Monacle recently interviewed James Corner, the prominent Landscape Architect who created the Highline. He makes some very interesting points regarding the skill of a landscape architect, they are commonly thought of as gardeners, when in fact the job requires engineering skills, and an education in city planning.

Green, public outdoor space creates a healthy city environment- the balance of green is essential to neighborhood growth. Just look at how the Highline enlivened the entire meatpacking district. Check out his interview…

Temperatures may be cooling down, but rental activity levels in Manhattan continue to heat up. The Wall Street Journal covers the price increase up 4.6% from last year.

Join one of our star teams John Gomes and Fredrik Eklund as they take you through the first installment of their very entertaining and exciting newsletter series, “New York Now”. The duo discusses the beauty and dynamism of some of their super hot- NYC featured listings. There is a really organic professionalism and spark to the team; they keep you in the know with glimpses into the ultimate NYC lifestyle. We look forward to seeing monthly updates from the pair!

A new 67 story skyscraper has won the approval of the New York authorities despite efforts from the Empire State Building.  The new building is subject to be built as 15 Penn Plaza and will stand almost as tall as the Empire State Building, only a few blocks away.  15 Penn Plaza will be the newest addition to the City’s infamous skyline, standing 1,190ft-tall.

I spent the weekend in LA with my dear friend Colin Dusenbury– Partner at Magni Design, a luxury residential interior design firm based in LA. We tend to talk a lot about space, innovation, design, and lifestyle- as we both live our work so closely.

On Friday Colin attended a dinner to welcome the new curator of the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art, Franklin Sirmans- alongside his client Jillian Michaels.  Michael’s recently bought a piece by the legendary contemporary artist Ed Ruscha- also in attendance Friday. This got us talking about the idea of, “life” in the home. Does art bring all the elements of design together? But the even bigger question is- does it actually bring the interior to life? Art is energy-and has the power to hold a space like no other. It demands your attention, speaks volumes about your you/your host, and reminds you of the moments it represents. Art is the breath of the home.

Next time you are in LA- check out LACMA, as the new curator Sirman’s will be focusing on work created in the last four decades.  To get your contemporary art fix in Manhattan head to The New Museum.

The Marina Bay Sands hotel is located in Singapore and it currently holds the title of the most expensive hotel built till this day, as its investment by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation reaches $5 billion. Comprised of 2,560-rooms and three 55-story towers, one of its most beautifully executed design features of this hotel is its 150 meter infinity pool which lines the top of the three towers. Unbelievable!

Last night in NYC, Target staged an innovative fashion event called The Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular at the Standard Hotel.  Each of the 155 rooms of the hotel had LED lights installed, and over 60 dancers performed in the windows in time to broadcasted music.  The creative team that brought this performance together is Mother New York, the same team that brought us the Target Harlem package.

CORE has taken on the challenge of selling the converted condos at Chelsea’s 650 6th avenue.  Now known as The Cammeyer- a tribute to a shoe store that was once in the Ladies’ Mile building, the development has been getting lots of postitive press about sales momentum since making the marketing switch from white-box galleries to historic lofts.  CORE has brought one of the buildings crown jewels back to the market. John Gomes and Frederik Eklund are our agents for this listing.

Read more at ny.curbed.com

Shows like CORE’s own Selling New York and Million Dollar Listing have become so popular that reality TV directors are now in search of star broker talent for yet another popular reality show on nationally broadcast television.  Casting is currently underway for Season 8 of TLC’s What Not to Wear and the producers are seeking a female New York Real Estate agent.

Ron Arad has created this incredibly unique luxury bath concept that is also multi-purpose, transforming from a bath to a shower as the whole unit revolves.  Arad worked with Italian bath brand Teuco to bring the concept to life… Very Inspiring.