Curbed's first glimpse of this unique penthouse earned it a distinctive accolade: "New York City's most architecturally interesting home." A slow, glorious exploration of the 6,600-square-foot space thanks to one of the Dwell/New York Magazine City Modern tours proved that this special apartment really does deserve that moniker. The four-story, four-bedroom house?the handiwork of architect David Hotson and interior designer Ghislaine Viñas?has the kind of design savvy that made visitors literally gasp in awe.
The 1895-built Beaux Arts American Tract Society Building, formerly a printing house for religious pamplets, was converted to condos more than a decade ago, but there were no takers for the giant raw space at the top of the building until a couple decided to bite the bullet and completely overhaul the apartment with stunning details both large and small. Big: an 80-foot-long mirrored steel slide, complete with skylights and, yes, big enough for grown-ups, winds through the stories. There's also a climbing wall that climbs up to the tippy top of the 50-foot-high ceilings of the living room, snaking up an original beam. Less obvious gems: when a medicine cabinet is opened, a secret window is revealed, providing a sneak peek onto neighbor New York by Gehry. There are also hidden views built into two showers?one way, of course?plus countless other little surprises in the sight lines, skylights, glass flooring, rooms, and fixtures. A mostly white backdrop lets an impressive, playful art collection shine through. Enjoy the ride.
In case the photo tour was a little hard to follow, given the different sizes of each floor and all the nooks and crannies, have a look at architect Hotson's own photo galleries. Divided into six sections with extensive captions, he explains the reasoning and specifics behind many elements of the design. Or you could watch this pretty darn awesome 11-minute video by builder SilverLining Interiors. Narration helps explain the apartment as a model walks through it, and there are also some glimpses of the complex floorplans.
Meanwhile, this slightly shorter video, the "architect's version," lets all the interiors and views speak for themselves (sans narration) if you prefer your penthouse porn purely visual.
· Skyhouse [City Modern]
· Mindboggling Skyhouse Features Tube Slide, 45-Foot Ceilings [Curbed]
· All City Modern house tour posts [Curbed]
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