Lofts

With two exposures, 11-foot ceilings and walls of windows, this 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom loft condo in the Toy Factory Lofts at 176 Johnson Street has its heart in the right place–even if its bathroom isn't. The historic 1926 building–once the home of Tudor Metal Products and birthplace of many mid-20th-century toys–lends itself to authentic loft living in ever-changing Downtown Brooklyn. A modern renovation makes loft living easy–with a possible exception or two–and the $1.25 million ask comes with low carrying costs.
About that bathroom

Distinctive Homes

May 23, 2017

$2.3M Williamsburg triplex is clad in cedar from NYC’s iconic water towers

This expansive Williamsburg triplex was once a part of the flagship retail space for a children's clothing manufacturer--when the cast iron building was constructed in the 1880s, the first floor held retail while the sewing machines, shears and bosses occupied the upper floors. Now the building, located at 138 Broadway, is known as the Smith Gray condominium, and this apartment is asking $2.3 million. Over 2,300 square feet, you'll spot tin ceilings, Corinthian columns and exposed structural brick. While those are pretty typical loft details, this apartment boasts one of the more unique lofts in Brooklyn. It's clad with reclaimed cedar from New York's iconic wooden water towers, which results in a cozy loft enclosure that can be opened via specially-designed casement windows.
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Distinctive Homes

May 16, 2017

This $2.2M Noho loft takes storage to a whole new level

This light-filled loft at 718 Broadway on a bustling stretch of Noho has 1,300 square feet of space to live in—and a New Yorker's dream of storage space to stash your stuff. Just listed for $2.2 million, the massive downtown apartment is the perfect refuge from the city. And, can you really go wrong with eight-foot windows and twelve-foot ceilings?
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

May 15, 2017

Rent Jennifer Lawrence’s Tribeca pad for $27.5K a month

After a fairly lengthy house hunt, Jennifer Lawrence dropped $9 million on a sprawling Tribeca loft in January. The apartment is at 443 Greenwich Street, which has become a celeb hot spot due to its "paparazzi-proof" amenities such as a below-grade parking and a private interior courtyard. But now that she's in London filming "Red Sparrow," Lawrence has put the home on the rental market, first listing it in February for $30,000 a month and now dropping the price to $27,500 (h/t TRD). Whoever inks the lease will be able to call Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, and Harry Styles their neighbors.
More ahead

May 3, 2017

Bowerbird architects create a custom nest in a Boerum Hill loft with details in steel and reclaimed wood

"Everything evolves," begins the mission statement by architecture and design firm Bowerbird, explaining how their namesake (the bowerbird) evolved to design and decorate its home with an eye for detail. The firm explores the idea that good design and creativity similarly "does not spring forth in a single moment of inspired genius;" they work to produce an uncommon solution for each undertaking. Evolved design is definitely in effect in this Boerum Hill loft, resulting in a home with a fresh look that leaves crowded, overdone design and cold, unfinished lofts in the dust. Rooms are polished, elegant and comfortable without being fussy. And natural and reclaimed details aren’t contrived, but rather fit in well with the former factory’s big-shouldered loft bones.
See more of this timeless loft design

April 19, 2017

This bold corner loft will remind you of Williamsburg’s early artist outpost days

The 1,800-square-foot pre-war loft in the Northside Arts Industries Condominium is as classic as it gets, with impossibly high ceilings, exposed brick, wood beams and pipes and a flexible layout. The New York Times tells us that the building was developed back in 1983, when the neighborhood's north side was a burned-out jumble of factories, ethnic enclaves and a smattering of artists. The latter had come to escape Soho rents, taking over abandoned factories and warehouses and paying rents that averaged around $550 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. In 1986, a loft space in the building could be rented for $5 a square foot. Today, a sprawling home at 119 North 11th Street asks $8,500 a month ($57 a foot) and the trendy and amenity-packed neighborhood's artists have (mostly) escaped eastward once again.
Find out more about this totally 21st century loft

Distinctive Homes

April 11, 2017

Spend the summer creating in this Soho artists’ loft with a giant studio for $7,300 a month

This 2,500 square-foot full-floor space at 458 Broadway definitely captures the essence of the timeless Soho artists' loft, from the enormous window-lined studio to the sleek loft kitchen and colorful bath. It's available for rent from June through August for $7,300 a month; furnished and in the midst of non-stop Soho, it could be the perfect way to step into the loft life for the summer.
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Distinctive Homes

April 4, 2017

An upscale renovation transformed this $3.75M Williamsburg loft with a dramatic wall of glass

Gritty artist loft this is not--a high-end renovation for this pad in the Mill Building, located at 85-101 North 3rd Street in Williamsburg, left it feeling more like a luxury condo. (The $3.75 million price tag, too, befits a luxury listing.) While the former warehouse's exposed wood ceiling beams remain, new additions include a fancy kitchen with marble finishes, custom push button light switches throughout, and a sleek, glass-walled office space.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

April 3, 2017

$4.75M Soho loft in an artists’ co-op is authentic but not outdated

This $4.75 million Soho loft at 138 Grand Street--in one of the neighborhood's original artists’ co-op buildings--is an authentic 1977 conversion that's completely updated for today’s live/work demands. The Ironclad Artists' loft building is a six-story icon with a rich architectural history that's significant to the neighborhood, distinguishable by features like a cast iron facade and a mansard roof. Within, this fifth-floor home is quiet and serene while also surrounded by the heart of Soho.
Tour the loft

Distinctive Homes

Young Projects’ Tribeca loft explores solids and voids with nested prisms and an interior courtyard

By Rebecca Paul

This massive home, dubbed the Gerken Residence, occupies 6,000 square feet of interior space, plus a 1,500-square-foot rooftop garden, all located on the top floors of a historic Tribeca building. Designed by Young Projects, the unique loft's inner structure is comprised of three nested prisms that explore the relationship between solid and void. The floor plan also has various cuts strategically placed to hide and reveal the sky and city.
See the whole home

March 20, 2017

Huge walls show off insane movie memorabilia collection at this $2.2M Chelsea loft

The first thing you'll notice about this 1,700-square-foot Chelsea loft at 121 West 20th Street is the current owner's fabulous hoard of classic movie memorabilia. The listing tells us that it's been used as a live/work/gallery space to show off the "impressive pop culture collection of Elizabeth Taylor, Billie Holiday, Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret and David Bowie, just to name a few." Then you'll notice that for the ask of $2.2 million, you're getting lots and lots of wall space for a gallery-worthy collection of your own. The "work" part of that equation is covered by a home office that hovers above the main living space, which is really not a bad commute from the bedroom or kitchen below.
See the rest of the loft

Distinctive Homes

March 16, 2017

$5M renovated Tribeca loft is a veritable showcase of super-hot decorating trends

Besides being a gorgeous light-filled three-bedroom (with room for a fourth) corner loft in trendy Tribeca, this $4.95 million condominium at 161 Hudson Street is, as the listing puts it, "the epitome of chic downtown style." Unobstructed sky views, sound-proof windows, central HVAC, a laundry room and a gracious layout with bedrooms on opposite sides for privacy are part of the infrastructure. But when it comes to fixtures, finishes, materials and design, the 2,315-square-foot loft is a perfect opportunity to see today's top decorating trends–all in one place.
What’s having a serious moment in home decor? Let’s take a look

Distinctive Homes

March 13, 2017

$2M garage conversion in Bed-Stuy has a zen atrium and industrial glamour

By Devin Gannon

Although this listing looks like a basic garage from the outside, inside 222 Madison Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant is actually a single-family home on the market for just over $1.9 million. The cured cement floors, exposed white-washed brick wall, and high ceilings topped by skylights add plenty of industrial glamour, while a private garage, multiple sleeping areas, and 3,000-square-foot open layout retain all the functionality one could hope for in a residence.
Check out the unique space

Distinctive Homes

March 9, 2017

Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix list Soho loft for $3.9M

There seems to be a celeb exodus underfoot at the Soho co-op 533 Canal Street (aka 477 Washington Street). Just last month Kirsten Dunst re-listed her vintage-cool penthouse in the building, and now the Post reports that indie actor buddies Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix have put the semi-raw duplex loft on the seventh floor that they co-own on the market for $3,895,000. This could have something to do with the fact that the pair--who co-wrote the 2010 mockumentary "I'm Still Here"--will soon be ex-brother in laws. Last year, after 13 years together, Affleck and Phoenix's sister Summer decided to part ways.
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March 8, 2017

West Village loft offered for $1 returns for $40,000 a month–roommates not included

If you missed SpareRoom founder/CEO Rupert Hunt’s, er, hunt for a pair of compatible roomies for his impossibly gorgeous 3,400 square-foot West Village loft with a 1,500 square-foot roof terrace last October, you missed a shot at being Rupe’s roomie for the completely unheard of total of one dollar a month for six months. Now the six months are up, and so is the $1 offer. Take heart, though; the three-story loft at 305 Bleecker Street is just as amazing as it was in October, and it’s renting for the less shocking price of $40,000 a month–though we’ll assume that Hunt and his fortunate flatmates aren’t part of the deal.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

March 7, 2017

Live upstairs from Bethenny Frankel in this $4.75M Soho loft

For a while, anyway, as the Skinny Girl mogul and RHONY regular recently listed her renovated pad downstairs at 22 Mercer Street. But the cobblestones of Soho's Cast Iron District boast more than enough celebrities to withstand the loss, and this 2,392-square-foot loft has had its own renovation; on the market for $4.75 million, it's stellar enough that it doesn't matter who the neighbors are.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

March 3, 2017

This $2.45M Chelsea loft has authenticity, style and a magical roof garden

The authenticity? Built in 1922, Groff Studios is a former fur factory located at 151 West 28th Street in the old-school Flower District between 6th and 7th Avenues. The building's 16 full-floor 1,800 square-foot lofts have the high ceilings, original brick walls and open spaces loft lovers look for, plus the usual perks like a key-locked elevator and two staircases. Inside this quintessentially Manhattan home you'll find an open floor plan and 18 enormous windows lining three exposures. And there's that roof garden...
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

February 28, 2017

Spacious $860K loft is in a Bed-Stuy building known for its quirky apartments

This loft apartment comes from the well-known Brooklyn condo the Chocolate Factory Lofts at 689 Myrtle Avenue. (The building was once, not surprisingly, a chocolate factory.) The Bed-Stuy pad, asking $860,000, is much like the other units that have hit the market: spacious, 13-foot ceilings and oversized casement windows. The building's also known for its creative owners who deck out their apartments (just check out this apartment on the market last summer with a "floating" closet and custom staircase) and this latest apartment is no different.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

February 20, 2017

Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen list uber-stylish Tribeca loft for $3M

"American Pie" and "Orange is the New Black" actor Jason Biggs married actress and author Jenny Mollen in 2008, after they met filming "My Best Friend's Girl." Five years later, the trendy couple bought a sprawling Tribeca loft at 288 West Street for $2.55 million, enlisting designer-to-the-stars Cliff Fong (with whom they'd worked previously on two L.A. homes) to outfit the space with a combination of modern furniture and accessories from Wayfair.com, their extensive art collection, and playful and comfortable pieces to accommodate their three-year-old son Sid--all of which blend seamlessly with the loft's brick walls, exposed timber framing and beams, raw pipes, and open floorplan. They've now decided to put the apartment on the market, and it's asking a not-especially, marked-up price of $2,995,000.
Tour the entire loft

February 19, 2017

$5K/month shabby-chic Flatiron District co-op has a solarium and private terrace

Once you settle in to the rustic vibe of this pre-war Flatiron co-op at 41 East 19th Street, you might feel like you've been living there for years. The artful lived-in look is only part of the package; a 270-square-foot terrace adds the possibility of lavish entertaining, and a living room with a greenhouse roof keeps things sunny in all seasons of the year.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

February 17, 2017

Impressive views of 1 WTC from this $3.6M Tribeca loft apartment

The living room of this Tribeca loft offers--through big, south-facing windows--impressive views over Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center. The apartment, located at the condop building 112 Franklin Street, also boasts its own key-locked elevator entrance, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, all under 15-foot ceilings.
Here's a look inside

Distinctive Homes

February 16, 2017

On the market for the first time since 1969, this $5M Tribeca artists’ loft is a blank canvas

As the listing for this $4.995 million Tribeca spread at 85 Walker Street says, "vintage" doesn't do this amazing artists' loft justice. Occupying the entire fourth and fifth floors of a cast iron building that dates from 1868, it's more of what we'd call a piece of New York City history; the top-floor duplex is on the market for the first time since 1969.
Layers of history, layers of paint

Distinctive Homes

February 15, 2017

Bethenny Frankel lists renovated Soho loft for $5.25M

If you thought Bethenny Frankel had a scattered personality on "The Real Housewives of New York," just check out her real estate game. After splitting from ex-husband Jason Hoppy, the reality star bought a $4.2 million Soho loft in April 2015, the same month she picked up a $3 million+ Hamptons compound. She also bought a second Soho loft around that time to serve as an office for her "Skinny Girl" empire. Once the embattled couple (he was recently arrested for allegedly harassing her) finalized their divorce, she sold their former $7 million Tribeca loft this past October in just one day. People now reports that Frankel put the Soho loft at 22 Mercer Street on the market for $5.25 in order to find a larger home for herself and daughter Bryn (and from the sound of it, get away from its divorce-era juju), and she admitted to the mag that, "I have been doing really well in real estate and I’ve got the bug."
See the whole spread

February 13, 2017

Thrillist co-founder Ben Lerer lists colorful, pop art-filled Soho loft for $7.4M