Black

T Magazine & Rad Hourani provide an inside look at the new exhibition in Antwerp “BLACK. Masters of Black in Fashion and Costume”

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Cast Iron NY

I’m heading to New York at the end of the week and the anticipation is already getting to me.

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The Sandpit

“A day in the life of New York City, in miniature.”

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Penn Station Pre-Demolition

I love how these images perfectly capture the lightness and airy qualities of the architecture. New York lost a real treasure when they tore this down to build a standard high-rise in its place.

Images courtesy New York Public Library Flickr

NY

Leaving for NY tomorrow morning. I may or may not be posting during the weekend away.

Images courtesy jpmartineau and jefg99

632 East 14th St. NY, NY

Living room

Living room

Kitchen

Kitchen

Bed room

Exterior

Floorplan

Lovely south facing 1 bedroom apartment in a very well maintained walk-up building in the heart of the East Village. Cross-town bus RIGHT across the street and L Train is just a short walk away. The building has a private garden, bike room, storage room. Pets are allowed.

Price: $360,000
Maint/CC: $489

This listing from Prudential Douglas Elliman features a small 1 bedroom in the East Village. The building has a lot of character which is rare for something so cheap. And speaking of cheap, the maintenance is less than $500 a month. I love the trim in the kitchen and living room as well as the decorative fireplace. I can’t really tell the state of the floors but I would probably sand and stain them a bright white to make the space appear bigger since it already has nice sized ceilings. I would also continue the trim treatment into the bedroom. Looking at the numerous windows there doesn’t seem to be any sort of view to speak of which is really disappointing. Lastly, the kitchen has a lot of room for renovations and since there are no images of the bathroom, I’m assuming the same goes for that as well. I would imagine if you fix this place up nicely, you could probably sell this thing for $450,000+ when the market turns.

Images and description courtesy Prudential Douglas Elliman

Melissa Tubbs

Melissa Tubbs — Hunt Memorial, NYC (pen and ink)

Melissa Tubbs — Steeple Beasties (pen and ink)

Melissa Tubbs — Beresford House, Centeral Park West, NYC (pen and ink)

Nicely rendered architectural studies by NY-based Melissa Tubbs.

Images courtesy Melissa Tubbs’s Blogspot

Work can be purchased @ Melissa Tubbs’s Etsy

M127

Exterior

Lower exterior

Rear exterior

Interior bay

M127 Website

SHoP Architects Website

56 Leonard

Beautiful typographic rendering of 56 Leonard

56 Leonard skyline

56 Leonard skyline at night

56 Leonard daytime exterior closeup

56 Leonard nighttime exterior closeup

56 Leonard street level w/ Anish Kapoor sculpture

56 Leonard interior pool

56 Leonard video

56 Leonard is probably my favorite stalled project in NY right now. It was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. It is just a beautiful project all around with a lot of interesting interior spaces which you can read all about on their website.

Images courtesy Eikongraphia

56 Leonard Website

23 East 10th Street – Apt: 811

Livingroom

Livingroom — view to loft & bathroom

Kitchen

Terrace

Floorplan

I’m a huge real estate buff. I love everything about it but the New York market especially interests me. The diversity of available apartments/houses, the unique pricing structure, and the fast-paced environment really fascinate me. I’ve been debating whether I want to introduce this large aspect of my life into my art/design blog and I’ve finally decided to let it in. I think there are a lot of similarities between real estate and design. When you design a product or an image, it has the potential of staying with someone for a long time. This is directly relative to a place to live for obvious reasons. You’re actively choosing where you want to live your life, what views out of your windows you want to see each and every day, where you want to make your food, where you want to sleep, etc. It is an enormous decision that people make everyday and they all have different approaches and desires going into finding a place to live.

Personally, I can’t imagine living anywhere but NY after I graduate. I check on the market daily through blogs and realtor websites. I will begin posting places of interest to me. I look at everything from the cheapest possible co-op apartment to the largest townhouse available in Manhattan so you can expect a variety of postings and hopefully can find an appreciation for them.

Today, I’m looking at 23 East 10th Street in Greenwich Village. It is selling for a very reasonable $550,000 however the maintenance charge is very high @ $1,238 and they’re asking 25% down. The apartment is situated in The Albert. Here is the description from the website:

Sunny and Charming. Simply put… a very special home. Greenwich Village 600 sf two level, corner studio with a loft feel and a one of a kind planted terrace. Chestnut hardwood floors, large windows, walk in closet/dressing room, exposed brick throughout, new stainless kitchen, updated/windowed bath and extra built ins throughout. The Albert is a full service pre-war cooperative on a landmarked, tree-lined Greenwich Village block. The building has 24 hour door staff, live-in superintendent, porters, a renovated lobby, and a beautifully landscaped roofdeck. Reasonable board allows parental purchase, pied-a-terre, and pets. Call or email for an appointment!

Not so bad right? Half a million will typically barely fetch you a one-bedroom but you’re getting an entire other level in this place. I can see squeezing a twin bed on that second level along with a cozy desk and you have a magnificent place to work at home with all of that beautiful light (you will realize I’m a big window guy. If there isn’t enough light then you’re just not winning me over). And speaking of light, how about this corner unit with 8 windows total with a sizable one in the bathroom. I know the description says the bathroom is renovated but from that second picture it looks like the tub is… red? I think there is a lot of room for improvements in this place which is why I love it so much. The kitchen is decent but I think those are formica countertops and no backsplash? Definitely get some granite in there with a nice backsplash and you’ll really start to see the value increase. The exposed brick from a pre-war is always amazing to see. There is such a wide range of color in that wall. Also, the amount of storage space this place offers is huge. Never mind the walk-in closet, you have an additional 3 other closets for storage. Lastly, how can you deny that terrace? An amazing size for the apartment, a little more than 160 sqf. I would just lay out there all day with my laptop during the weekend. This is seriously such a fantastic place. I’m jealous!!

Facts, images, and listing courtesy Corcoran.