Listing of the Day
Location: New York Price: $17 million
When two of fashion’s biggest tastemakers renovate a chic townhouse in Greenwich Village, people are bound to take notice. The stunning home belongs to former Urban Outfitters CEO Glen Senk and his husband, Keith Johnson, former buyer-at-large for Anthropologie. Almost as soon as it was completed, the renovation caught the eye of the media, including a profile of the home in Harper’s Bazaar. Still, missing from the narrative, said listing agent Leighton Candler of Corcoran Group, are design elements that don’t necessarily meet the eye.
"Yes, it’s beautifully unusual," Ms. Candler said of the home’s décor—but sometimes it’s the things you don’t notice that make for a successful renovation.
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The kitchen floor, for example, was dug out a whole foot and under-floor heating installed. The doorways were raised. Every wire in the house was replaced. A skylight was installed to flood each floor with natural light.
Then there’s the central staircase, which the couple removed completely, restored and put right back in its place. The restoration of the staircase alone took more than a year, but now, said Ms. Candler, "it’s exactly as good as the day it was put in."
Not that the décor is to be ignored. Ms. Candler’s favorite element is the bar that the couple installed between the living and dining rooms, which was modeled after a bar at the iconic London hotel Claridge’s. "Every single person who walks by that bar breaks into a smile," Ms. Candler said.
The Stats
The five-story townhouse has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one partial bath, in addition to a chef’s kitchen, a library, a balcony and a split-level garden with a fountain. There are 10 fireplaces throughout the home.
Design Pedigree
The renovation was spearheaded not by a team of architects and designers, but by the couple themselves. According to Ms. Candler, they considered every decision, were present at every meeting and presided over the construction site.
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Asked whether renovations have become a passion for the couple, Ms. Candler said yes, citing another house they redid in Palm Beach, Fla. It’s an interest, she emphasized, that is shared equally between the two men, whom she called design naturals.
Celebrity Cachet
Although Mr. Johnson may not be an interior designer by trade, as former buyer-at-large for Anthropologie, he has an eye for it. That gig inspired the Sundance Channel to follow him on his work travels for the 2009-10 TV series "Man Shops Globe."
Both he and Mr. Senk are well-known figures in the fashion industry. Mr. Senk is now the CEO and chairman of Front Row Partners, a retail and consumer investment firm. He previously served as CEO for David Yurman, in addition to Urban Outfitters.
Neighborhood Notes
The Gold Coast of Greenwich Village, as the area off Fifth Avenue to the north of Washington Square Park is called, was one of the first neighborhoods in Manhattan to become a historic district. Known for its tree-lined streets, regal townhouses and pre-war elegance, it at once feels like old New York, yet brims with the buzz of youth and culture.
In 1890, the townhouse was the founding site of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, a non-profit that promotes appreciation for the formation and development of the United States.
Agent: Leighton Candler, Corcoran Group
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