Karim Rashid's Old Townhouse to Ditch Neon for Opulence

Things probably didn't quite work out the way Karim Rashid had planned at 357 West 17th Street. The Post reports that the two floors that the interiors guru designed, formerly occupied, and owned in the building are being torn out—along with everything else—as developer Wonder Works converts the 25-foot-wide structure between Eighth and Ninth avenues into a 12,000-square-foot private mansion designed by the decidedly more staid Andres Escobar. Ouch.

The building has a busy history in years of late. Rashid put the funky loft on the rental market back in 2012, shortly before the whole building went up for sale in 2013. Wonder Works nabbed the property in January for $9.35 million.

According to the Post, the mansion that Wonder Works is developing will have a swimming pool, movie viewing room, wine cellar, spa, gym, a glass elevator, three terraces, a landscaped roof deck, a full-floor master suite, four additional bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a two-car garage. The mansion (↓) is slated to be complete in April.

· 25-foot-wide Chelsea townhouse slated for glam build-out [NYP]
· All Karim Rashid coverage [Curbed]