Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: Serhant

Listen, it’s not as though getting an apartment in New York has ever been easy. But one could probably argue it has never been harder than it is right now. The most god-awful studios are regularly renting for thousands and thousands of dollars with lines of interested tenants out the door. Here, we’ll find the actually worth-looking-ats, the actually worth-the-costs, and the surprisingly affordable-for-those-parquet-floors from around the internet. 

This week, I’m trying to broaden my horizons. In Greenpoint, that meant attempting to understand the appeal of luxury condos; in Bushwick, I had to confront my deeply entrenched skepticism about the neighborhood writ large; and in Bed-Stuy, where I always end up, I was forced to question the veracity of some StreetEasy images. There’s also a brief and inexplicable detour to Murray Hill and a Williamsburg-y Bushwick loft to remind us of simpler times. And for anyone who would rather opt out of all this entirely, Philip Johnson’s first residential commission is being restored in Bedford and will soon be looking for a very architecturally literate new owner!

$5,650, 1-bedroom: Trying to get over my need for charm and lean into luxury. I can sort of get down with the size of the living-room window, the washer-dryer, and the roof deck.

$5,950, 4-bedroom: Confusing layout that I won’t investigate too closely because I’d like the bedroom count to stay as is. Highlights include a bay window in the main bedroom and a gas-stove fireplace. Lowlights include the kitchen paneling and the bathroom tiling.

131½ Noble Street, No. 1
Photo: Corcoran

$12,500, 2-bedroom: A totally unaffordable duplex with some of the most dignified details. They did a great job of balancing the history of the place with modern touches that don’t distract. Love the built-ins in the living room and the tin ceiling in the kitchen, especially.

84 Green Street, No. 3, in Greenpoint.
Photo: Bond New York

$5,800, 2-bedroom: Not cheap, per se, but cheaper than the above! Floor-through apartment in a four-story building with northern and southern exposures. I’m partial to the bookshelves and the crown molding in the bedroom.

$5,200, 2-bedroom: It’s funny to call a railroad apartment “loftlike” — but what it lacks in loft elements it makes up for in old-school charm (see diner table and bench). Not too much to write home about, but there’s a surprising amount of light for a railroad and a nice fire escape for your afternoon Zoom calls.

245 Kingsland Avenue, No. 2L.
Photo: Native Real Estate

$3,600, 2-bedroom: I’ve listed this before, but this place has a lot of personality, which I recommend leaning into — like the mahogany built-in in the bedroom, which looks original, and the latticework in the living room.

1522 Putnam Avenue #1.
Photo: StreetEasy

$3,200, 2-bedroom: Very pretty floor-through apartment with unbeatable light and a charming kitchen(ette), all on a high floor.

197 Bainbridge Street, No. 3.
Photo: Serhant

$6,100, 3-bedroom: Sort of nice, somewhat spare duplex that’s been renovated with a heavy hand. Claw-foot tub and a charming slant to the ceilings.

$3,550, 2-bedroom: Charming garden-floor apartment with a surprising amount of light for the north side of the street. Unless these photos are gaslighting me — which I’m not ruling out for all the obvious reasons.

319 MacDonough Street, No. 1.
Photo: StreetEasy

$2,600, 1-bedroom: If you can look past the gray floors and the turquoise bathroom sink (if you can, you’re a bigger man than I am), then this affordable brownstone apartment could be yours.

$4,000, 3-bedroom: Very renovated brownstone apartment with a kitchen and bathroom seemingly designed by the same algorithm that gave us Tend Dental.

215 Weirfield Street, No. 3.
Photo: BLT Minimax Realty

$4,050, 3-bedroom: Have listed this before — hard to forget that single stained-glass window. Keep an eye out for a price drop because this one’s been sitting pretty for some time.

249 Melrose Street, No. 3R.

$3,250, 2-bedroom: Bright and airy feel in the living room and bedroom, despite the low square footage. You could probably get away with changing the heinous lighting fixture in the kitchen, though the Home Depot rococo marble is probably there to stay.

$5,195, 2-bedroom: Will always be here for a loft with enormous windows and track lights. Makes me feel nostalgic for  a pre-Resy Bushwick.

250 Moore Street, No. 202.
Photo: StreetEasy

$3,200, 1-bedroom: Random Murray Hill twirl landed me in this parquet’d studio with a separated kitchen and bathtub.

Photo: NRML Studio, Courtesy R&D

If you’re interested in ditching the city for a quiet suburban life, Philip Johnson’s first-ever residential commission is getting a much-needed full restoration. Built in Bedford in 1946, three years before the Glass House, the Booth House was designed for Richard and Olga Booth, a Manhattan couple looking for a weekend getaway. You can already see Johnson working out the ideas he’d later become famous for — open rooms, minimal materials, and lots of glass blurring the line between house and landscape. But no one has lived in the house since 2010, when it was occupied by architects Sirkka and Robert Damora for about five decades after the Booths.

Architect Drew Lang and builder Ravi Arps recently bought the house, which has been sitting vacant since 2010 (it was listed in 2024 by the previous owner, an LLC linked to art adviser Thomas Rom), and they plan to spend the next 18 months restoring it. The home features three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms with a working fireplace and a sunken garden. The architects laid hand-molded Danish brick throughout in homage to Johnson. Naturally, they’re putting it back on the market soon, which means that you could have the opportunity to live in Philip Johnson’s architectural rough draft. Curbed readers get the first glimpse!

A rendering of the restored Booth House.

A rendering of the living area.

Photo: NRML Studio, Courtesy R&D

Photo: NRML Studio, Courtesy R&D

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