Century-old bones and clean white walls frame the well-proportioned interior spaces of this warm, sophisticated two-bedroom loft in Greenwich Village, the result of a recent gut renovation by the architect-owner. John Berg of BergDesign Architecture, with his wife Jennifer Desmond, purchased the sunny downtown co-op at 250 Mercer Street for $1.5 million in May of 2013, two years and an impressive renovation ago. The bright high-floor unit is now on the market for $2.9 million.
We’ve featured some of the architect’s projects, and this apartment’s renovation is detailed on the BergDesign site, with the imperative of keeping “three priorities: durability, casual living and contrasting rich materials” for a family with small children in mind. Between lofty ceilings of over 11 feet and oak hardwood floors, walls of north- and east-facing windows give the space an airy feel and let in tons of sunlight. The large and stunning open kitchen features top-of-the-line appliances like a Wolf range, Bosch dishwasher and Liebherr refrigerator. The architect explains that “New book matched teak kitchen cabinets, distressed zinc countertops, pre-existing rough columns and bleached oak flooring provide the tactile counterpoint to refinished precise white walls and ceilings.” Winged bedrooms provide privacy; well-considered but simple design choices are also in evidence in the apartment’s two bathrooms.
The spacious second bedroom has an en-suite bath; there’s also a washer/dryer and ample storage space, including a storage room right outside the unit. Building amenities include a 24-hour doorman, live-in super, bicycle storage and a shared courtyard and rooftop deck. Located on Mercer Street just off busy Broadway–and bordering the NYU campus–the building is conveniently located near Washington Square Park and multiple train lines. The home’s next owner will also get to be neighbors with Jessica Chastain’s tenants, as the strawberry blonde “Crimson Peak” star owns and rents out an apartment in the building; it was recently listed for $11,500 a month.