Behold the City Skyline From a Room of Curved Glass Atop This $12.5M Chelsea Penthouse

We’re fairly certain that if you look in the dictionary under “cool modern Chelsea penthouse,” there’s a picture of this apartment–because this duplex co-op at 143 West 20th Street pretty much nails the concept. Though there are certainly pricier pads, at over $12M, this four-bedroom stunner would certainly be someone’s idea of a trophy–and it lives up to the job.

Beginning on the 12th floor of an historic 1910 loft building at the classic Manhattan neighborhood’s heart, the apartment’s design treads the line between high-end generic contemporary and an attempt at hat-tipping the modernism of earlier decades via sleek minimal luxe. The listing says, “…one needs to walk through the space to experience it fully.” But the pictures definitely get our attention with what looks a lot like a modern art museum that would be fun to live in.

This “penthouse masterpiece” includes two private elevators–one just for, you know, freight. The listing boasts that the home was designed by a “world renowned architect” though no names are mentioned, and that “the space was ingeniously conceived with a flexible modular quality incorporating the most fabulous entertaining spaces both inside and outside,” which actually sounds about right.

With a cinematic terrace accessed through a curved, steel-framed glass solarium, glossy white pillars and 360-degree open skyline views everywhere you look, the whole package adds up to a Hollywood vision come to life. And if it sometimes feels like a movie set, hey, for a few sunsets on that roof terrace, we’ll give it two thumbs up.

Some of the apartment’s more notable details include a “sensuous, sculptural, circular staircase” of steel and glass that leads to the top level; a pillared, white-walled circular entry hall is flanked by a living room with a wall of south-facing windows on one side, and spacious sitting and dining rooms on the other.

The kitchen comes down to earth with warm woods and stainless steel. It goes without saying that modern technology for heating, cooling and other environmental controls are seamlessly included.

The bedroom pictured exemplifies the custom-designed modern luxury chamber with flush wood paneling, discreet privacy curtains and views worth getting out of bed for. The floor plan shows that the four bedrooms and two baths are spacious–and there really are too many closets to count.

The top floor is where the magic happens:  A semicircular steel-framed glass solarium shelters an expansive sitting room that looks out on the rooftop terrace and glows from within after dark.

Pacific Ocean and Portugal views are the star up here; though the lovely landscaped deck leaves nothing to be desired.

Memorable entertaining and skyline gazing are a 24-7-365 option given the many choices presented here.

The classic loft building is one of many like it in this equally classic Manhattan neighborhood. This block of 20th street is completely charming, though it gets a little busy/commercial toward 7th Avenue. The location is nothing if not convenient, with every imaginable kind of eatery, market, shop, showroom, club, cafe or cultural destination within blocks, including the High Line, Chelsea Piers and Madison Square Park.

[Listing: 143 West 20th Street, Apt. 12 FL by Deborah Grubman, David Dubin and Paul Albano for Corcoran Group]

[via CityRealty]

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Images courtesy of Corcoran Group.