Property Crush

Peek Inside This Sunny Co-Op with a Clever Touch of Brutalism

published Oct 26, 2023
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Marble-topped dining room table with orange-covered wooden chairs
Credit: Corcoran

Brutalism has its lovers and its haters. Those in the latter camp, though, probably think of gargantuan structures made entirely of concrete when they think of the much-debated style. But you don’t have to knock your house down to its studs to bring a little Brutalism into your home. You can bring in a bit of the raw style with a concrete coffee table or fiberstone bench. Or you can, as the homeowners of this Manhattan one-bedroom have done, create an exposed brick accent wall.

Credit: Corcoran

The Details

  • Where: Manhattan, New York
  • Price: $765,000
  • Size: 795 square feet
  • Bedrooms: 1
  • Bathrooms: 1

“We exposed the main cement support separating the kitchen from the living space to create a Brutalist background for a favorite painting,” the homeowner shares. Beyond the rustic canvas, what lay below was a welcome surprise. “We were thrilled to find faint chalk calculations scrawled on the surface by an architect or designer when the building was constructed in 1970,” they say. 

Credit: Corcoran

The one-bedroom co-op is nearly 800 square feet in total and is largely pretty open-concept. If you’re looking to create some division, though, you can close the sliding pocket doors that bisect the living area into a dining and a lounging zone. 

Credit: Corcoran

On the lounging side, after you’re done watching a classic New York City fall movie (You’ve Got Mail, perhaps?), you can step out onto the covered balcony and look out at the city that inspired it. The outdoor space is spacious enough for a bistro table where you can take your morning calls or curl up with a throw blanket and look out at the city lights by night. 

Credit: Corcoran

Are you on the house hunt, or just the type of person who loves browsing real estate listings, even when you’re not in the market for a new home? Property Crush is a column where we feature actual real estate listings that get the Apartment Therapy seal of approval in regards to style (we haven’t done home inspections or anything, so don’t sue us). Know of a great house on the market? Email the listing to repitches@apartmenttherapy.com.