Early reports of the death of the townhome appear to have been greatly exaggerated.
A private garage for two cars; flex space ideal for teens, guests or an office; a light-filled interior with generous rooms between multiple levels. Decks, porches and patios, open interiors to the outside. The feeling is expansive and private. Welcome to the new townhome.
“Back down. The townhome is dead” was cautionary advice Jeff Benach, principal of Chicago-based Lexington Homes, often heard during the recession. But that wasn’t the experience for his firm, which, he says, always had been “pretty strong on townhomes.” They continued to offer this option. “A couple of years later in 2011 and 2012, all of a sudden the townhome is becoming the it property type,” he says. Few other types of residential housing have had a resurgence of interest as town-homes, and few others have undergone as many fundamental changes in architecture, floor plans and finishes. Elevated design and dynamic architecture are only part of this newfound appeal. Cost, location, and lifestyle — which often is more important than price for buyers — also come into play.
Long perceived as second best, town-houses are no longer viewed as merely a less costly alternative to single-family homes. Instead, the appeal extends to a surprising span of life stages and lifestyles from entry-level to move-up to affluent.
No Longer Second Best
“We’re starting to see, and I’ve seen more of lately, something I never saw in my 30-plus years of doing this, and that is families, young families with kids looking for a townhouse for school districts or other reasons,” explains Benach. “This obviously signals a shift in who is buying townhomes, whereas before it was first-time or move-down buyers.” Also, school districts have become a much bigger factor for potential buyers, which, Benach says, reflects a much greater acceptance of townhomes as a longer term, grow-to product.
“Luxury townhouses in New York City are increasingly offering homeowners more options and choices when it comes to their lifestyle. A townhouse generally provides homeowners more living space and the opportunity to have a residential experience that is closer to a single-home lifestyle, which is hard to find in a metropolitan area. The townhouse can offer a family room to grow and more flexibility as needs change in the future,” explains David Dynega, CEO of Detail Renovations in Great Neck, N.Y.
PHOTO COURTESY KOBI KARP ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Walls of glass bring the tropical landscape into the experience of this townhome on Fisher Island.
The ability to lock and leave without compromising on outdoor connections and privacy is another incentive. “Living in a townhouse-style building, I literally lock my door and leave. I’m walkable to downtown and I have no anxiety about maintaining or the lawn or yard or snow removal. It’s taken care of. I think that’s the benefit for a more transient society, especially people with multiple dwellings,” shares Michigan architect Wayne Visbeen, principal and founder of Visbeen Architects.
“The keyword in townhome is home,” observes Kobi Karp, principal of Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design. “It’s a very habitable home, a house within the town. That’s really the way we see it, and it’s traditionally, historically been as such,” he says reflecting on the tradition of grand urban residences from the era of the Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan. “A lot of our projects are infilled in urban spaces, and people are using town-houses to be unique destinations for their family within the urban center,” he explains.
“The townhouses you see now are designed much more like a single-family home, and people want a single-family feel even to an attached home,” says Michael Stone, senior designer at Bassenian Lagoni Architects in Newport Beach, California. While attached multi-story dwellings, traditionally called row homes, are what many still envision at the mention of townhouses, this option today has a range of iterations. “It seems like each week we are seeing a new spin on the attached product,” shares Stone.
Today, townhouses can be clustered on small lots. Some are freestanding, like some historical homes in New York City, or they might be attached. They can also be part of a highrise building. “We create them on lanai decks; we create them on rooftops,” says Karp. Location is key and an address in a highly desirable, prestigious neighborhood in cities including New York or Miami adds to the appeal and the cachet of the property. Being part of a high rise also usu-ally enables townhome owners to enjoy all of the amenities of the building.
Even new master-planned communities — usually with diverse property types, prices and sizes — often include town-houses in walkable locations close to the hub of activity.
Getting More With Less
Kobi Karp lives in a townhouse. Wayne Visbeen lives in what might be considered a new vision for townhouses. His is a three-story live-work space. “I think the thing that is similar between townhouses and single-family homes is we’re all trying to figure out ways of getting more for less. So how do you use space efficiently, no matter how luxurious? It is something that even my very-high-end clients are looking for,” he says. His own home is only 20-feet wide; yet, he says, people are shocked when they learn how narrow the home is. What makes the difference? Ceiling heights give volume and expansive windows bring in light.
Visbeen, who has won design and architectural awards for both custom and production homes, tends to think about space innovatively. A good example is a large room in his home designed to be adapted to multiple uses, including a rec room, a guest suite and a conference room for his business. This type of space is something Visbeen says he is incorporating into almost all new designs from townhouses to single-family residences.
What makes a townhouse today differ-ent from one designed decades ago? Light, maximizing square footage, floor plans oriented for privacy and indoor/outdoor connections. Even entries have been reorganized with direct access to a residence from a private garage, which is more often than not, spacious enough for two cars and additional storage.
It’s All About The Light
Interiors infused with light dispel any sense of compromise regarding square foot-age or the size of a lot, even for attached homes. For example, in a recent plan created by Bassenian Lagoni, individual town homes were attached along the rear wall. The entries faced opposite streets and the orientation allowed for the placement of windows, large banks of windows, on three sides.
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / PHOTO_HAMSTERMAN
Strategic positioning of stairs connect levels and enhance light in new townhome designs.
Often, stairways are open and positioned to transmit light through two or more levels of the home and to also visually connect multiple levels without sacrificing valuable interior space. For upscale properties, elevators are becoming a non-negotiable item, particularly in new construction on sites where the enhanced value derived by the location and the land often more than exceeds the cost of an elevator.
A new spin on townhomes from Lexington Homes, is something Benach describes as a bit of a hybrid. “It’s a town-home in that the main footprint where people live is about a 40- by 22- or 21-foot footprint, times three stories.” In a typical old-style townhome, the garage would be in front or in the rear but still integral to the building. But in Benach’s hybrid model, the entire house is “all living space.” The back door opens to a rear yard and a garage that fronts on an alley. “So, it’s just like a city single family home, except they are attached. And there is a weathered-board fence between each one, so you’ve got your own little private back yard,” along with a garage, he says.
PHOTO COURTESY KOBI KARP ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Whether a covered deck, garden, pool or simply a small patio, outdoor spaces are some of the most desired amenities in townhomes.
Outdoor Attachments
A small outdoor space, especially in urban centers, is one of the most desired amenities offered by townhomes. It’s something many do not want to sacrifice just because they live in a metropolitan area.
Equally fundamental to an experience akin to single-family are decks, patios and porches, often on multiple levels of the home. Not only do they provide an essential connection to nature, but they extend the square footage, often via stacking or telescoping doors that completely
merge inside and out. Often, for homes located above parking garages or in high-rise buildings, they create opportunities for outdoor living — even small gardens or play areas in locations and sites where such access is almost impossible. Being able to walk outside or dine, possibly in a covered outdoor room, brings an entirely new dimension to the townhome experience. The latest “must-have” outdoor amenity is a rooftop deck, which in many locations maximizes views. Outdoor kitchens and dinning, gardens, pools, and play areas make this amenity space even more desirable.
Outdoor Living Inside The Home
Another strategy architects employ to create outdoor connections and infuse natural light into the center of townhouses is interior courtyards, often sited next to a side yard or the rear, with the home grouped around it in a U-shape. In addition to opening ground-level spaces (often via disappearing doors) to the outdoors, they create opportunities for additional windows and even large expanses of glass on upper levels. In all price ranges, the use of transom glass at the top of walls or over windows and doors further opens interiors on upper levels.
Private courtyards within the townhouse also evoke historical ties to turn-of-the-century townhomes in New York. “Those homes were highly glazed with interaction and connectivity to the landscaping, and to the gardens,” says Karp.
In addition to outdoor living options, having square footage distributed between multiple levels is a main differentiator between a flat and a townhouse.
The interaction between indoors and outdoors also differentiates a townhouse from a flat as does having living spaces on multiple levels. Both create value and enhance privacy and the essential sense of home. “It gives you a little bit of separation. It’s physical and mental privacy,” says Karp.
“Additionally, particularly for high-end homes, taller rooms often found in town-homes are ideal to display art,” observes Karp, a feature increasing desired by affluent owners.
Even for the affluent, especially in urban centers, Karp says, “a big house and land isn’t necessarily as financially feasible as it is to maintain a luxury townhome in a town center where you live it and you use it in a more efficient manner. You live and you use every room of the townhouse, where I give you a sprawling house in the city and there’s rooms you never walk into.”
This editorial originally appeared in The High End Winter 2020.
Unique Homes sat down with the owner of Firefeatures, Elena Colombo, a sculptor whose biggest inspiration is nature, to discuss how this inspiration shines through in her one-of-a-kind designs.
Was there a particular moment when you knew you wanted to be an artist?
I believe I always knew I was an artist and designer — from the time I was a toddler, I was always making something. Making flower necklaces, building dollhouse furniture, making a background painting for my fish tank, making mobiles, etc. I studied architectural drafting in grade school and high school and went on to study art history and fine arts in college. Art has been with me since I was born.
I want to be clear; I’m not a fine artist in the true sense of the word. My art is not solely for art’s sake. I do not make things that are purely for looking at and pleasing the viewer, though that is integral to their success. I design sculptural yet functional gas appliances. I call it “art that works.” Everything I have done in my life for work and pleasure has been to put an idea or feeling into visual form.
My father was a builder and contractor while my mother was a naturalist and placemaker. They both built/created places where people and families could thrive, whether it was building a library, planting a garden, or choosing a comfortable yet beautiful chair to sit and read in. I grew up in a nurturing environment where we were encouraged to create and solve problems. I want my work to create a beautiful place where people gather to commune with each other and fire is the medium — and it’s second to none in that regard.
How would you describe your style?
I hope, at its best, it is a clear abstraction of nature. Because I make a product that is specifically a gas appliance, I am bound by requirements and restrictions that pure fine art is not. The form follows function in my case, so the style has to be clear, pure, and functional.
How has your style changed over the years?
It’s gotten more focused, so I imagine it’s become more minimalist.
If you had to describe your works in three words, what would they be?
Clear, pure, and functional.
How does fire influence your projects?
It is the thing for which I create. My work is essentially a vessel to contain the fire and allow it to burn safely. The shape of the vessel can dictate how the fire moves, or the movement of the fire can dictate the shape of the vessel. The bowl was my first choice to hold fire as it is the simplest shape, and allows the fire to be the star.
How do you begin a project?
With a small quick sketch on paper, then translate it into 3 dimensions with Nic Spitler, our Head of Design. We work in Rhino which is a 3D modeling program and a very lithe program. It allows you to create, change and morph easily as you work out the ideas. I couldn’t do it without Nic — he’s extremely fluid with Rhino and our instincts are similar.
What is your favorite project and why?
The Bethlehem Bridge Project. It was a commission awarded by ArtsQuest and the National Endowment for the Arts in response to an RFQ for the Bethlehem placemaking initiative. And I just feel like I got it right. I am proud of it and it functions for the people of Bethlehem and for visitors from around the world.
What is your dream project?
A large-scale civic project in Manhattan perhaps, and to get further into design for end of life memorials and reliquaries.
Can you tell us what you’re working on right now?
Right now are two big jobs with multiple fireplaces, both interior and exterior, for 2 residences, one in Southampton and one in Greenwich, CT. The Southampton house will have a series of cast bronze pieces I’m really excited about — one has a log cradle made from a singular piece of tree bark we cast in bronze, with an entire driftwood looking surround cast in concrete. It’s an intricate mold process we will be beginning in the new year.
What is the biggest challenge when it comes to sculpting?
Coming up with a good idea and then executing it!
Actually, sometimes it’s just moving these heavy objects around — you tend to forget about that when you’re in the creative process — moving big metal things encompasses a lot of shipping and installation details you have to consider when designing the piece.
Photos courtesy of c/o Firefeatures
65 E. Goethe Street Unit M102, Chicago, Illinois, United States
This magnificent residence lives like a single-family with approx. 5800 square feet on 2 floors and a private street entrance, yet offers the 24-hr. security, maintenance, and management services of an 18-unit luxury, boutique condominium building… the best of both worlds! It showcases the finest designer finishes, creating a timeless oasis in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. The space flows easily from a formal living room, dining room, library, bar area to an inviting family room, all surrounding a dramatic entry foyer with 11′ ceilings. The 30′ kitchen and breakfast area, designed by de Giulio, opens to 1300 square feet of private, landscaped outdoor space. The 2nd level includes a master suite, his/her baths, dressing rooms, office/study, 2 add’l ensuite family bedrooms. The 4th ensuite bedroom is located on the 1st level, perfect for guests. This elegant, unique home is surrounded by landmark mansions and the lakefront, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive areas of the city.
Basic Details
Price: $5,989,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 5
Half Bathrooms: 1
Square Footage: 5,800 Sqft
MLS: 10382629
Featured Agent: Sherri Kramer, Broker
Coldwell Banker Global Luxury | 676 N. Michigan Ave. #3010, Chicago, Il 60611 cell 312.513.4280 fax 781.609.0169 sherri.kramer@cbexchange.com www.lakefrontlivingchicago.com
www.facebook.com/SherriKramerChicagoRE
If you’re searching for a home in Chicago, you’ve come to the right place!
SHERRI has been a realtor in Chicago since l986 and top producer with Coldwell Banker Residential for over 20 years. Her business is based on repeat and referral clients, providing the best support through the complicated process of purchasing or selling a home. She is 100% committed to helping her clients make one of their most important financial decisions and believes that ‘listening’ to her client’s needs is her top priority.
Sherri specializes in residential properties in Chicago’s Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, Old Town, DePaul, River East, Lakeview, River North, Lakeshore East, West Loop & South Loop neighborhoods. She is skilled and up-to-date on the luxury market, new construction, market & financing trends, technology, social media…and always has a ‘pulse’ on the market.
Both regionally and nationally, Sherri enjoys helping her clients anywhere in the country through a vast network of trained and skilled Coldwell Banker agents in every marketplace. She enjoys a great reputation among her colleagues, in addition to her clients, who know they can count on her integrity and professionalism.
As a Seller, it is crucial to have the right realtor assist in staging and accurately positioning the home within the marketplace, as well as provide the best marketing support. As a Buyer, the right realtor provides guidance through the process, within the confines of the buyer’s budget and lifestyle. Sherri has always focused on being the ‘right’ realtor.
For 30 years, Sherri has been committed to being the ‘real estate professional” in her clients’ lives. “The most important thing we have in business, as in life, is our reputation” according to Sherri. Her clients know they can always count on her!
Formerly owned by tenor Titta Ruffo, this astonishing penthouse in Rome, Italy was recently redesigned by “starchitect” Dante Benini to grant the comfort of a yacht.
“The home offers an ancient atmosphere on top of Monti Parioli with modern furnishing mixed with an overall touch of elegance, all of which make you at your ease,” says Andrea Barbera of Coldwell Banker Barbera Group International Real Estate, who is listing the property for 6 million euros.
Offering smashing views, this home features three levels with a private elevator, four bedrooms, five baths and a terrace that is nestled between the rooftop loggia and the turret.
“Visitors enjoy the view of the city because the terrace overlooks the north side of Rome, including Flamino Stadium and Monte Mario,” says Barbera.
Sisi Takaki, RB-21987
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Hawai’i Realty
46 Hoo’lai Street, #D, Kailua, HI 96734
Cell: 808.753.7151 | SisiT@bhhshawaii.com
Sisi Takaki, Realtor is nationally recognized in the Top 2% of Sales for 2015-2017. She is a seasoned Luxury Specialist with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and was awarded into the President’s Circle in 2017. Sisi understands every facet of home ownership, from the emotional aspect of buying or selling your primary residence to the complexity of a profitable investment property. Sisi understands and values knowing each client’s goals and aligns herself to the needs of each unique situation. Selling your home can be one of the hardest things to do, but Sisi Takaki and her Team will guide you through the process. From Skyline to Shoreline, let Sisi Takaki, R and the STR Team help you with all of your real estate needs.
Listings by Sisi Takaki
Honolulu, Hawaii
1837 KALAKAUA AVE #2608
Enjoy the Allure of Waikiki with this 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath unit with calming mountain and city views. The unit offers high-end finishes and a cutting-edge open kitchen. The building offers a modern design set in a tropical landscape with open green areas. Close to Waikiki businesses, Kakaako restaurants and shopping.
Offered at 1,158,880.
Sisi Takaki originally appeared as an Elite agent in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See her page here.
In a quiet, gated community in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, this grand home offers 24-hour security. Inside, the welcoming stairway at the entry leads to the great room and main living, which open to the pool area.
“As you walk down the stairway entrance you feel like you are walking into a grand ballroom,” says listing agent Jaime Gould of Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty.
The home also features three bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a one-bedroom apartment and a two-car garage.
“This home is good for people who like to entertain and have guests stay with them,” says Gould. “Each bedroom has its own area, so if you need to get away or have peaceful quiet time you can.”
Property by Myra Nourmand
310-888-3333
Live amongst the captivating properties of Beverly Glen with its beautiful tree-lined canopies and expansive flat lots. This beautifully appointed home is absolutely breathtaking! The entire property opens to the enormous yard, which is totally private and quiet, embracing the ideal of indoor-outdoor living. Soaring ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and an open floor plan, the home has a light and airy feel. Flexible layout features 4 bedrooms upstairs, one large bedroom suite downstairs, office and attached 2-room guest house. Top-of-the-line appliances such as Miele, Viking, Sub-Zero, Fleetwood, and NeoRest. Perfect for outdoor entertaining with the cozy loggia and fireplace, built-in BBQ and saltwater swiming pool and spa. Even solar, making this 7,000-plus-square-foot property almost off the grid! Enjoy the 3-car garage, spectacular 500-plus-bottle wine cellar, Crestron, fully secure, elevator-ready. A fantastic opportunity for an exceptional home in most desirable Warner Elementary school location.
Kim Martin-Fisher
& Jennifer Martin Faulkner
Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty
2240 Ponte Vedra Park Drive, Suite 201, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
K: 904.699.9993 | J: 904.524.6000 | KMFandJMF.com
Listings by Kim & Jennifer
725 Ponte Vedra Boulevard
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
5BR | 3BA | 2,404 sq. ft. 725PonteVedraBoulevard.com
Contact Kim & Jennifer for a private showing.
Kim Martin-Fisher & Jennifer Martin Faulkner originally appeared as Elite agents in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See their page here.
Stacy Gottula, one of the premier luxury real estate brokers with the Agency, a firm located in Beverly Hills, has officially redirected her career toward working with the Eklund and Gomes team associated with Douglas Elliman.
This is just three months after the Eklund-Gomes team expanded into Los Angeles, where Frederik Eklund, the long-time star of the hit TV series “Million Dollar Listing New York,” moved in order to dominate the West Coast.
“I’ve been chasing her and we’ve been talking for a long time,” he said of Gottula to The Real Deal. “What she’s bringing, which is something I really need at this point is the experience pitching big, big listings.”
Photo courtesy of Tigran Tovmasyan, One Sixty Studios
Gottula credits her decision to transfer onto the Eklund-Gomes to wanting to work in a team atmosphere again. At the Agency, she worked solo on most projects — and she told The Real Deal that after seeing the team at Douglas Elliman, “it felt right.”
This is another big hit for the Agency, as Stacy Gottula brings the firms’ lost brokers to a count of 45 in Los Angeles.
Inman News names Joyce Rey, a Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialist affiliated with the Beverly Hills South office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, to the inaugural Golden I Hall of Fame, the highest honor in luxury real estate presented to the top luxury agents and brokers in the United States.
“I am so honored to join the Golden I Hall of Fame,” said Rey. “I have an energetic spirit and am always committed to excellence in everything I do. I could not have achieved this honor without my wonderful clientele, fabulous staff and colleagues, and sensational friends and family.”
Over her more than four-decade career, Rey has amassed more than $4 billion in career sales. With a dazzling list of accolades, awards and sales records, she is known, most of all, for her incomparable knowledge of the luxury marketplace, her acute ability to negotiate even the most complex transactions and her particular talent for putting clients at ease.
No stranger to success, Rey is designated one of “The Los Angeles 500 Most Influential People” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, named the “First Lady of Luxury Real Estate” by the Chinese media, described as the “Billionaire’s Broker” by Luxury Real Estate and called the “Grand Dame of Real Estate” by the Los Angeles Times. She is also ranked in the Top 20 Luxury Brokers in L.A. County by “The Real Deal” Los Angeles. Passionate about helping others, she serves on the Southern California Executive Board for UNICEF, the Los Angeles Library Foundation Advisory Board and the Coldwell Banker Community Foundation Board. She has also is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization and served on the Board of the Blue Ribbon Support Group for the Music Center.