How 3Eleven Honors Manhattan’s Little-Known History

What better position is there to be in as a Manhattan renter than lazing about in a pool, watching boats cruise the Hudson River? For those empty nesters and young professionals who have nabbed an apartment at 3Eleven, a new 930-unit building named after its address in the “foothills” of Hudson Yards near Chelsea, it’s a summertime reality. The 58-story structure by FXCollaborative Architects is industrial in affect, honoring the nearby High Line, with enormous pitted-concrete structural columns and LED ropes lassoed around the lobby. The latter is a reference to a little-known part of West Side history: From the 1850’s to 1941, urban cowboys on horseback would ride in front of freight trains traveling down 10th Avenue—at the time known as Death Avenue—waving red flags by day and lanterns at night to warn pedestrians of oncoming locomotives. Historic photographs of this moment in time, which captured that peculiar interweaving of the industrial and pioneering ages, now grace 3Eleven’s common areas. 

Speaking of common areas, some 60,000 of the property’s 950,000 square feet are devoted to indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, “the provision of which is a huge differentiator for developers that became even more important over the pandemic years,” FXCollaborative senior partner Guy Geier notes. It was crucial that such spaces be multi-use, able to be activated during the day (for WFH tenants) and night (for mixology and cooking classes, pet-adoption events—the building offers doggie daycare). 

“We had an attitude of using materials honestly in a straightforward way, without a lot of embellishment,” Geier continues. Take the chef’s kitchen in the party room, where the patinated-copper countertop and backsplash are a reference to the same aged metal forming the Statue of Liberty. Elsewhere are touches, many by local artists, that wouldn’t look out of place in the neighborhood’s many galleries. Gradient-hued steel frames in the mailroom channel Donald Judd work, sculptures in the lobby and co-working library provide small riots of color, and a black-and-white stairwell mural yields graphic punch. “The architecture,” Geier says, “is a clean-lined container for the furniture and art to shine within, enabling the shapes, colors, textures, and craftsmanship of both to elevate each other.” Yeehaw!

Step Back In Time at 3Eleven, a Residential Complex in Manhattan

FROM FRONT SICIS: WALL TILE (LOUNGE). 

CAESARSTONE: COUNTERTOP. 

SHINNOKI: PANELING. 

ARDEX AMERICAS: FLOORING. 

VITRA: CHAIRS. 

RESTORATION HARDWARE: TABLE. 

LCDA: PANELING (LOBBY). 

DFB: COLUMN FELT. 

SHIMMERSCREEN: COLUMN BEADS. 

LUKE LAMP CO.: LED ROPES. 

JAMIE STERN DESIGN: SOFA. 

CARNEGIE FABRICS: SOFA FABRIC. 

ARTERIORS: COFFEE TABLES. 

LA CIVIDINA: ARMCHAIR. 

THE HUDSON COMPANY: WOOD FLOORING. 

HOVIA: WALLPAPER (MAILROOM). 

CONCRETE COLLABORATIVE: PAVERS (POOL TERRACE). 

KETTAL: DAYBEDS, ARMCHAIRS. 

RODA: LOUNGE CHAIRS. 

BENCHMARK CONTRACT FURNITURE: SECTIONALS. 

BLU DOT: SIDE TABLES (POOL TERRACE), STOOLS (KITCHEN). 

BENDHEIM: BALUSTRADE GLASS (STAIR). 

DE CASTELLI: COPPER PANELING (KITCHEN). 

MATERIALS INC.: ISLAND FACE. SCHOTTEN & HANSEN: FLOORING. 

ALIAS: TABLES (LIBRARY). 

CARL HANSEN & SØN: CHAIRS. DIMPLEX: FIREPLACE. 

STONE SOURCE: FIREPLACE STONE. 

THE RUG COMPANY: RUG. 

CARNEGIE FABRICS: WALLCOVERING (LIBRARY, HALL). 

TIVOLI: LED STRIPS (HALL). 

CALICO: WALLPAPER (SPEAKEASY). 

CONCERTEX: SECTIONAL FABRIC. 

WILLA ARLO INTERIORS: COCKTAIL TABLE. 

CAPRI COLLECTIONS: FLOORING (GYM). 

THROUGHOUT ARMSTRONG: CEILING TILES. 

NASCO STONE & TILE: FLOOR TILE. 

NYDREE FLOORING: WOOD FLOORING. 

SWA/BALSLEY: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. 

S+S LIGHTING DESIGN: LIGHTING DESIGN. 

UPRISE ART: ART CONSULTANT. 

WSP USA: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. 

COSENTINI ASSOCIATES: MEP. 

LANGAN: CIVIL ENGINEER. 

DELFORM STUDIOS: METALWORK. 

DOUGLASTON DEVELOPMENT: DEVELOPER. 

LEVINE BUILDERS: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. 

Jaipur Living Unveils Elegant and Ethical Rug Collection

Since 1978, Jaipur Living has been committed to quality and craftsmanship, and today it employs 40,000 artisans in India to create its luxurious handmade-to-order rugs. The new Fine Fibers collection epitomizes this focus on elegance and ethical production. Its six styles celebrate the natural properties of Mongolian cashmere, silk, nettle, alpaca, and New Zealand wool, all of which are sourced sustainably. Remarkably warm and soft, 2⁄3-inch-thick Hemara and Vivre are hand-knotted of 100 percent cashmere. Quietly sophisticated Si Blanc blends soft alpaca and durable wool, while Theros’s silk-nettle blend gives it a rugged sheen. Fine Fibers rugs are available in custom sizes and are best suited for low-traffic areas.

Traverse The Jungle With These Fauna-Inspired Wallcoverings

From tiger-striped cushions to a forest-inspired vinyl wallpaper, check out these fabric and wall coverings and textiles in a menagerie of exotic animal prints.

Get Wild With These Animal-Print Textiles

1. Satora Polyester-Nylon Fabric

Satora polyester-nylon fabric in 0562 by Sahco.

2. Paola Suhonen Star Tiger Wallcovering

Paola Suhonen’s Star Tiger paper-backed Type II vinyl wallcovering in metallic gilded by Aimée Wilder.

3. The Quest Wallpaper Mural

The Elusive Otter’s The Quest wallpaper mural with d.ecodura backing by Wall&decò.

4. L’Appel De La Forêt Wallpaper

L’appel de la forêt panoramic vinyl wallpaper by Élitis.

5. Masai Viscose-Cotton Velvet Fabric

Masai viscose-cotton velvet fabric in taupe by Larsen through Cowtan & Tout.

6. Gentle Giraffe Wallpaper

Amber Guyton of Blessed Little Bungalow’s Gentle Giraffe wallpaper in Olive Clay by Mitchell Black.

7. Tiger In The Orangerie Fabric

A Tiger in the Orangerie cotton fabric by Dedar.  

Inside Masquespacio’s Vibrant Haven in the Valencia Countryside

12 Standout Items From Masquespacio’s Futuristic Workshop

1. Cilinder Lamp

The Cilinder lamp in glazed ceramic is one of the latest designs from Masquespacio’s product offshoot, Mas Creations, and a recent addition to the couple’s living space. 

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2. Cloud Big Collection

The Cloud Big lounge and footrest are dressed in pleather. 

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3. A Green Rooftop Terrace

The residence, combining a 1925 farmhouse and a barn that once sheltered animals, boasts a roof terrace. 

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4. This Lime-Green Curved Headboard

A colorful curved pod serves as a headboard and screens the sleeping area from the interior courtyard below. “We didn’t touch the house’s structure, limiting our interventions to materials and decorative selections,” Hernández says. 

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5. Maora Ceramic Tiles

The monochromatic bathroom features custom-colored tiles by Maora Ceramic, with whom Masquespacio launched a recent collaboration. 

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6. Mas Creations Pastel Pieces

The living area’s Pouf table, Ball chair, Yellow couch, Cono table, and ceramic planters are among the new pieces Mas Creations debuted at Maison&Objet Paris in January. 

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7. Upholstered Triangle Chair

An all-upholstered Triangle chair sits near the kitchen. 

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8. Ring Stool

A circle of paulownia wood tops the Ring stool’s base of glazed ceramic and terra-cotta. 

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9. Geometric Seating Nook

The pair’s Triangle chair, this time in wood, joins the Ring table in the bedroom area. 

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10. Vescom Semi-Sheer Curtains

Semi-sheer custom curtains from Vescom veil the lofted upstairs living space and create a colorful accent in the interior courtyard, with a chair and an ottoman from Masquespacio’s Monoprix collaboration.

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11. Greenery-Planted Courtyard

The greenery-planted courtyard, featuring a chair-like sculpture from the pair’s Forms & Textures series in painted PLA, “is a transition space we use for photo shoots, after-work sports, and family dinners,” Penasse notes.

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12. Cono XL Table

The Cono XL table’s silhouette derives from 3D-printed clay with a handmade finish.

Embrace Nature In This Home on the Hills of Lake Michigan

Thousands of years of westward winds have built up clusters of rolling sand dunes along Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline. One of the largest and most impressive of these groups is at Saugatuck, and it’s there—on top of a dune—that architect Kevin Toukoumidis and his partner, a doctor, built their new house. “We sought a place that blurred architecture, art, and nature,” says Toukoumidis, founding principal of dSPACE Studio across the lake in Chicago, where the couple also has an apartment. “In short, a home that offered an innovative, highly tailored response to the nuances and con­siderations involved in coastal living amidst sand hills.” 

The first challenge was the 4­-acre site: Not only did zoning regulations reduce its buildable area to a mere 40-­by-­50­-foot postage stamp but a 2007 fire had also decimated the undeveloped dune, stripping it of all trees and greenery. “We replanted it with native vegetation—dune grass, junipers, even some cacti,” the architect continues. “As the landscape grows in, it will naturally obscure the structure over time.”

The two-­level, 4,000­-square-­foot residence sits lightly on its constricted footprint, as if it has landed gently on the ridge without disturbing the sur­rounding ecology. A series of massing studies led to its compact, blocky form, which appears to be single-­story from the entry but, as the land falls away, presents a full­-height glazed facade to the lake. The ultra-thin steel­ frame roof looks flat but actually slopes slightly upward to embrace even more of the sky-­and-water vista. From the shore below, only the upper portion of the house is visible—a low­-slung composition clad in sand-­color stucco and sheltered by broad eaves lined with hemlock planks, the amber­ tone wood helping further integrate the structure into the natural setting. 

“Connecting to nature is important to us,” Toukoumidis affirms, noting that the region offers four seasons’ worth of alfresco pursuits, from water activities in summer to cross­-country skiing in winter. “I created an abundance of outdoor spaces,” room like enclaves that include a two-tier ipe deck, one level for dining, the other with a firepit and lounge seating; a slender lap ­pool terrace; and an upper-­level lake ­facing balcony. The latter two areas are paved with porcelain stoneware, a tawny material that’s used for floors and countertops throughout, another link between interior and exterior zones.

That connection is played with virtuosic skill in the entry courtyard, a place of wel­come, transition, and respite with a ginkgo tree at its center. The gravel­-floored quad­rangle is guarded by a palisade of rotatable Cor-­Ten panels that function like massive vertical louvers—a kinetic, Richard Serra­-esque sculpture that serves as the property’s front gate. The 1⁄2­inch­thick steel vanes can be angled to frame views—inviting glimpses into the house or broader vistas of the for­ested hillside behind it—as well as provide shelter on windy days. A pergolalike roof extension incorporating fixed aluminum louvers “helps define the courtyard as an outdoor room as well as protecting it from the intense midday sun,” the architect ob­serves, while a fire bowl, chairs, and bench with a Cor-Ten wine ­bottle holder create a hospitable spot for plein air entertaining. 

Entry is on the top level, which encom­passes a great room flanked by the balcony and pool terrace; an intimate, glass-enclosed dining room; and the main bedroom and adjoining porch, screened with more fixed aluminum louvers. The lower floor, which emerges from the dune, includes two guest bedrooms with a shared patio and glass-­walled showers overlooking the water; a bunk room; and a flex room “that’s currently a home gym,” Toukoumidis reports.

The interior material and color palettes are limited: Along with the porcelain stoneware, oak or painted plaster clads most surfaces. “I wanted a sense of calmness and uniformity throughout,” the architect explains, “nothing to compete with the lake or the landscape, which are the real stars of the show.” They can be enjoyed via extensive, eco-­friendly triple­-pane glazing, not least the great room’s 30-­foot­-long wall of sliding doors. Above the custom kitchen island hangs a striking Konstantin Grcic pendant fixture, a 4­-foot­-tall sculptural form in handblown glass that almost disappears against the windows during the day, epitomizing the non­compete aesthetic of the interiors. 

Furniture—contemporary pieces, modernist classics, and custom built­ ins—is elegantly low­key. Hans Wegner’s iconic Elbow chairs in a custom sandy color pull up to the kitchen island, while in the living area Pierre Paulin swivel chairs sit next to the windows. “They rotate perfectly,” Toukoumidis notes, “so you can turn to gaze at the lake, face the fireplace,” or join a con­versational group seated around the architect’s nesting cocktail tables—“the idea is they’re planes that shift like the dune does, though we hope that doesn’t happen too much in our lifetimes,” he adds with a laugh. 

In fact, the replanted vegetation will ensure the dune is absolutely stable. “One of my favorite things is walking up to the house from the beach, getting immersed in the grassy landscape,” Toukoumidis concludes. “You’re really presented with the architecture and nature as one.” And with luck, the strains of a Debussy piano prelude will drift down the slope, the doctor playing the baby grand in the living room high above.

Stroll Through This Artistic Lakeside Home In Michigan

DSPACE STUDIO: JORDAN SNITTJER.

R:HOME: AUDIOVISUAL CONSULTANT. 

GOODFRIEND MAGRUDER STRUCTURE: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. 

STONE HEDGE LANDSCAPE SERVICE: LANDSCAPING CONTRACTOR. 

ARMAZEM DESIGN: WOODWORK. 

STUDIO G: GLASSWORK. 

HARMSEN STEEL: METALWORK. 

BUILDERS: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. 

FROM FRONT ORE: PLANTERS (POOL TERRACE). 

JANUS ET CIE: CHAISE LOUNGES (POOL TERRACE), RUG (PORCH). 

CORTEN: STEEL PANELS, BENCH, WINE HOLDER (COURTYARD). 

KAFKA GRANITE: STABILIZED GRAVEL.

PALOFORM: FIRE BOWL (COURTYARD), FIREPIT (LOWER DECK). 

DIZAL: LOUVERS (COURTYARD, PORCH). 

CARL HANSEN & SØN: CHAIRS (KITCHEN). 

SUB-ZERO: REFRIGERATOR. 

WOLF: OVEN. 

PITT COOKING AMERICA: COOKTOP. 

THE GALLEY: SINK. 

FLOS: PENDANT FIXTURE, SPOTLIGHTS (KITCHEN), OUTDOOR FIXTURES. 

CEADESIGN: SINK FITTINGS (KITCHEN, POWDER ROOM). 

COMFORT & CO.: RECESSED CEILING FIXTURES (KITCHEN). 

CARNEGIE FABRICS: WINDOW SEAT FABRIC (BEDROOM), CURTAIN FABRIC (BEDROOMS). 

PROSTORIA: SECTIONAL (LIVING AREA). 

JAYSON HOME: PILLOWS. 

LIGNE ROSET: ARMCHAIR. 

RH: RUG. 

ALLIED MAKER: SCONCES (POWDER ROOM). 

RBW: SCONCES (PORCH). 

CHRISTIAN NYBERG: WOOD BOWL. 

SHED FINE GOODS: LINEN THROW (PORCH), BEDSPREAD, PILLOW (MAIN BEDROOM). 

MARSET: PENDANT FIXTURES (MAIN BEDROOM). 

EQ3: RUG. 

THROUGHOUT FLORIM: STONEWARE SURFACING, FLOOR TILE. 

BABMAR; BROWN JORDAN: OUTDOOR FURNITURE. 

PANORAMAH!: CUSTOM WINDOWS, CUSTOM EXTERIOR DOORS. 

DELTA MILLWORKS: EXTERIOR SOFFITS. 

BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.: PAINT. 

Plunge Into This Patterned Swimming Pool

Prior to launching his Seattle-based firm Best Practice Architecture in 2011, Ian Butcher was part of the team that designed a local private home. It’s that history that made Best Practice, well, the best candidate for a new project in the tidy 1,300-square-foot rear yard of that residential site: “Lil Dipper,” aka the name Butcher’s crew gave to the heated pool that, at 11 by 28 feet, and only 4 1/2 deep, is just big enough for swimming laps or inviting grandchildren over to splash around. 

“It was important to remain respectful of the original architecture and landscape,” Butcher recalls, referring to such choices as ipe for the boardwalk to coordinate with the house’s exterior detailing. “But we also made it unique to our client.” As the client is a collector, Best Practice literally integrated art into the pool with the aptly named Liquid Center, a commission from the late sculptor Jim Melchert and his grandson Galen of ceramic tiles down the center and one side, their pattern mimicking wavering swim lines when viewed from the water’s surface. 

They can also be seen from the new grassy turf—populated by additional commissions from Jeffry Mitchell and Mungo Thomson—or the poured-concrete bench built into one end of the pool. Elevated 18 inches, it’s the perfect perch for dipping toes. 

This Zany Wallpaper Collection Brightens Any Room

Emily Jackson, the British artist who paints under the moniker Wolffia Inc., is known for her bright, bold, and busy style; her paintings are dense compositions of abstract shapes and zany doodles in vibrant hues. Individually, the forms are simple, even childlike. But by arranging them en mass, and instinctively layering acrylics and oils, she creates a variance of textures both gloss and matte, flat and raised, that adds spontaneity to each composition. When she reached out to Pierre Frey about a collaboration, the French brand took the opportunity to commission a new work that would be translated into both wallpaper and fabric. Named Emily, part of the Carnet de Voyage line, the wallpaper interprets the painting at its original scale with a glossy finish, while the linen fabric is exuberantly hand-embroidered with wool stitching at different thicknesses. They’re works of art in their own right.  

Tiny Marvels: Unveiling High Design in Snug Spaces

From a teeny-tiny villa tucked in the Danish forest to a snug Victorian town house in downtown Toronto, high design is all in the details.

From Toronto to Denmark, How Design Thrives In The Small Details

ADR Crafts A Cozy Snowy Ski Cottage

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A spiral staircase anchored by a wood stove marks the intersection of the 1,335-square-foot cross-shaped ski cottage’s two identical volumes and ascends to attic-level sleeping quarters. Spruce defines the Horní Malá Úpa, Czech Republic, structure inside and out, constituting floors, ceilings, and custom furniture as well as the entire facade, painted a traditional alpine red that stands out against snowdrifts. 

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Frier Architecture Built A Micro-Villa Enclosed In The Woods

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Conservation laws dictated that this 950-square-foot micro-villa in Djursland, Denmark, with a shou sugi ban–treated exterior be built on a tiny footprint to disturb as little of the surrounding forest as possible. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in flair: Note the curved oak enclosures and the terrazzo flooring, embedded with overscale pieces of natural stone, that was developed specifically for the project. 

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Gurea | Arquitectura Cooperativa Crafts A Minimalist Dwelling

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With a raw palette of laminated-fir framing and eco-friendly cork sheathing that echoes the Cantabrian surrounds, the 1,670-square-foot prefab dwelling in Navajeda, Spain, was assembled on-site in less than a month. Inside is a minimalist scheme, with concrete flooring, birch-plywood walls, and blue-painted cabinetry, while a central greenhouse and subfloor radiant heating help warm the compact volume naturally, resulting in a near-zero footprint.  

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Reign Architects Makes A Sunlit Sanctuary

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A cramped 1850’s Victorian in Toronto was transformed into a sunlit contemporary 2,200-square-foot sanctuary for a growing family via an A-frame extension and a reworked rear facade, clad in locally sourced spruce shiplap and punctured with floor-to-ceiling sliders; new fenestration also frames views of a beloved maple tree. Cathedral ceilings with exposed Douglas fir beams define the parents’ wing, where the en suite bathroom is porcelain-tiled and doors beneath a 3-foot-diameter porthole window lead to a private terrace. 

Discover This Textile Showroom Brimming With Artisan Fabrics

In February, New York textile and wallpaper brand Zak+Fox opened a showroom as sumptuous as its artisan-made fabrics. At 6,000 square feet, the Park Avenue South penthouse is double the size of Zak+Fox’s previous space, reflecting the growth of the 12-year-old company. Founder and creative director Zak Profera conceived it as an immersive design experience, with antique furniture and custom oak cases displaying his extensive collections. The latest is Harvest, 22 fabrics (each available in multiple colorways) that honor historical crafts and take cues from nature. Among them are wispy Aurora and handprinted Mi, both linen-cotton blends suitable for curtains and moderate- wear upholstery, and floret-inspired Brassica, a heavy cotton upholstery. At the showroom, which is trade only, visitors can also check out the company’s new product line: elegant handmade rugs.

5 Residential Developments Designed for Community Connection

Residential developments from New York to Prague, market-rate to luxury, are devised to foster tenant community—and respect their surrounding ones.

Check Out These Community-Focused Rentals, From New York to Prague

Overline Residences by Morris Adjmi Architects

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An angular footprint and distinctive stepped profile lend this redbrick rental building dynamism while creating interstices for communal and private terraces and verdant paths that steer residents to the nearby BeltLine greenway and surrounding Old Fourth Ward district in Atlanta. The latter’s industrial vernacular informed the materials palette—masonry floors, patinated-steel paneling, rough-hewn timber—of the interior amenity spaces.

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378 West End Avenue by CookFox Architects 

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A 1915 edifice with terra-cotta cresting was renovated, restored, and then expanded via a modern brick addition and a below-grade excavation that allowed for a squash court, saltwater lap pool, recording studio, and more. The New York luxury condominium’s ground-floor public spaces are likewise a hybrid of classic and contemporary, from the garden terrace with sculptural stone benches to the lounge with vintage-inflected furniture and painterly carpet.  

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Brunson Terrace by Brooks + Scarpa

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Connecting with and protecting nature, the affordable-housing complex in Santa Monica, California, orients apartments around a semipublic outdoor “room” with drought-resistant vegetation and colorful play structures. EV-charging stations, a living roof, an under-sidewalk infiltration system for stormwater runoff, and recycled, locally manufactured interior finishes such as formaldehyde-free MDF and FSC-certified oak make it net-zero to boot.

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Iconik by Edit!

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A single low-rise in Prague looks like two, courtesy of staggered rooflines and different tones of ceramic-tile cladding, a device that suits both local building regulations and the scale of the surrounding secessionist gems and old factories. Its oversize windows are veiled for privacy by way of balcony railings, airy loggias, and, on the left-hand facade’s lower levels, aluminum slats mimicking the site’s previous street-front.

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T46 by Fesselet Krampulz Architectes

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Perforated, corrugated aluminum sheeting tempers the glazed facade of and forms cantilevered balconies on this mixed-use building in Vevey, Switzerland, which stacks five apartment floors atop two commercial ones—including the firm’s own studio—and emphasizes well-detailed construction, use of ready-made materials, and efficient floor plans. Interior finishes juxtapose exposed concrete and custom terrazzo pavers with timber and exuberant tilework.