While at first glance this may look like just another sleekly appointed loft space in New York’s West Village, it’s anything but. Interesting architectural tricks, such as a fake terrace, a secret closet for art storage, and homage to the building’s past as a factory, are unexpected treats.
Created in collaboration by Dean/Wolf Architects and well-known interior designer Tse Yun Chu, the sui generis 2,150-square-foot loft is listed at just under $3.9 million by Michael J. Franco of Compass. There are two bedrooms, with the larger furnished as a den, and a pair of cleverly conjoined bathrooms that share a shower.
The flat nails industrial chic in a sexy, masculine way, with unexpected pops of orange everywhere. The floors are polished concrete throughout, old cast iron columns have been retained, and thin black metal walls and huge opaque glass panels delineate different areas.
Separated from the living space by a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass, the fake terrace is a fascinating idea that helps mitigate the lackluster courtyard view from the living/dining room and kitchen areas. It shouldn’t work, but it does, providing a visual buffer between the loft and the up-close grid of windows across the courtyard. Still, we say get some greenery in there, pronto! Add some comfortable outdoor chairs, maybe even a chaise lounge, and tall boxwoods in pots. Heck, throw some trellising up and train a grapevine to grow up the brick wall. Then invite friends over for “al fresco” cocktails on your indoor patio!
At 27.5 feet long, the combination living and dining space offers plenty of space for indoor entertaining, and the 2,000-bottle walk-in wine cellar ensures there’s always plenty of booze on hand. The open galley kitchen sports custom cabinets and high-end appliances, and for work-at-home days, a compact office is tucked between the bedrooms.
The flat is located in a boutique co-op in a particularly charming part of the West Village. It offers a garden-like atrium, a furnished roof deck, a live-in super, and additional storage options. The home is just blocks away from the Hudson River, not to mention the leafy, historic heart of Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park.