bleecker Street co-op with a custom wall unit and built-in bar asks $895K

By Emily Nonko

This one-bedroom co-op at 77 Bleecker Street--also known as Bleecker Court--has been totally re-imagined by the architecture and interior design firm Mancini. They added a custom wall unit to the living room (with its own built-in bar!), upgraded all the finishes and fancied up a lofted office space. This smartly designed pad in Greenwich Village is now up for sale, asking $895,000.
More photos this way

Distinctive Homes

November 8, 2016

$975K for a flexible East Village co-op with lots of exposed brick

By Emily Nonko

Here's an East Village co-op with a little room to grow. Located at 71 East 3rd Street, this is a two-bedroom apartment in which a third bedroom could be carved out of the large living room. Otherwise, it's a charming pre-war apartment with exposed brick in nearly every room, a cast iron tub and four exposures with views out toward the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center. And it's just hit the market for $975,000.
Now see more

Distinctive Homes

November 7, 2016

$3.95M Yonkers castle with more than 20 rooms is out of this world

By Emily Nonko

Just outside of New York City, at 170 Shonnard Terrace in Yonkers, you could be living like a literal king. This property is home to a stone castle with over 20 rooms replicated to reflect 16th through 18th century European style. The castle, known as Greystone Court, began as a country house in the 1880s and expanded over the years until it became its luxurious, grand current iteration. The current owner, Kohle Yohannan, purchased it in 2000 after the property had become rundown and restored the castle to its original splendor. It is now on the market for $3.95 million.
Take the grand tour

November 4, 2016

$1.45M Harlem duplex comes with an enormous private backyard

By Emily Nonko

Outdoor space is the star at this Harlem apartment at 239 West 135th Street. This 1,308-square-foot, two-bedroom duplex comes with a 625-square-foot private garden, boasting enough room to fit an outdoor couch, dining table, barbecue and more. Too bad the weather's just getting cold! The interior also takes advantage of the outdoor space, with massive windows that look out onto the greenery.
Check out the inside of the apartment

Distinctive Homes

November 3, 2016

$1.5M Carroll Gardens loft mixes factory details and fun interior design

By Emily Nonko

This two-bedroom loft comes from the Mill, an 1800s jute factory turned 55-unit condo at 376 President Street in Carroll Gardens. The apartments are all unique--here's a look at a quirky one bedroom that hit the market this spring for $770,000--and this one, asking $1.499 million, stands out because of its views of the Brooklyn skyline, fun interior design, and old factory details like wood posts and beams, matte black iron joints, window shutters, and exposed brick.
Here's a look inside

Distinctive Homes

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