In a market where renovated lofts are often finished with the next buyer in mind, a Tribeca condominium rebuilt by an interior designer for her own use offers a distinct alternative. The third-floor residence at 124 Hudson Street #3B was taken down to the joists by Sharon Rembaum, whose work has appeared in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, and House Beautiful. The result is a two-bedroom, nearly 2,100-square-foot condominium with 10-foot ceilings, a separate den, and a level of finish that listing agent Sophie Ravet of Brown Harris Stevens says is rarely seen in properties prepared for sale.
“It was not designed and created for resale,” Ravet says. “It was for herself.” That distinction matters because it shifts the priorities from what photographs well to what lives well. Rembaum installed a new kitchen, new bathrooms, and ceilings fitted with a soundproofing system. She designed the lighting in layers from scratch, a step Ravet notes many architects overlook. Just as telling is what she left alone: the scale of the rooms and the height of the ceilings, which originally drew her to the apartment, were preserved, and the plumbing stayed in place. Instead of moving walls, she enlarged closets and built storage into nearly every surface, a significant luxury in Manhattan. Even the doors were swapped for taller ones that draw the eye upward to the 10-foot ceilings.
The attention to detail extends to the finishes. In the living room, a gas fireplace with a new firebox and hearthstone anchors the space, surrounded by floating shelves and built-in cabinetry that conceal the television. Limewashed walls and flangeless square recessed lights give the room a warm, clean finish. The open kitchen features Calacatta marble countertops and backsplash, an oak island on a bronze toe-kick, a custom bronze hood, and Sun Valley Bronze hardware, along with Gaggenau appliances. The primary bedroom includes a full wall of bespoke millwork with horn hardware and a walk-in closet, while the primary bath offers marble, custom cabinetry, Waterworks fixtures, radiant floor heating, and heated towel racks. A custom iron and brass bifold door closes off the den, which can serve as an office or guest room.
The building itself reinforces the emphasis on space and service over spectacle. 124 Hudson Street contains only 26 residences, nearly all large, and 3B is one of the smallest. Ravet, who has now sold three apartments in the building, says buyers at this level prefer neighbors whose homes are comparably sized, since that supports values across the building. In place of amenities, the condominium offers a full-time doorman, a live-in superintendent, and a landscaped interior garden. The apartment faces west, and because Hudson Street runs unusually wide, direct sun reaches the rooms from about 1:30 in the afternoon, especially in winter. Morning light reflects off a limestone façade across the street, and the neighborhood’s height limits help protect that light over time.
Outside, Tribeca’s character remains a draw. Longtime institutions such as Walker’s and Bubby’s still sit around the corner, and the neighborhood has never become a shopping destination like SoHo. “It’s quiet, but it’s not desolate,” Ravet says. “And it is incredibly charming.” The size of Tribeca’s lofts also shapes how residents socialize; with room to entertain, they host at home far more often than people in neighborhoods with smaller apartments. To the west, Hudson River Park has remade the waterfront over the past 20 years, linking Tribeca to the West Village and West Chelsea.
For buyers, the implications are clear. A home built on a designer’s personal vision, rather than for resale, offers a level of execution and timelessness that can hold its value. As Ravet puts it, “It will age beautifully because it doesn’t follow any trends.” In a market flooded with look-alike renovations, that difference is precisely the point.
