All articles by Michelle Cohen

Michelle is a New York-based writer and content strategist who has worked extensively with lifestyle brands like Seventeen, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar and iVillage. In addition to being a copywriter for a digital media agency she writes about culture, New York City neighborhoods, real estate, style, design and technology among other topics. She has lived in a number of major US cities on both coasts and in between and loves all things relating to urbanism and culture.

The El Dorado apartment of renowned art collector and ‘Beastie mom’ Hester Diamond asks $19.5M

Photo credit: Rise Media

May 12, 2022

The El Dorado apartment of renowned art collector and ‘Beastie mom’ Hester Diamond asks $19.5M

By Michelle Cohen

An apartment in the El Dorado at 300 Central Park West is an enviable enough thing on its own, even without the added cachet of belonging to the estate of Hester and Harold Diamond, owners of one of the world's finest art collections and parents of Mike Diamond of Beastie Boys fame, whose childhood home this was, Picassos and all. Ms. Diamond, who passed away in 2020 at 91, was an art dealer and collector whose collection of Old Masters and Modernist art, according to the New York Times, included Picasso, Mondrian, Rothko, and many more. Asking $19,500,000, the duplex co-op in one of New York City's most venerable buildings is museum-sized at 6,300 square feet with 800 square feet of terrace space and peerless park and skyline views.
View more of this amazing El Dorado residence

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This $3.4M Lefferts Manor townhouse offers a designer’s renovation and a garden apartment

Photo courtesy of The Corcoran Group

May 11, 2022

This $3.4M Lefferts Manor townhouse offers a designer’s renovation and a garden apartment

By Michelle Cohen

Located within the Lefferts Manor Historic District in Brooklyn's Prospect-Lefferts Gardens neighborhood, 67 Midwood Street is a well-preserved 1910 Romanesque Revival home that comes with plenty of options. Asking $3,399,000, this six-bedroom residence just a block from Prospect Park has retained architectural details like arched windows with leaded glass transoms. An interior designer thoroughly renovated the historic townhouse; in addition to looking good, the home offers a garden-level one-bedroom apartment with a basement playroom for extra income or expanded living quarters.
Take the townhouse tour

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Photo by Efraimstochter via Pixabay

May 10, 2022

27 ideas for turning your small outdoor space into a private oasis

By Michelle Cohen

If you live in the city, you probably don't have acres of yard or a sprawling patio (if you have access to any private outdoor space at all, you're in a fortunate minority). Choose furniture, gadgets, and decor items that work in your space, and you'll find yourself with an outdoor living paradise.
Summer, this way

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The inside of this $3.6M Park Slope duplex condo is as stunning as its historic facade

Photo credit: Hayley Ellen Day with DDreps

May 10, 2022

The inside of this $3.6M Park Slope duplex condo is as stunning as its historic facade

By Michelle Cohen

Asking $3,600,000, this unique duplex condominium at 606a Third Street steps from Prospect Park's grand entrance comprises the top unit in a two-unit Park Slope townhouse. But it's not just any Park Slope townhouse: This unusual home has an Arts-and-Crafts style facade that stands out among the neighborhood's brick and brownstone. The home's interiors have been designed to architectural perfection with enchanting use of colors, materials, and space, thoughtfully curated by the owner, photographer Leslie Simitch. Original details have been preserved and bespoke additions have enhanced the home's historic bones. The two-story home feels like an entire house (for far less than the cost of an actual Park Slope townhouse) with three fireplaces, three bedrooms, and three outdoor spaces.
Get a closer look

Photo: ©Jenna Bascom Photography

May 9, 2022

NYCxDESIGN 2022: What to see and do at New York City’s biggest celebration of design

By Michelle Cohen

Taking place in one of the world's most innovative design capitals, New York City's largest design festival will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. NYCxDESIGN: The Festival is a showcase of the newest and most creative offerings in furniture, lighting, textiles, and accessories–many of which you'll be seeing for the next several years in magazines, blogs, and showrooms–with festival attendees from points far and near converging on the city’s five boroughs from May 10–20. Design theory, urbanism, and big-picture issues like the environment and inequality inform brainy panel discussions and workshops. And if modern objects are your thing, you'll be in design heaven with popular programs like Apartment Therapy's Small / Cool providing a serious opportunity to get ideas for your own urban living space. Read on for a handful of highlights.
NYC X Design Festival 2022 highlights, this way

Alexander Skarsgård lists his top-floor East Village co-op for $2.6M

All photos courtesy of Yale Wagner

May 9, 2022

Alexander Skarsgård lists his top-floor East Village co-op for $2.6M

By Michelle Cohen

Actor Alexander Skarsgård has just listed his top-floor townhouse co-op at 119 East 10th Street for $2,599,000, roughly $300,000 more than he paid in 2017 for the East Village apartment, which once belonged to actress Parker Posey (Chloe Sevigny also lived in the same building before heading to Brooklyn in 2013). The Emmy-nominated star of “Big Little Lies” and “True Blood" oversaw a thorough renovation of the loft-like one-bedroom home, giving its pre-war details and wood-beamed ceilings a careful upgrade, a renovated kitchen, and more (h/t Architectural Digest).
Tour the new, improved version of this top floor co-op, this way

Arts-and-Crafts style and Mid-Century Modern meet seamlessly in this unusual $9M Park Slope home

Photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group

May 6, 2022

Arts-and-Crafts style and Mid-Century Modern meet seamlessly in this unusual $9M Park Slope home

By Michelle Cohen

Amid the grand Victorian brownstones and elegant front gardens leading up to Prospect Park, the 1909 brick facade of this unique townhouse at 612 Third Street fits right in. But there's much more to this $8,995,000 Park Slope townhouse. Its rear facade and interior architecture reflect an authentic Mid-Century Modern design history from a later era, with both aesthetics mixing beautifully throughout the 4,000-square-foot home. With decks, terraces, and patio spaces offering the promise of outdoor living, the five-story residence is a wonder from all angles and in all seasons, from its finished basement playroom to a glass-wrapped fifth-floor penthouse study.
See more of this unusual modern-historic townhouse

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Jay Manuel’s former Chelsea loft is back on the market for $3.25M

Photo credit: Eytan Stern Webber and Spotless Agency

May 4, 2022

Jay Manuel’s former Chelsea loft is back on the market for $3.25M

By Michelle Cohen

The two-bedroom loft condo formerly owned by "America's Next Top Model" creative director Jay Manuel has just resurfaced on the market for $3,250,000. The Canadian TV presenter and author, who was also a host of "Canada's Next Top Model," bought the 2,269-square-foot home in the Chelsea Mercantile at 252 Seventh Avenue with his partner, Alton Johnson, in 2000; the couple sold the condo in 2011.
Take a peek

May 3, 2022

City nixes plan for second Chinatown homeless shelter amid community opposition

By Michelle Cohen

In the second such move in less than a week, New York City has canceled plans for one of a handful of new homeless shelters in Chinatown, the New York Times reports. The planned "safe haven" shelter was to be located in the former Best Western Hotel at the corner of Grand Street and Bowery. The move follows months of vocal opposition to three planned shelters by community members who cite an increase in crimes targeting Asians and a similar announcement last Friday regarding the rollback of plans for a shelter nearby at 47 Madison Street.
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For $6M, this Greenwich Village classic six combines pre-war charm with condo convenience

All photos courtesy of Fox Residential

May 3, 2022

For $6M, this Greenwich Village classic six combines pre-war charm with condo convenience

By Michelle Cohen

This three-bedroom pre-war condominium at 59 West 12th Street in Greenwich Village starts with the cachet of being in a sought-after building known as The Governor, built by celebrated 20th-century developers Bing and Bing and designed by noted architect Emery Roth. Asking $5,990,000, this renovated residence has quietly elegant architectural details, gracious proportions, thoughtfully-designed updates–and enough closets to suit a diva with red carpet ambitions and a lifetime of Met Gala costumes.
Take the tour

This $13M slender UES townhouse has been occupied by the same family since 1907

By Michelle Cohen

The five-story Italianate brownstone at 38 East 70th Street may only be 16 feet wide, but what it lacks in width, it makes up for with over 5,000 square feet of preserved original details and modern updates. Asking $13,000,000, the circa-1884 home, designed by architect Charles Graham, currently offers six bedrooms and an original formal layout of rooms for sitting, dining, and display. Just two blocks from Central Park within the Upper East Side Historic District, the home has been occupied by the same family since 1907.
More details this way

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Elegance and space to spare define this $4.35M condo in the iconic Parc Vendome

Photo credit: Coldwell Banker Warburg

April 29, 2022

Elegance and space to spare define this $4.35M condo in the iconic Parc Vendome

By Michelle Cohen

Situated on the 18th floor of the iconic Parc Vendome at 340 West 57th Street, this three-bedroom residence has been featured in Architectural Digest, and we can see why. Asking $4,350,000, the 2,600-square-foot Manhattan apartment has understated pre-war details, graciously proportioned rooms, and closets galore. Owned for 25 years by philanthropist, educator, and humanitarian Vartan Gregorian, the home's layout puts everything right where you'd want it, with space to spare.
Tour this magnificent Midtown residence

Enjoy your own private Adirondack Great Camp-style compound in the Catskills for $5M

Photo by Tim Lee for Houlihan Lawrence

April 28, 2022

Enjoy your own private Adirondack Great Camp-style compound in the Catskills for $5M

By Michelle Cohen

Asking $4,950,000, this unique country estate at 411 Hutchin Hill Road in Bearsville, NY, was inspired by the Adirondack Great Camps in their Gilded Age heyday. Occupying almost 72 acres, this secluded compound nearly 2,000 feet above sea level in the Catskill mountains is anchored by a 5,590-square-foot five-bedroom home.
Tour the grounds of this private resort

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Janet Jackson lists her Upper West Side apartment for $9M

Photo courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

April 28, 2022

Janet Jackson lists her Upper West Side apartment for $9M

By Michelle Cohen

Janet Jackson has decided to part ways with her Upper West Side apartment, which she recently listed for $8,995,000, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. The younger Jackson sibling has owned the three-bedroom condo in the Trump International Hotel and Tower at 1 Central Park West for almost 25 years; she purchased the 34th-floor unit in the gleaming tower overlooking Central Park for $2.8 million in 1998.
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You can rock on the front porch of this $2.5M Windsor Terrace townhouse all summer long

Photo credit: Melanie Greene, Greenehouse NYC

April 27, 2022

You can rock on the front porch of this $2.5M Windsor Terrace townhouse all summer long

By Michelle Cohen

Situated between South Slope and Windsor Terrace, with Prospect Park just two blocks away, this lovely little brick townhouse at 23 Fuller Place is one of a picturesque row of homes with Doric-columned front porches that have remained virtually unchanged since the 1910s. The 2,430-square-foot home, on the market for $2,500,000, spans three floors and boasts a finished basement, a charming back terrace, and a rare front porch.
Get a closer view

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Jennifer Connelly’s former Tribeca penthouse loft with a sunroom and roof terrace asks $12M

Photo credit: Evan Joseph/Scott Wintrow for Sotheby’s International Realty

April 26, 2022

Jennifer Connelly’s former Tribeca penthouse loft with a sunroom and roof terrace asks $12M

By Michelle Cohen

From the library to the rooftop sunroom and private terrace with dazzling Hudson River views, loft lovers won't want to change a thing in this perfect penthouse at 288 West Street. As 6sqft previously reported, actress Jennifer Connelly and British actor Paul Bettany bought the four-bedroom penthouse in celebrity-magnet Tribeca for just under $7,000,000 in 2008. Four years later the couple reportedly sold the home in an off-market sale for $8,495,000 when they decamped for the brownstones of Brooklyn. The 4,000-square-foot penthouse loft is back on the market, asking $12,000,000.
Loft living meets penthouse perfection, this way

This $4.65M Brooklyn Heights co-op was designed for loft-style living in a landmarked tower

Photo credit: Joel Pitra at DDReps

April 25, 2022

This $4.65M Brooklyn Heights co-op was designed for loft-style living in a landmarked tower

By Michelle Cohen

The Deco-era residential tower at 75 Livingston Street anchors a tree-lined, historic block of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, known for its well-preserved townhouses and apartment buildings. But the bold, custom-designed interiors in this $4,650,000 co-op–a combination of two units designed by architect Henry Smith-Miller–look more like what you'd find in a Manhattan loft. The 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment may have a few quirks, but its wrap-around terraces and stunning skyline, bridge and river views are definitely the good kind of extraordinary.
Take the grand tour

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For $495K, this bright Hudson View Gardens co-op comes with amenities and a river view

Photo courtesy of Tina Gallo for The Corcoran Group

April 22, 2022

For $495K, this bright Hudson View Gardens co-op comes with amenities and a river view

By Michelle Cohen

On the fifth floor of the historic Hudson View Gardens co-op at 116 Pinehurst Avenue in Washington Heights, this one-bedroom home reflects the pre-war charm of the 1924 Tudor Revival building. Asking $495,000, the unit has been stylishly renovated with bright white walls and lots of color and charm.
See more this charming apartment

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Bring your racquet and swimsuit to this $5M ’90s contemporary style NJ home by Gwathmey Siegel

Photo credit: Jump Visual for Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty

April 21, 2022

Bring your racquet and swimsuit to this $5M ’90s contemporary style NJ home by Gwathmey Siegel

By Michelle Cohen

This seven-bedroom home on 16-acres in Harding Township, NJ, doesn't look much like the typical country estate. Asking $4,975,000, the 14,000-square-foot home was designed by Gwathmey Siegel, the renowned architecture firm behind the renovation of the Guggenheim Museum. The firm is known for the late 20th-century modern style showcased in the curves and colors of this striking residence at 75 Sand Spring Road. When you're finished marveling at the house, you'll find plenty to do within, where there's a full recreation room, a well-appointed gym, and a half-court basketball court. Also on the property: a guest cottage, a pool, and a lighted tennis court.
Have a look around

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Photo courtesy of The Corcoran Group

April 20, 2022

In the middle of Midtown, this $3.2M co-op feels like a house with a yard

By Michelle Cohen

Tucked into the garden floor of a classic Midtown East co-op at 240 East 55th Street, this four-bedroom home has more space than you'd usually find in a Manhattan apartment, with a lower level rec room, a den, and that covetable urban dream: a beautiful, landscaped private back yard. Asking $3,195,000, the spacious residence is freshly renovated with luxury details and high-tech amenities like wire-brushed wide plank oak floors, a Lutron lighting system, and a zoned A/C system.
More East Midtown co-op, this way

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$7.9M Village townhouse was the home of civil rights lawyer William Kunstler

Photo courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

April 19, 2022

$7.9M Village townhouse was the home of civil rights lawyer William Kunstler

By Michelle Cohen

This landmarked brick row house at 13 Gay Street in Greenwich Village was once the home and office of noted American civil rights attorneys William Kunstler and Margaret Ratner Kunstler. Best known for defending the Chicago Seven, William Kunstler's client roster included Malcolm X, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and the Attica prison rioters among many others. Now asking $7,900,000, the four-story single-family Greek Revival townhouse was built in 1844. Two garden floor spaces are zoned for live/work.
Village townhouse tour, this way

The ultimate guide to Greenpoint, a Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood on the rise

Photo courtesy of Greenpoint Terminal Market

April 19, 2022

The ultimate guide to Greenpoint, a Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood on the rise

By Michelle Cohen

Situated in Brooklyn's northernmost corner, bridging the popular enclaves of Williamsburg and Long Island City, Greenpoint is an eclectic star in the North Brooklyn neighborhood constellation. A somewhat sleepy industrial neighborhood for much of the 20th century, Greenpoint was settled by Polish immigrants who came here to work along the waterfront nearly a century ago. In the 21st century, having been made irreversibly famous by the hit TV series Girls, it has become one of the most desirable residential areas in Brooklyn.
Your guide to Greenpoint, this way

All photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman Realty

April 18, 2022

$2.7M North Fork beach bungalow has water views from every room

By Michelle Cohen

With longer days and warmer nights on the way, it's almost time to think about summer living. If you need a reminder of what that looks like, this pared-back North Fork getaway should do the trick. Asking $2,695,000, this whitewashed beach cottage at 4415 Camp Mineola Road in Mattituck has 80 feet of frontage on Peconic Bay, and water views in every direction.
Tour this spare, beachy property

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This $8.5M UWS townhouse has Central Park as a front yard and a private back garden

Photo credit: Tim Waltman for Sotheby’s International Realty

April 15, 2022

This $8.5M UWS townhouse has Central Park as a front yard and a private back garden

By Michelle Cohen

On a postcard-perfect Central Park block on the Upper West Side, this Queen Anne-style townhouse at 53 West 85th Street is every inch a beauty, inside and out. A charming brick facade ends in a pitched gable roof, fronted by bay windows on the garden and parlor floors. Inside, the house is move-in ready, with elegant historic details forming the backdrop for tasteful up-to-the-minute renovations. Asking $8,495,000, the five-story home is less than a block from the park, but comes with its own backyard oasis.
Explore five floors

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$4M Carroll Gardens duplex condo has a private garage and a parking lot-sized terrace

Photo courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

April 14, 2022

$4M Carroll Gardens duplex condo has a private garage and a parking lot-sized terrace

By Michelle Cohen

Set among a corridor of modern residences that lie between quaint Carroll Gardens and industrial Gowanus, this three-bedroom duplex condo at 345 Carroll Street, now asking $3,995,000, has just about everything you could ask for in its 2,912 square feet of living space. The garden floor condo is even blessed with the urban rarity of a private one-car garage as well as a massive private outdoor terrace. With an entire floor of "bonus" spaces that include a mudroom, laundry room, and two offices, it's almost like having a townhouse with the ease of condo living.
Take the tour

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