Quirky East Village duplex has shabby-chic bunker vibes for $625K

Welcome back to The Six-Digit Club, in which we take a look at a newish-to-market listing priced under $1 million, because nice things sometimes come in small packages. Send nominations to the tipline.

How best to describe this East Village apartment? The phrase that comes to mind is “shabby chic bunker,” but we’re sure that a more creative descriptor will appear in the comments. In any case, the apartment, located at 121 East 10th Street, is very unique, and it’s going for $625,000.

It’s a studio and technically a duplex, though there’s no window on the lower level of the pad—so, the basement—which happens to be where the bedroom and a not-too-shabby walk-in closet are located. (There appear to be just three windows in the whole place.) The whole thing was renovated by a former owner, according to the brokerbabble, who brought in “many handpicked reclaimed and salvaged elements [that] captivate at every turn.”

Among those elements: a staircase that was created from a beam salvaged from a building on East 9th Street, custom lighting, and a “beautiful walk-in brick and glass shower.” The living room also has barrel-vaulted ceilings, and there’s a small (but not unusable) kitchen.

Sure, the decor may be a bit much for some (there’s a lot of exposed brick) there’s a good chance it’ll find a buyer, if only because of its location—on one of the prettiest stretches of East 10th Street, near St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery—and the fact that it’s going for under $1 million. It’s a co-op, and the monthly maintenance is $961/month.

The Curbed NY office was divided over this particular unit; reactions ranged from “it’s kind of depressing imo” to “it’s cramped but has so much character.” This writer thinks it looks like a glorified wine cellar. We’ll let you be the judge.

• Listing: 121 East 10th Street [Town]