Decorating & Design

January 28, 2013

West Village Reno

After flipping and clicking through hundreds of listings, I’ve finally found it: a real-estate mullet. That’s right, I’m comparing this $15-million New York City townhouse to the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back ’80s hairstyle. Scroll down to see why.

From the street, this property looks totally traditional. Not only have the owners restored the original 1858 brick façade, they’ve even painted the door in a suitably historic grey-blue.

Would you believe this is the same house from the back? The ultra-contemporary sheets of glass are completely unexpected but, as the listing mentions, a great way to take full advantage of the southwestern exposure. It’s not visible in this photo, but a reflecting pool tucked behind the hedge adds more sleek, shimmery edge.

In the kitchen, grainy mid-tone cabinets keep up the mid-century vibe, while copper pots are a tone-on-tone accent. (Perhaps so tone-on-tone as to clash?)

A restrained dining room lets the big-for-New-York backyard take precedence, but I do love the cheerfulness of the wood-burning fireplace (one of four in the house) and colourful woven chairs.

One of the four bedrooms has a dramatic glass wall… and what looks like a gold pinecone on the floor. And is it just me, or do the plant and left-hand bedside lamp look weirdly large compared to that bed? Talk about surreal estate.

What do you think? Do you like the juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary, or would you have picked just one?

Photo credits:
1-5. The Corcoran Group