New York Apartments

by Aurora Cuito

It’s impossible to walk the streets of New York and not wonder what’s behind the windows and doors of the city’s panoply of residential buildings. Whether it’s a breathtaking penthouse on Fifth Avenue or an inconspicuous garden apartment in the East Village; an artist’s loft in SoHo or a private house tucked away on a quiet corner—New Yorkers know how to make their spaces both livable and imaginative, both functional and spectacular. New York Apartments takes readers through the doors of forty truly innovative dwellings and into rooms, kitchens, hallways and baths that both inspire and astound. There’s a loft on Wall Street that belies that district’s conservative flavor; a high-tech apartment that brings the future into the present; a “white apartment” that renders color superfluous; and a terrace apartment that feels miles away from its urban setting. Best of all, New York Apartments displays the work and creativity of some of today’s hottest architects and interior designers—artists who know not only how to make four walls come alive, but how to preserve and celebrate the personality of those who live and work within those walls.

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[brian tanabe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up assuming it was a well-done Taschen title... but alas I was wrong. What really jumped out at me was an occasional horrible set of pictures. (Seriously, there are some pictures accidentally included in here that appear to have been pulled off the internet with a complete lack of detail.) That's when I closed the book and checked the spine -- Te Neues. Hmph.

The other downfall of this book (and series I would find out) is that the book does not seem aptly titled.
I feel that if you are going to title a design book geographically, then the subject matter should identify strongly with said location -- and this book fails there.

The houses/designs/objects are cool at best. People shouldn't have to pay book prices for a collection of images that are more suited in price and quality for a design magazine.

(Yes, this is essentially the same review I did for the Te Neues book on SF Houses.)