Architecture And Design

With winter just around the corner, now is a good time to take stock of what you've got packed away in the warm blanket department. If you're coming up short, these City Quilt throws from Haptic Lab can provide both warmth and style. Replicating the age-old tradition of quilting, the Brooklyn-based studio hand-stitches city maps–including details like roadways, rivers, and city blocks–onto fluffy 60-inch x 70-inch cotton blankets. They're available for both Brooklyn and Manhattan (as well as other big cities like Paris, Boston, and Chicago), and Haptic will even add custom details for an extra fee.
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November 17, 2015

325-Square-Foot Greenwich Village Apartment Is Smartly Designed to Pack All the Comforts of Home

NYC is an exciting city that often sets the stage for non-stop, action-packed living. But this fast-paced lifestyle often comes at the cost of some serious square footage. This didn't stop seasoned New Yorker and producer Andrea Mitchell from successfully putting together a stylish and efficient home with just 325 square feet to work with. Located in Greenwich Village, her tiny apartment includes all the comforts of home and mixes simple Ikea buys with eclectic flea market finds. In a recent interview with Inhabitat, she reveals some savvy design tips for living large in a small space.
Get the scoop

November 17, 2015

The World’s Largest Display of Miniatures Is Coming to Times Square in 2017

By Diane Pham

Micro is all the rage in NYC right now, and currently in the works is another teensy project with designs on taking up a less-than-diminutive space in the heart of Times Square. Called Gulliver's Gate, this miniature spectacular will showcase more than 300 buildings, 1,000-plus model trains, cars and planes, and a vast collection of 3D-printed global replicas that include Times Square, Grand Central, and lower Manhattan, to become the biggest Lilliputian installation in the world at 49,000 square feet. According to Crain's, Gulliver's Gate has just signed a 15-year lease for the first and second floors of the former New York Times Building at 216 West 44th Street. The attraction, "the largest, most intricate, most technologically advanced display anywhere" according co-creator Eiran Gazit, will cost $30 million to build.
Find out more here

November 16, 2015

New Renderings of SuperPier: Google’s New NYC Digs + Bourdain Food Market To Arrive in 2018

Last month at the Municipal Arts Society's (MAS) 2015 Summit for NYC, Seth Pinsky, executive vice president at RXR Realty, shared a presentation regarding the development of the long-planned rehabilitation and conversion of Pier 57 aka "SuperPier." In addition to some new looks at the project, he revealed that the developers have largely secured financing and are finalizing talks with the Hudson River Park Trust. RXR are co-developing the project with Young Woo & Associates, and Handel Architects and !Melk Landscape Architecture and Urban Design are the commissioned designers. According to Pinsky, the 450,000-square-foot development will invest $350 million of private capital to redevelop the structure, and in return create hundreds of jobs, generate millions of dollars of revenue for the Hudson River Park Trust, and create a new destination for New Yorkers and visitors alike. The former NYCEDC head confirmed that the project will include 250,000 square feet of office space for a major technology company [Google], a 170,000-square-foot food and retail market [Anthony Bourdain], and an elevated park with an outdoor movie and performance amphitheater on the roof to be used for screenings for the Tribeca Film Festival. He also noted construction will begin during the first half of next year, with completion aimed for early 2018.
Lots more renderings and details ahead

November 16, 2015

This 80-Story I.M. Pei-Designed Tower Almost Replaced Grand Central

The year was 1956. Plans to demolish Penn Station hadn't yet been set into motion. But plans to demolish NYC's other famous train station were well underway. When Grand Central was constructed in 1913, its architects envisioned that it would one day be the base of a skyscraper, but in the early 1950s, developers hoped to demolish the terminal altogether to make way for what would have been the tallest building in the world. Famed architect I.M Pei was tasked with the job, and he designed an 80-story, hourglass-shaped, futuristic tower known as the Hyperboloid.
More details and a video on the never-built project

November 16, 2015

REVEALED: Inside Bjarke Ingels’ Spectacular 57th Street Tetrahedron

By Diane Pham

Those moving into Bjarke Ingels epic pyramid VIA 57 West next year will have a lot to look forward to. New renderings of the hotly-anticipated construction sited along West 57th Street have just been released (h/t Curbed) alongside a new teaser website inviting visitors "to a special preview" of the building. The new images, which come courtesy of The Durst Organization, reveal bright modern interiors with expansive river views, floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, varying room shapes, individual balconies, and lots of luxe fixtures, finishes and amenities.
Take a tour here

This Park Slope Townhouse Is Just 12 Feet Wide!

This single-family home located on a street where Windsor Terrace meets Park Slope measures a very narrow twelve feet in width. However, a recent renovation of the skinny space by Redtop Architects makes up for the lack of stretching room with efficient planning and good design. Large windows and skylights are used to fill the home with natural light from all directions, in turn creating a sense of spaciousness that defies the structure's restricted width.
Tour the narrow house

November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design

November 13, 2015

Construction Update: 45 East 22nd Street, Flatiron’s Future Tallest Tower, Gets Glassed

The emerald glass skin of Ian Bruce Eichner’s 45 East 22nd Street has begun its rise. The 777-foot-tall tower's structure is more than halfway up and the development team recently announced that sales have already surpassed the 50 percent mark. The svelte spire designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), sports a granite base with a sculptural glass tower that gradually broadens as it ascends. The architects have said that the juxtaposition between the base and tower stems from a difference of opinion between the developer and architects. Originally, KPF proposed an all-glass tower, which Eichner felt would too strongly clash with the masonry aesthetic of the Flatiron District. Ultimately, KPF embraced a stone base and a team was sent to China to select and procure each granite piece that would be arranged in an irregular and non-linear fashion.
See more right this way

November 12, 2015

VIDEO: What It’s Like to Pull Into a $1 Million Parking Spot at Annabelle Selldorf’s 42 Crosby

Soho's 42 Crosby Street left us all astounded last year when it was revealed that each of its ten on-site parking spaces would be priced at one-million dollars a pop. On a per square foot basis, the 200-square-foot rectangles will fetch more than the three-bedroom condominiums upstairs. The cool modernists at Selldorf Architects designed the 111-foot tall building, which is now finally getting its layered facade of metal and glass. We admit, the exterior is not nearly as exciting as what's depicted in the renderings, but remember, it's not yet finished! So while we await Selldorf's magic to fully brew, watch this terrific film created by VUW Studio, which shows what it feels like to be that lucky automobile coming home to its seven-figure parking spot.
Watch the envy-inducing video in its entirety here

November 12, 2015

Unclog Your Smartphone Brain With These Urban ‘Maps From the Mind’

Without GPS and Google Maps, most of us probably wouldn't be able to get from point A to point B within our own cities. That's where these clever Maps from the Mind come in (h/t Fast Co. Design). Designed by Archie Archambault, the maps are intended to jog our memories of the basic layouts of cities, bringing our brains back to the pre-digital age of road maps and actual sense of direction. Archambault swaps traditional street grids in favor of basic circles. Not only does it create a graphic look, but it's easy to have the circles represent size and connection.
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November 12, 2015

$22K/Month West Village Townhouse Was an Underground Railroad Stop

Over the weekend, 6sqft brought you a listing for a charmingly historic upstate house that was once an Underground Railroad safe house. With its location on sprawling land in a small town, this makes sense, but even houses in bustling New York City played a role in the historic story. There was the 1830s historic mansion at 45 Grove Street, and there's this 1847 West Village townhouse at 95 Barrow Street. The Post reports that the home, now on the rental market for $21,900 a month, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The three-bedroom residence retains its historic details in the form of exposed brick walls galore, wooden beamed ceilings, and original wide-plank pine floors. But it's also recently undergone a gut renovation that added modern amenities such as radiant heat flooring (and sidewalk!), a chic kitchen, and lots of custom built-ins.
Check it out

November 12, 2015

POLL: Will Brooklyn Soon Have a Tower as Tall as Manhattan?

Earlier this week, 6sqft published the official renderings for Brooklyn’s first 1,000-foot tower, making it the tallest building in the outer boroughs. Prior to this, rumors were circulating that the SHoP-designed structure could actually rise higher than the 1,250-foot Empire State Building. To some, this may seem a little far-fetched, but others think it’s just a matter […]

Architecture And Design

November 12, 2015

Ludovic Falédam’s Celestial Luminaries Take Inspiration From Greek Mythology

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Inspired by ancient Greek mythology, Ludovic Falédam from Barbadine Design created a series of sculptural pendants that will make any living space shine. When creating the lamp, the French designer was particularly interested in the story of queen Cassiopeia and her daughter Andromeda, both of whom in their tale abandon their human bodies to become a constellation of stars. Beautiful and intricate like the story itself, these luminaries will bring the celestial patterns into your home—something we don’t see much of in New York City.
find out more here

November 11, 2015

432 Park in Numbers: New Renderings and Superlatives Will Blow You Away

Now that Macklowe Properties'/CIM Group's 432 Park Avenue is nearing completion, with occupancy slated to begin in mid-2016 and 70 percent of units reportedly in contract, the development's marketing and branding agency DBOX has released a bevy of never-before-seen images of our skyline's newest icon. Being the tower of superlatives it is, it comes as no surprise that it boasts a marketing campaign to match. Employing sky-cams, drone photography, a million-dollar film, and breath-taking renderings and photography, 432 Park has perhaps the most elaborate promotional campaign ever conceived for a Manhattan condominium. With dozens of spectacular images to choose from, we hand picked a few to recap the development of this monumental supertower. We've also put together a timeline in numbers–from its record breaking height to its 1,200-pound marble sinks–to illustrate the extraordinary undertaking that has paved the way for the tower to become the most successful and desirable condominium ever erected in the city (sorry One57).
See it all right here

November 11, 2015

The Gazel Sofa Features a Wrap-Around Shelving Unit Perfect for Space-Starved New Yorkers

Finding the right piece of furniture to fit your living space can be the difference between a happy and a cluttered home. And as New Yorkers, most of us are working with limited square footage and need to make these decisions considering both space and function. The Gazel sofa and shelving unit designed by Faruk Malhan for Koleksiyon is a great example of the multifunctional pieces we city dwellers should be looking for. Its elegant and modern design features wrap-around shelving, adding both visual interest and functionality to what otherwise would be a lackluster surface.
Check it out

November 10, 2015

Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook

As adults, most of our time is spent at work, and it seems unfair that we're no longer given the opportunity to delve into our creative side as often as when we were children. However the trend of adult coloring books it helping to right this injustice, and new to its roster of titles is the "Coloring Notebook." This clever take combines all of the joys of a coloring book with the convenience of a compact notebook.
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Interview: Ansonia Insider Michel Madie Shares Stories of the Iconic NYC Building

Photo of the Ansonia by Jeffrey Zeldman

November 10, 2015

Interview: Ansonia Insider Michel Madie Shares Stories of the Iconic NYC Building

By 6sqft

Today, the Upper West Side's Ansonia is considered one of the city's most iconic and prestigious addresses. With former residents ranging from Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gustav Mahler, Babe Ruth and more recently Natalie Portman, its history reaches far back. And along its more than century-old ride, it's no surprise that it has also attracted plenty of strange activity, including playing host to what probably was the city's first rooftop farm in 1904 and a debaucherous sex club known as Plato's Retreat. While there's lots of ground to cover when looking back on this 111-year-old building, we decided to tap an insider for his take on this storied structure. Michel Madie of Michel Madie Real Estate Services has over the years become an unofficial historian of sorts to the Ansonia. Madie moved from France to New York in 1984 and almost immediately fell in love with the French-inspired building. However, being near-penniless at the time, the thought of ever taking up space in such a grand building seemed like just a dream. But as he found success in the real estate business, he focused his attention on the Ansonia. He eventually purchased an apartment and then spent decades tending to the architecture, restoring its original layouts and recreating original finishes and fixtures in the building's many units whenever the opportunity would arise. During this time, Madie also learned a thing or two about the residence, stories which he shares with 6sqft ahead.
stories from michel this way

November 9, 2015

Rendering Revealed for Brooklyn’s First 1,000-Foot Tower

News broke back in August that Brooklyn's first tower over 1,000 feet might rise in Downtown Brooklyn as the result of the $90 million acquisition of Brooklyn’s landmarked Dime Savings Bank building by JDS Development. Previously, they bought the site next door for $43 million, and combined with the bank's 300,000 square feet of development rights, they acquired the means to build a tower of nearly 600,000 square feet at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension. 6sqft got a taste of what's to come when we revealed a video that showed the insane views from the top of the could-be tower, but now Yimby has unveiled the official renderings and specs for the project, which come courtesy of starchitects SHoP. As previously speculated, it will reach 1,000 feet, making it the tallest building in the outer boroughs. The 90-story, vaguely Art Deco tower will have 466,000 square feet of residential space, amounting to 550 condo units, as well as 140,000 square feet of commercial space.
More on the development ahead

November 9, 2015

Tiny House ‘MUJI Huts’ Will Start at Just $25,000