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Listen, it’s not as though getting an apartment in New York has ever been easy. But one could probably argue that it has never been harder than it is right now. The most god-awful studios are regularly renting for thousands and thousands of dollars with lines of interested tenants out the door. Here, we’ll find the actually worth-looking-ats, the actually worth-the-costs, and the surprisingly affordable-for-those-parquet-floors from all around the internet.
I had a good time in Harlem this week, despite the fact that I struggled to find a solid one-bedroom for lower than 2.5k. Still: beautiful old brownstone apartments, duplexes and floor-throughs aplenty. I left Harlem and headed straight to SoHo, just to gawk at some lawfts. None of them realistic, all of them perfect.
South Harlem Apartments
$2,580, studio: She’s cute! Very basic, with some unexpected details like the soothing sage tiling in the kitchen and the big windows that look out over the park (okay, not the park, but a park), and love a bathroom with natural light.
$2,495, 1-bedroom: Natural light! This one caught my eye because of the glass block (I’ve been mapping its return and rise, and returned and risen it has). That kitchen is John Malkovich–coded small, but the price is right!
$3,750, 1-bedroom: Attracted mostly to the wood paneling on the garden level — they just don’t build doors, decorative fireplaces, or floors like that anymore! Plus outdoor space and an ugly but renovated kitchen.
$4,195, 2-bedroom: Floor-through apartment in a townhouse built in 1909. The updates are a little ’80s, but they’re not totally shoddy and at least the kitchen is white! And I’m digging the butter-yellow ceramic tile in the bathroom.
$4,800, 3-bedroom: A duplex — the good kind: parlor and second floor! What first caught my eye here was the wood-paneled mudroom. The place is in good shape, generally, despite the under-renovated bathrooms and kitchen.
$4,500, 2-bedroom: A pretty decent reno with some nice updates — I like what they’ve done with the windows. The apartment feels spacious and airy, if only it weren’t for all that exposed brick. And it looks out onto Marcus Garvey Park.
$6,000, 3-bedroom: Handsome! I love a low-slung shelf, and the mahogany built-ins are doing something for me. The recessed vitrine shelf also has me onboard. Feels very adult, very put together.
$6,500, 2-bedroom: I just love the floor-to-ceiling geometric windows here. The whole shape of this place is very playful and fun. Four private balconies, a laundry room, and built-in closets galore.
Central Harlem Apartments
$2,600, 1-bedroom: Very small! But cute. Two decorative fireplaces with 739 square feet of a space is a very rare ratio, indeed!
$2,700, 1-bedroom: Another brownstone floor-through; guess I have type. This one has three generous south-facing windows, hardwoods that are a little too buffed, and a washer-dryer.
$2,850, 2-bedroom: Two-bedroom floor-through, in, you guessed it, a brownstone — I like what I like!! This one is more spacious than the above with better floors. Not looking like there’s a washer-dryer or a dishwasher, though.
$6,600, 3-bedroom: duplex, duplex! In great condition, with an open concept kitchen, a sweet bathroom with the most perfect claw-foot tub, and a very well-maintained roof. You might just want to adjust the colors of the walls a bit.
$6,900, 4-bedroom: This is a triplex, and it shows. So much space, so many windows, and two of the best bathrooms — one is tiled in a dark wine color, the other in a deep blue — that I’ve seen in awhile.
Soho Apartments
$3,595, 1-bedroom: More personality than I’ve seen in Soho in a while, within this price range. The hardwoods are good, the built-ins are nice, and there’s a decorative fireplace. That bathroom is a hazard though.
$8,200, studio: Yes, this is technically a “studio,” but that’s just because it’s a massive 2,000-square-foot loft with no walls. This one is particularly old school with the painting studio in the front (which does strike me as a bit of a biohazard), the living room in the “middle,” and the bedroom in the “back.” Staircase leads up to the roof!
$9,500, 2-bedroom: If you’re having a bad day, just go to image four, and imagine those ten-foot-high windows are yours for the taking — this loft is a bit more practically converted with two bedrooms. Love the white-painted floors, the skylight, and the pressed tin ceilings.
$10,000, studio: The windows!
$12,500, 4-bedroom: An artist’s loft in the truest sense, practically perfect.
Sublets Around Town
If you’re looking for a beautiful and spacious one-bedroom apartment in Bed-Stuy in November, photographer Logan White is renting out her digs for $150/night. Filmmaker Alex Eaton is also renting out her studio in Bed-Stuy for a monthlong stay starting November 1. Musician Joe Kerwin is renting out his space in Bushwick for short-term stays; DM him for details. Not a sublet, but in Williamsburg, One Domino Square is holding a lottery for rent-regulated apartments with eligible household incomes ranging from $100,012—$240,750. They’re quite nice,with giant, nearly floor-to-ceiling fully operable windows, an indoor pool, a sauna and … a pet spa.
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- A Hidden Artist’s Complex Behind Spring Street