Outdoor Space

No matter how lavish, developer and flipper renovations rarely hold a candle to the custom designs executed by architects for their clients' homes–even more so when the architects are the clients and the homes are their own. This unassuming townhouse at 702 Monroe Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the market for $1.635 million, is a prime example. In this case, the innovative pair behind architecture firm noroof (they received national recognition for their "Slot House" and specialize in designing small spaces) worked their creative and practical magic on a comparatively compact historic Brooklyn townhouse with a unique front porch and a lot of potential charm. Based on love and respect for the porch as a gathering, sheltering and enhancing element, they've named the resulting project "porchouse," an elegantly-designed home with a clean, modern interior that's perfect for family living–with plenty of curb appeal.
See how the magic happened

November 2, 2015

For $699K, a Private Backyard and Tons of Charm in the Heart of Hell’s Kitchen

Have you ever gazed out of your office window with envy at a sweet private back garden or cool roof deck right in the middle of Manhattan? This one-bedroom co-op at 315 West 55th Street is one of those. On a beloved residential block in Hell's Kitchen on the city's West Side, this updated apartment has enough room for comfort and the added bonus of a landscaped, full-sized back garden oasis. It's perfect in spring and summer, but magical year-round as it's visible through a pair of sliding glass doors whenever you enter the living room.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

October 30, 2015

Insane Skylights at this $18 Million Tribeca Penthouse Loft

140 Franklin Street in Tribeca is a prewar building designed by Albert Wagner (also the architect of the Puck Building in Soho) in 1887. It's considered one of the city's best Romanesque Revival buildings, with its grand arched windows and detailed facade. Although it was built for the Walton Company, a manufacturer of wrapping papers, it has since been converted into 12 luxe condo apartments. This one, a penthouse unit, occupies the entire top two floors of the building and spans over 4,000 square feet. The skylights in here are just as grand as the building facade, creating a truly awe-worthy living area. And don't even get us started on the 1,640-square-foot roof top patio...
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Distinctive Homes

October 23, 2015

$26K/Month Soho Penthouse Gets Great Light and Has a Huge Outdoor Space

Everywhere you look in this massive Soho penthouse, located at 27 Howard Street, you've got big windows and streaming light. This bright space has a lot of other perks, too–it's a duplex with a backyard, there are 12-foot ceilings, and the master bedroom is a whopping 900 square feet and has its own movie projector setup. Of course, the Soho penthouse life isn't cheap, as it'll cost you $26,000 a month to live here. Prices like that come with celebrity perks, too; Jonah Hill was trying to sell his apartment in the building last year.
See the apartment

Distinctive Homes

October 22, 2015

Historic Charlie Parker Townhouse in Alphabet City Hits the Market for $9M

By Dana Schulz

From 1950 to 1954 jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker, along with his common-law wife Chan Richardson, lived in the garden-floor apartment at this townhouse at 151 Avenue B in Alphabet City. It was here, at the height of his career, that Parker and his family would share Sunday dinners at a dining table shaped like a G clef, but according to his stepdaughter Kim Parker, the saxophonist liked to keep work and personal life separate, so only classical music was played in the house. In honor of the music great, Avenue B between 7th and 10th Streets was renamed Charlie Parker Place in 1992, and the historic 1849 Gothic Revival house was landmarked in 1999. And now you can own a piece of this history, as the Post reports that the home and its five apartments has hit the market for $9.25 million.
Learn more about the Charlie Parker Residence

October 22, 2015

Wine-Making Artists Called This $6.8M UWS Townhouse Home for Over 50 Years

Like many a New York City address, this classic townhouse at 307 West 103rd Street has a creative legacy as well as a rich history as a family home. The Queen Anne bow-front on a tree-lined Upper West Side block was, since 1956, the family home of Leonard and Chiarina "Cherie" Tredanari, a sculptor couple who also happened to be winemakers (as per the listing, The New York Times called theirs "one of the rarest Italian wine labels in the world"). Leonard's career could have been right out of "Mad Men:" He was a live TV director in the '60s for JFK's presidential campaign and president of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), where he created The Director's Studio. Leonard passed away in 2003 and his wife followed in February of this year at the age of 96. The family's longtime home is now on the market for $6.795 million. While the historic four-story townhouse with so many original details intact is a treasure in its own right, its artistic and artisan past add a compelling energy, from the unassumingly creative decor to a cellar filled with wine casks and vintners' equipment.
Have a look inside

Distinctive Homes

October 22, 2015

Cool Co-op Asks $2.195 Million in the Thomas English Muffin Building

The English muffin has a pretty notable history in New York City. In 1874, Samuel Bath Thomas–yes, that Thomas–left England to sell English muffins to the New York masses, and his recipe was a hit. For a long time, he baked underneath the Chelsea townhouse at 337 West 20th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, which you can read all about here. But before he baked there, he got his start at another Chelsea building, at 161 9th Avenue. This very first New York bakery of his is now the site of the two-bedroom co-op on the market for $2.195 million. It's a cool duplex space with an even cooler private garden.
See the whole place

Distinctive Homes

$4M Chelsea Loft Boasts Tons of Stylish Space Inside and Out

This Chelsea co-op, located at 139 West 19th Street, has got lots of things going for it: it's super stylish, has some great interior details, there's an expansive living room along with two full bedrooms and bathrooms, and it has a huge backyard that will incite envy. It's also located in a charming central location on 19th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The cost for all this good stuff comes in at $3.895 million.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2015

$20M Tribeca Penthouse Has a 25-Foot Skylight, a Heavenly Terrace and an Industrial Past

Designed in 1887 for a wrapping paper manufacturer by architect Albert Wagner, who also designed the iconic Puck Building, 140 Franklin Street was converted to a 12-unit boutique residential condominium at the turn of the 21st century. Considered one of the city's most handsome Romanesque Revival-style buildings, it's a study in enviable contrasts; apartments have original cast iron columns, for example, and the building boasts a state-of-the-art water filtration system. Notable neighbors: J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler has an apartment on the fifth floor that he put on the market earlier this year for $35 million. To help put this super-fancy loft–and its fancy price of $19.95 million–in context: Penthouse A was designed for the building conversion's developer; it's on the market for the first time since the building was converted. There are 5,000 square feet of interior space on two floors, plus a spectacular 2,200 square-foot roof terrace. The unit is listed as having only seven rooms, but many of them are the kind of oversized loft space to which the term "room" almost doesn't apply.
More penthouse this way

Distinctive Homes

September 27, 2015

This $6,500/Month Murray Hill Rental Says City Apartment in Front, Suburban House in Back

Here's a NYC apartment that's thoroughly Manhattan, but, if you're standing in the right spot, could be any suburban home. Located in a bustling East Side spot that's either Gramercy, Kips Bay, Murray Hill or Midtown South, depending on whom you talk to, this two-bedroom garden condop at 242 East 25th Street just hit the rental market for $6,500/month. And if you can't bear to part with it, you're in luck, it's also for sale (asking $1.995 million). The apartment is only 939 square feet, but it's well-configured, with bedrooms on either side of spacious common areas–and, more importantly, one of those areas is a glass-walled solarium that overlooks a 785-square-foot private deck and backyard that extends your space in a way most New Yorkers envy.
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Distinctive Homes

September 16, 2015

Lang Architecture Updates a Carroll Gardens Brownstone With a Two-Story Wall of Windows

By Rebecca Paul

Prior to renovation, this Carroll Gardens brownstone came complete with tattered wall-to-wall carpeting and three separate apartment units. Plus, it was just 14 feet wide. The arduous task of transforming the four-story Italianate home into an attractive one-family residence was awarded to Drew Lang of Lang Architecture (the same firm responsible for Hudson Woods, the Catskills eco-community). When first approached, Lang's clients said they wanted to restore the historic elements of the house, but also make it feel airy, light, and modern.
See how Drew Lang rose to the challenge

September 15, 2015

Fort Greene Townhouse, Up for Rent at $8,500 a Month, Has Its Very Own Treehouse

If a New York townhouse is only as good as its outdoor space, this place in Fort Greene is one of the best. Located at 283 Adelphi Street, the historic brick house boasts a beautiful interior with both modern and historic touches, and then a downright awesome exterior. A fire pit, an outdoor dining area, and yes, there's a treehouse. (It looks just large enough to fit a grownup, too!) Simply put: this house has us sold, inside and out. It's up for rent during a six-month period–January 2016 to June 2016–asking $8,500 a month.
See it all

July 31, 2015

$5,100/Month Prospect Heights Townhouse Duplex Is So Brooklyn

There's a certain type of interior style you see a lot in Brooklyn these days. It's historic, with original wood floors and fireplaces and crown moldings. But there's also something very modern to it, maybe in the lighting or the kitchen design or the furniture. This apartment, a duplex at 598 Bergen Street in Prospect Heights, covers all those bases. It's got the perfect Brooklyn vibe throughout both floors of the townhouse rental–even the listing calls it the "classic Brooklyn townhouse." It's asking $5,100 a month.
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Distinctive Homes

July 30, 2015

Former Nets Star Deron Williams Lists Trophy Tribeca Penthouse for $33.5M

By Annie Doge

Now that he's taking over as the starting point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, Deron Williams is parting ways with his massive Tribeca penthouse. The Post reports that the former Nets star has listed the 6,800-square-foot duplex at 35 North Moore Street for $33.5 million. The stunning, six-bedroom "trophy" apartment also boasts 3,000 square feet of private outdoor gardens, huge 17-foot ceilings with wrap-around skylights, a climate-controlled wine room, and a custom-made floating staircase.
Check it out here

My 1,000sqft: Tour an Interior Designer’s Classic Greenwich Village Apartment and Terrace

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the heart of Greenwich Village. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!

July 29, 2015

My 1,000sqft: Tour an Interior Designer’s Classic Greenwich Village Apartment and Terrace

By Dana Schulz

Sylvia Jacobson used to walk around Greenwich Village's winding, leafy streets, admiring the old buildings and dreaming that one day she'd live in the picturesque neighborhood. And 38 years ago, she did just that. When she and her husband moved into their fifth-floor walkup they had a lot of work to do–from putting up shelves and drawers in the little kitchen, to creating a multi-purpose room that could serve as a den as well as a studio for Sylvia's writing and interior design careers, to creating a usable terrace on an empty rooftop space. Now, almost four decades later, the apartment has withstood the test of time, bringing together clever design ideas and classic decor. We were lucky enough to get a tour of this 1,000-square-foot home and its stunning 500-square-foot terrace, complete with views of neighboring buildings and even One World Trade Center. Join us to see how elegant, tasteful design never goes out of style.
Step inside Sylvia's home here

July 23, 2015

Crown Heights Townhouse with 18 Rooms Asks $11,000 a Month

Oftentimes renting in Brooklyn means cramming into a modest apartment with roommates or building out a loft bed in a former warehouse space. You don't typically think of sharing a massive three-story townhouse. But this historic home at 851 Park Place in Crown Heights is now on the rental market for $11,000 a month. There are eight bedrooms total (!), plenty of well-kept historic details, and extra spaces like a library and card room. Not a bad way to rent in Brooklyn.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

July 22, 2015

Everything About This Park Slope Co-op Is Cozy and Cute

This Park Slope co-op at 348 12th Street, is by no means small–in fact, it has three bedrooms, which is sprawling when you compare it to most other Brooklyn co-op apartments. But there's still something about it that feels cozy, homey, and just downright cute. This unit is also located in a modest eight-unit brick building that's quite charming, in one of the loveliest areas of Park Slope. So how much for all this Brooklyn charm? It is now on the market for $1.175 million.
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Distinctive Homes

July 21, 2015

This Sweet West Village Rental Will Win You Over with Its Oversized Windows and Private Roof Deck

There's a cute new two-bedroom rental listed at 255 West 4th Street. The floor-through apartment features two wood-burning fireplaces, a renovated bathroom and kitchen, walk-in closets and skylights, in 1,000 square feet of space. There's also a sizable private roof deck with panoramic city views. And it's available just in time for fall, in early to mid-September.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

July 17, 2015

Cute Pad with Cozy Fireplace in the Heart of Chelsea Asks $650,000

Here's a cheery, sunny pad at 333 West 21st Street, on one of Chelsea's best blocks. This 575-square-foot one-bedroom apartment has prewar details, high quality finishes and a prime location right by the High Line. It last sold two years ago for roughly $525,000, and now it's back on the market, asking $650,000.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

July 15, 2015

$900,000 East Village Co-op Comes with the Perfect Terrace for a BBQ

If you live in the East Village, it's a given that your friends are going to turn to you for the latest restaurant and late-night recommendations. But all that responsibility can get a little overwhelming. That's why this charming co-op is such a great option–it's right in the middle of all the trendy neighborhood action, but it also offers an outdoor terrace perfect for a barbecue, as well as a flexible layout for when you want to bring the party indoors. The completely renovated one- or two-bedroom co-op at 315 East 12th Street is available for $899,000.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

July 10, 2015

Charming Brooklyn Heights Duplex with Versatile Backyard Asks $1.25M

Here's a nice two-bedroom garden duplex with oversized windows and prewar details, located on a serene block on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. This $1.25 million, 1,000-square-foot pad offers a renovated kitchen and bathroom and a beautiful shared backyard with a private entrance onto Hunts Lane with its famed carriage houses.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

July 6, 2015

Call Chelsea’s Historic Samuel Turner House Your Home for $17.95M