ohny - park avenue armory

Our last stop on OHNY weekend was the Park Avenue Armory. I recently saw something on TV about it, which made me want to see the space with my own eyes. The show was about the restoration of the interiors and how it now serves as a space for artists. They host art and antique fairs as well. Unfortunately I cannot remember what channel I watched to gather more information about the program, googling didn't help either. My co-worker watched it too but he also can't remember. I think it might have been on PBS...

The Armory was built in 1881 by the National Guard's prestigious Seventh Regiment and served as a military, cultural and social center for the Regiment as well as New York's society of the Gilded Age. The Drill Hall consists of 55,000 square feet (about 5100 square meters) of unobstructed space, making it one of the largest unobstructed spaces in New York. It felt so humungous that I didn't even attempt to walk from one side to the other. Because of the large scale of the space the Royal Shakespeare Company was able to build a replica of their home stage in it for performances in New York or artist Aaron Young have twelve motorcyclists help him create his art. But I have to say I was much more fascinated by the meticulously restored rooms with its beautiful, intricate woodwork and the detailed wallpaper. Absolutely loved the fireplaces! I could picture living in some of the rooms but would choose modern furniture to contrast with the old details but the sheer size of the space would freak me out a bit. I could not stay home alone…

I hope you enjoyed following me around visiting some of New York’s architectural gems and hopefully we will do it again next year! What was your favorite place I visited?

 

 

 

 

ohny - grand lodge of masons

I hope you are not fed up with my OHNY coverage yet, I am posting this on my usual days off and have lots of other posts lined up for you...Next stop on my list was the Grand Lodge of Masons in Chelsea. It is a building I pass by every day on my way to work and always wondered what the inside looks like but never got around to checking it out during OHNY weekend. It was the 10th year that the Lodge opened it's doors during the open house weekend and everybody got a commemorative button at sites that had participated every year the weekend has been going on. On our button is a little sketch of the library with the vaulted ceiling and George Washington standing at the end.

On our tour we saw three smaller meeting rooms and a large gathering place. The meeting halls all had different decorating themes but the layout of the furniture remained the same. In every room there was a G above the biggest chair (the seat of the grand marshal?), it stands for geometry. The 19 story building was built in 1910 and in the mid-nineties they hired somebody to bring the beautiful plaster work back to life as it had been painted over numerous times. Now everything is hand painted again in vibrant colors. What a contrast to the white and modern apartments I visited but beautiful in its own way.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

ohny - chinatown loft

On to the next installment of my OHNY post. Sunday morning P and I trekked to Chinatown to check out a loft space that had been created in an old tenement building. When the owner Koray Duman, one half of Sayigh & Duman Architects, purchased the 750-square-foot corner apartment, it had three bedrooms. Hard to imagine the now open space chopped up like that. Duman gutted everything, exposed the brick and raised the ceiling to create more space. He even left a piece of history on the walls, old wallpaper that was discovered underneath the gypsum wall boards and left in place. One of his friends, who is an artist working with neon tubes melded her art with the remaining wallpaper and gave it to him as a house warming gift. Not a bad house warming present, right? All enclosed spaces, like powder room, toilet, closet and washer/dryer are hidden in the chartreuse wall that is part divider and part closet. The two sofas in the living room can be moved and put together like puzzle pieces to create one large lounging area, hanging out on them you can take in great views of Downtown Manhattan. My favorite part is the bed made of felt and magazines, what a great way to recycle old magazines. I could probably build a small house with the magazines I have collected over the years. Also love the continuous use of color in the space, the chartreuse works very well with the white but I am not sure if I could keep up with it myself. I just have so many tchotchkes and colorful artwork…

What is your favorite part of the space? Or is it too clean and modern for you?

Have a great weekend! 

 

 

 

 

 

ohny - lazzaro residence

Peeping tomette is back! Because I visited so many sites this past weekend I will post on a daily basis this week, at least that is what I am shooting for...

Before Santa and I headed to our shift at One Museum Mile we squeezed in visiting the Lazarro residence in the Lower East Side. The apartment was renovated in 2009 by Azin Valy from I-Beam Design for herself, her husband and their pretty impressive furniture collection. If you read my posts about last years Open House New York you might remember I visited another one of their projects, an apartment in Nolita. 

Can you spot the Emmys in the pictures?

 

 

 

ohny - one museum mile

Yesterday I started the Blogging Your Way Boot Camp to whip me and my little blog into shape and our first assignment is to write three posts this week that cover certain topics. For my first post I picked something I am passionate about, which is the architecture and design surrounding us in everyday life. I like to walk around and just absorb my environment and then start dreaming about living in that cute little house or the old factory or whatever comes my way, sometimes my imagination runs wild and I start decorating "my" new digs.

Last weekend was the 10^th annual Open House New York weekend and it was my fourth time volunteering for the event. As I previously mentioned in another post OHNY is dedicated to give New Yorkers and tourists alike the chance to experience the architecture of the city. Participating locations range from historic landmarks to private residences and everything in between. If you are not located in New York or anywhere close to it you can also check if your city is part of open house worldwide.

On Saturday I worked my volunteer shift with Santa at One Museum Mile, a residential building which will be eventually housing the Museum for African Art on the first four floors. The building was designed by a renowned team including Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP, Andre Kikoski Architects and SLCE Architects. Some of the apartments were staged in collaboration with Lignet Roset and are also up for sale. If you see something you like and can afford to part with a million or two or three contact CORE. Yes, CORE from HGTV’s Selling New York. There you got me on another passion of mine watching anything home or real estate related on TV ;)

Are you a “peeping tom” like me who loves peeking into other people's homes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ohny weekend 2012 - coming up soon

Next weekend will be the 10th year of openhousenewyork. OHNY is dedicated to give New Yorkers and tourists alike the chance to experience the architecture of the city. Participating locations range from historic landmarks to private residences and everything in between. For more information visit the www.ohny.org website, also if you are not in New York check if your city is part of open house worldwide. This will be my fourth year working as a volunteer and I am already busy planning what places I want to see when I am not working at my site.

Here are my highlights from last year. If you click the highlighted name on the top of each photo you will be directed to last years post where you will find more photos and information to each site.

Have a great weekend!

PS. I made the bowl on the last photo, check out how here

Austrian Cultural Forum

Hotel Americano

Nolitan Hotel

 Residence in Nolita

Wunderworks Design Studio

ohny - part V

Ok, this is the last OHNY post I promise...

After sending our group to Williamsburg to check out two sites after our tour of the Wunderworks Design Studio and finding them closed because I wasn't able to read the schedule correctly we headed back to Manhattan to check out the Hotel Americano near the High Line. Like the Nolitan it just opened its doors. We toured two of its rooms, checked out the rooftop terrace with pool, the bar and party rooms in the basement, as well as the restaurant and bar on the first floor.

The interiors were designed by Paris based Arnaud Montigny of MCH, this project was his first in the US and the architect was Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos. The Americano Hotel was not the only project by TEN Arquitectos to be showcased during the OHNY weekend. Also included were Cassa Hotel and Residences and a showroom for Mercedes Benz.