Brooklyn

Built near the turn of the 20th century, this three-story, two-family brick home at 457 Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge proudly displays many exterior architectural details often lost in newer construction. And those exquisite details happily reflect what you can expect to see after you walk in the front door.
More about this beautiful home

March 4, 2015

Downtown Brooklyn Live/Work Warehouse with Wild Decor Lists for $3.25M

This commercial space at 183 Concord Street is a bit of a project, but it already has some great qualities like exposed brick walls, tall ceilings, and a hot Downtown Brooklyn location near the Manhattan Bridge. More importantly, the second-floor offices already have approved residential plans, and you know what that means: it’s build-your-dream-home time.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

The Village People Stepping Out, The Grand Ballroom, NY, NY, June 1978 (l); Three Amigos, Bushwick (r). By Meryl Meisler.

March 3, 2015

A Tale of Two Cities: Disco-Era Bushwick Burns While Manhattan Boogies (PHOTOS)

By Michelle Cohen

It’s 2015 and Bushwick is on fire. But instead of being lost to the flames of neglect and destruction, buildings are being sold and rented like hotcakes. Photographer Meryl Meisler’s first monograph, “Disco Era Bushwick: A Tale of Two Cities,” published by Bizarre Bushwick gives us an insider’s view of the streets and scenes of New York City during the glam/gritty 1970s and ‘80s when Manhattan’s iconic dance clubs like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage were in their heyday–and there was no brunch to be had in Bushwick.
See more of a bad and bygone Bushwick this way

March 3, 2015

$2.4M Joe Ginsberg-Designed Prospect Heights Loft Has a Suspended Office

Get ready to feast your eyes on this stunning Prospect Heights loft located in the Newswalk Condominium–and unlike anything offered on the Brooklyn market today. Every detail was masterfully created by award-winning designer Joe Ginsberg, from original furniture pieces fabricated in the artist’s atelier and included with the home to the specialized techniques and processes used in creating the distinctive wall and ceiling finishes.
More of this one-of-a-kind home

Distinctive Homes

March 2, 2015

Carroll Gardens Rental Takes Creative Cues from One of ‘The Women Who Saved New York’

What do you get when you mix a classic turn-of-the-century townhouse with the artistic sensibility of a graphic designer praised as one of “The women who saved New York?” This magnificently restored home at 16 2nd Street in the heart of Carroll Gardens. Flawlessly modernized and brought to 21st century splendor, this gorgeous four-floor home exudes the kind of creative panache one would expect from the person responsible for the cover art of a young Madonna’s debut album. Lucky for us, she’s willing to make it available to the masses–well, to those of us with $15,000 a month to spend.
tour this beautiful home

Distinctive Homes

February 27, 2015

This Impeccable $16K/Month Park Slope Rental Is Bikini Ready

Let’s face it, with spring right around the corner (yes, it is coming) some of us may be feeling a little less than excited to shed those extra layers of clothing. But this impeccably renovated triplex at 726 Carroll Street in Park Slope is more than ready to show off its beautiful “nearly-bare” self. Even without staging of any kind, its amazing combination of elegant original details and tasteful modern appointments add up to a stunning four-bedroom residence.
More pictures of this bikini-and-move-in-ready triplex

Distinctive Homes

February 27, 2015

Revealed: AB Architekten’s 29 Clay Street to Bring Manhattan Modernism to Greenpoint

By Ondel Hylton

A proposed 12-story residential building near the mouth of Newtown Creek in Greenpoint may bring some avante-garde design to a neighborhood better known for its low-slung factories, unpretentious row-houses, hearty Polish community, and an immense wastewater treatment plant. Coming from the office of AB Architekten, led by Alexander Blakely, a 70,000-square-foot proposal at 19-29 Clay Street is envisioned to rise directly across from the long-promised Box Street Park, and it may be the first of a multitude of high-rises set to radically transform the neighborhood's waterfront.
More information on the proposed project

February 26, 2015

$2.3M Carriage House in Clinton Hill Blends the 19th Century with the 21st

We found a charmer in Clinton Hill that will make you forget you’re in the city; and let’s be honest, sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered. This adorable former carriage house was fully renovated in 2009, so you get the perfect modernized version of old-school charisma, for $2.315 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 25, 2015

Old-World Victorian Home in Ditmas Park Lists for $2.3M

Let’s take a trip to the quiet, tree-lined streets of Victorian Flatbush where a 111-year-old home in the Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park landmarked historic district awaits, asking $2.275 million. This quarter-acre lot is large enough for a pool and a guesthouse or your own little secret garden. And while the curb appeal sets the bar high, the inside takes it to a new level, blending old-world charm with modern updates.
More pics inside

February 24, 2015

Modernly Rustic Greenpoint Townhouse Is Ready for Its Close-up at $2.5M

It’s easy to see why this gorgeous townhouse at 175 Eckford Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn was recently featured in a global design magazine. Rustic features like painted white beams, splashes of exposed brick and antique wide-plank floors effortlessly coexist with more modern touches reflected in concrete block walls, Caesarstone countertops, sleek poured radiant heated concrete floors, and a curtain wall of glass that looks out to a pastoral backyard.
have a closer look inside

Distinctive Homes

February 24, 2015

Film Critic Jonathan Baumbach Sells Prospect Park South Victorian for $1.8M

Film critic and novelist Jonathan Baumbach (you may know his son, film maker Noah Baumbach, or his first wife, Village Voice critic Georgia Brown) and his wife have sold their historic Prospect Park South Victorian home for $1.8 million, according to city records released today. Built in 1901, the five-bedroom property originally hit the market back in September 2014 for $2.27 million, but decreased its price twice in just five short months.
Take a look around this classic Victorian

February 19, 2015

Hip Loft with High Ceilings and Exposed Brick Is Quintessentially Williamsburg

This Williamsburg loft at 337 Kent Avenue is what Brooklyn living is all about: spacious, filled with character, and begging for interesting use of wall space like creating artwork out of hanging clothing or accessories. This is what real New York looks like—and you just have to shell out $3,500 a month to experience it.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2015

Get Transcendent in This Fort Greene Studio for $3K/Month

They say “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Well, if that’s the case, living in this sparkling former place of worship is probably sitting in godliness’s lap. That’s what this cool Gothic Revival studio offers for $2,995 per month. And as a bonus, you’ll be able to walk the paths of former Fort Greene resident, Walt Whitman.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2015

Developer Matthew Blesso Settles into a Spectacular Park Slope Townhouse for $4.05M

By Diane Pham

Developer Matthew Blesso is doing a total architectural 180. Blesso, who used to call this uber-sleek Noho penthouse home, has just closed on a far more cozy historic construction in the heart of Park Slope according to city records filed today. No official listing could be found for the three-story pre-war home, but previous reports show that it was last being rented out by its former owner William Lawrence for about $11,000 a month. The neighborhood and the townhouse are certainly quite a change for Blesso, whose last home was about as modern and metropolitan as they get.
Have a gander inside this architectural gem ahead

February 18, 2015

Historic Home Labeled the ‘Height of the Heights’ Can Be Yours for $7.9M

Calling all historic preservationists, townhouse connoisseurs, and brownstone lovers. If you’re looking to nerd out on original detail and old polite-society New York, we may have found just the home for you. The broker of this bauble cleverly describes it as the “height of the Heights” because of its location in a quiet cul-de-sac at the highest elevation in Brooklyn Heights. The five-story home has only had a few owners, so it’s well-preserved, and it boasts a restored brownstone façade on a 125-foot lot.
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Distinctive Homes

February 17, 2015

$2.7M Countrified Brooklyn Heights Pad Offers the Best of Both Worlds

If you like your city with a side of country, you’ll love this Brooklyn Heights duplex penthouse on Remsen Street, asking $2.675 million. This place is the definition of the best of both worlds: a city pad with a bucolic vibe, original details with modern technology, plus it’s spacious and has a private planted deck while still being close to transportation and neighborhood hot spots. Yes, this penthouse definitely earns the title of most well-rounded.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 16, 2015

Historic Ship-Inspired Townhouse in Prospect Lefferts Gardens Hits the Market for $1.5M

It's not rare to find an amazing historic townhouse in Brooklyn, but this is a first for us–an Arts and Crafts-style home inspired by the original owner's career as a shipbuilder. Built in 1914, 26 Winthrop Street is a 20.5-foot-wide, three-story red brick house that sits on an extra-deep lot of 132.5 feet in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. What makes the residence one-of-a-kind is the living room, modeled after a ship's stateroom and complete with a vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling mahogany wainscoting.
See the rest of the house here

February 16, 2015

Darling Tin-Ceilinged One-Bedroom in the Heart of Gowanus Asks $2,550/Month

There’s a new rental available in up-and-coming Gowanus, and it’s asking $2,550 per month. This one-bedroom has a shared garden and laundry facilities along with a dizzying black-and-white checkered bathroom that will either make you fall in love or just get really disoriented. But even if that's not your thing, charming original details like tin ceilings and wide-plank hardwood floors more than make up for it.
Check out the rest of the rental

Distinctive Homes

February 13, 2015

Park Slope Brownstone with Seven Fireplaces Checks All the Boxes for $3.2M

From its meticulously maintained façade to the oh-so-gorgeous interior details to the amazing private garden, this well-loved four-story residence at 113 6th Avenue is what Park Slope brownstone living is all about. Twelve-foot-high tray ceilings welcome you into the well-apportioned living room, where extra-tall windows drench the sizable space with sunlight and a stunning marble fireplace makes a grand impression as one of the home's seven warm hearths.
See how many fireplaces you can find

Distinctive Homes

February 13, 2015

Tiny Brooklyn Apartment Is Covered with 25,000 Ping Pong Balls

From afar, the walls of this tiny Brooklyn apartment look they're covered in geometric wallpaper, but get up close and you're in for quite the surprise. Daniel Arsham, partner and co-founder of Snarkitecture, a cross-disciplinary firm that blends art and architecture, used 25,000 ping pong balls that had lost their bounce to create this incredible wall mosaic as part of an accelerated design experiment.
More on this incredible design

New Report Shows It’s More Expensive to Rent in Queens than in Brooklyn

Ridgewood via Cameron Baylock

February 12, 2015

New Report Shows It’s More Expensive to Rent in Queens than in Brooklyn

A new report released today by Douglas Elliman shows that Queens has surpassed Brooklyn in most expensive rents. The median montly rent in Western Queens rose to $2,905 in January, a 30.7 percent jump from the same time last year. That's $4 more than North and Northwest Brooklyn's median rent, which only rose 2.5 percent to $2,901. We shouldn't be so surprised, though. With constant news of skyrocketing prices in Brooklyn, a lot of attention has been turned to Queens, especially up-and-coming neighborhoods like Ridgewood, as well as already-established hip spots such as Long Island City and Astoria.
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Real Estate Trends

February 12, 2015

Following a Two-Year Renovation, Park Slope’s ‘Lighthouse’ Asks $7.5M

A gut-renovated four-story townhouse on Garfield Place has just hit the market, asking $7.5 million. The owners of the “Lighthouse,” as it’s been christened, paid $2.6 million for it back in 2012. Then they hauled in the big guns—CWB Architects, Tamara Eaton Design, and Pilaster Contracting—to give it an intense two-year makeover. The result is a gorgeous five-bedroom home with Dinesen Douglas fir floors, a solarium, 880 square feet of exterior space, and a new two-story glass extension and rear wall.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 12, 2015

Spectacular Park Slope Mansion Comes with Private Parking and a Twice-Reduced Price