I almost wanted to throw up reading this article. When I think about how so many people work 2-3 jobs to afford the necessities of life, I remember that a lot of the people portrayed in this article have earned their wealth on the backs of these low paid workers. Their investments in companies that make money by refusing to pay a living wage or basic benefits to their employees is how this excess gets funded. I wish these people got some satisfaction through making another person's life a little easier. Oh well, until then, remodel, demolish, repeat.......
6
Excerpt from a Mr Sam Jaradeh in Architectural Digest
« He wanted to mix an old-world, “Victorian” sensibility with something industrial and NYC, but made sexy. »
Ha ha, but oh my the scary thought is that he engendered emulators
« When all had been installed, friends began asking where they could buy the pieces for themselves, and a business idea was born »
2
The differences between what some people find sexy and others find foul is really astonishing. Shouldn't we, maybe, have learned something different from Dickensian horrors of the Victorian era?
Of all the free magazines and mail that I receive, AD is without any doubt the most depressing. It is everything that is bad about modern civilization. (In another context I'd have to actually defend that statement; but it's a comment section, so I can just say it based on the gut-wrenching feeling I get every time it comes in the mail. My partner throws it out in the post office recycle bin before coming home with the mail now. He says it's not worth my mental and aesthetic health!)
1
“Connecticut’s cold winters mean the kids will be stuck inside at least three months of every year,” Ms. Schur said. Really? Is that what they mean? Where I grew up -- way north of Connecticut -- cold winters meant thick coats, boots, mittens, hats, sledding, skating, eating snow, snow-forts, ... and cocoa with marshmallows when Mom hollered us indoors at nightfall. Times when we were stuck indoors meant cobbling together forts under the dining room table or in the basement -- when Mom had enough of the noise -- and -- when she let us come back upstairs -- eating cookies in front of the fire. Geez, the poor kids. I know, I know -- I sound like an old lady.
28
That bathroom is the ugliest, tackiest thing I have ever seen. You can't buy taste.
16
the stomach turning excess exhibited here makes me ill and angry.
5
This is Nina Castro:
Real estate transfer is "a thing" because we don't manufacture anything else to sell. People don't think of houses as homes with long term equity accumulation in concert and proportion with slow, steady growth of a nation's economy anymore. So, always a few years away from the next, anxiety producing, boom/bust cycle. What's worse is that this idea that being a realtor is a real job, has spread throughout the country. Now they're aggressive, and often in an unholy alliance with developers, and their mindset drives the desire for "dream homes", which magically appear built by hopefully legal immigrants, even though the potential owners can barely change a light bulb alone, much less re-caulk a tub. And middle class home ownership isn't the only thing being destabilized by Wall Street and income inequality. Maybe we should just rename the country: The United States of Las Vegas.
6
Forget the gold: one of the most potentially dangerous indoor things in the world is a bathtub on a platform. The bather is naked, wet, and most likely alone in a room full of hard surfaces. Not good!
I feel similarly about beds on platforms, but at least the person is probably dry, maybe more or less dressed, and possibly not alone.
13
That bathroom, especially, reeks of immaturity. And a disturbed, overly insulated soul.
So much else, for the good, could have been done with the money and materials and labor and thinking that went into these autoerotic spaces and the choices that led to them.
13
@MSW This is why the wealthy should spread some of that money to the rest of us.
1
Is there a golden shower in that bathroom, and does it belong to Donald Trump?
23
I followed one of the links in the article, which subsequently brought me to a youtube video of the entire apartment/loft containing the "gold bathroom". To be fair, you need to see the rest of the place to put the bathroom in perspective. It's still an obscene waste of money, but, I hate it less. Video is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=HI5ZRGhs2L0
5
@JZF I watched the video and it shows an entire apartment that is dark, ugly and juvenile. Ugh.
4
The gold money symbol resembles a modern medical caduceus of the type favored by today's Health Care CEO's
6
never confuse money with "taste"
21
@Tony Dolly Parton said it best: "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."
13
Is this bathroom in Trump’s apartment? Just vulgar beyond words. The dollar sign is the icing on the cake. How much good could be done with $140k!
16
"Ugly", according to Webster's dictionary: "see Sam Jaradeh's bathroom". No kidding, look it up. Hope it stays unsold until the end of time as an example of how not to decorate a room. I suggest that Mr. Jaradeh give guided tours, he can recoup the loss spent decorating the bathroom in no time at all.
10
That gold bathroom may be one of the most hideous things I've ever seen. Who does that?
15
Interesting article. That the bathroom is so tacky it's neat.
As to all the comments about the rich not paying enough taxes...
The top 10% of taxpayers already pay almost 70% of federal income taxes. Never enough taxes for the tax and spend bleeding heart liberals. They need to start using their own money when they get the urge to do charity/save the world.
6
@Reader In Wash, DC: Our 1% own 50% of our wealth. They should pay in proportion and be happy for the social stability which allows them their position.
16
@Reader In Wash, DC- "Neat"? Last time i heard that word used was in "Annie Hall". 1960's revival?
2
The gold-plated bathroom is so god-awful gaudy, ostentatious and in such poor taste, it looks like Saddam Hussein's bathroom.
22
I love a bathroom like the one we had in Japan, where you bath outside the tub on stool on a tiled floor then jump in the tub (short and high) once you are clean. But here in the US? Hard to sell, I am sure.
3
:-)
That bathroom just goes to prove that just as money can't buy you love, it can't buy you taste....
11
That gold-plated bathroom is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. Some people!
15
What is amazing me is the 7 story (elevator?) townhouse which has a 1200sq ft roof top room. And it was renovated at a price of $200,000. True, I do not live in NYC but that floor is the same size and price of my renovated 1930’s cape cod which has a yard. Wouldn’t all that money be better used for say....a food pantry or schools. I know that is not the discussion but come on.
6
@Ann Winer
You are not really comparing like for like. True, both yours and theirs are places to live but different lives call for different ways of living. It is also true that money can be better used elsewhere but we don't know and mustn't assume that people who are spending money on themselves are not giving to good causes either.
2
Take careful note children. Money can't buy you love or taste.
24
Why do so many constantly need to bring Trump in to absolutely every discussion?
4
@Piotr: It's impossible to see the words "bad taste" and not think of him.
20
@Piotr
Because Trump put himself there with his nonstop onslaught of self promotion. Better question - where have you been?
15
Looking at the bathroom, I can't help thinking that it looks like something out of a "Richie Rich" comic... Or, the loo in one of Trump's bathroom. Either way - tacky and definitely not my style. My first home after college was a log cabin in the woods with an outhouse twenty-five steps away...
8
@Chris Widman yes, it's like a cartoon. Terrible lack of Feng Shui
1
I am glad to have seen that bathtub. I grew up with a tub in my tenement apartment kitchen too!
6
One of the big misunderstandings about property value, is, if you sell your property, unless you were wealthy to begin with, you still need a place to live. I have a standard home, that I am shaping to meet my needs. There isn't a home in existence, that would satisfy me without modification, so why waste money moving into an HOA controlled community, into a cookie cutter house. I live in a house so I may have privacy and control over my environment. I'm not looking to make a killing off of it. When I die, it goes to my offspring. They can change what they don't like, or sell it for less than market value if it is so tainted by the general population's vision of what makes a home.
4
The big question one must ask before this sort of customization of a home, just like a customized car, is if you are owning for investment or for long term use. If you expect to do the five and out lifestyle, do not add personal touches that cannot be easily removed. If you intend to spend a goodly portion of your remaining life here, go for it.
8
People have every right to personalize their home. However please do not expect others to pay for it when you sell. It could happen depending on the renovation. Some of these renovations affirm that wealth does not mean good taste or even style.
18
We are not rich. We have a modest 1957 rambler in the DC burbs. It was near knock-down condition when we bought it. When we did the bathrooms, I was mindful of the advice to "put the color on the walls" but I couldn't live with the gray mausoleum look that is de rigeur here. I didn't decorate with re-sale in mind. I wanted to do updated MCM as the house is MCM, more or less. Finding tile that wasn't grey was tough. The bathrooms now have splashes of color in the tile and by the time we sell, the buyers will probably want to tear it out anyway. Just as they will want to tear out the gray mausoleums.
6
As to the two studio apartments--one of 410 sq. ft., the other 350--the flexibility, while impressive, does present a challenge if one has guests who are not close friends. The conversion from one mode to another can be socially awkward. I live in a 500 sq. ft. studio set up at modest cost to feel spacious. There are a couple of simple rules: 1) only unmovable furniture--in my case, bookcases (I have a lot of books, well in excess of 1000)--rest directly on the floor, and they are against walls. All other furniture is well off the floor, and easily shifted. [hint: think of the vocabulary of European languages; with respect to furnishings, the distinction is always made between "movables" and "unmovables", harking back to the aristocratic practice of multiple residences and large households--lots of persons--and a seasonally migratory way of life: eat all the foodstuffs at one residence and the entire household moves on to another, taking the "movables" along as part of the caravan.
2) Play with light. Use mirrors to bounce it around. Draw attention to windows; don't block, rather, highlight them; use hanging curtains for enframement, drawing one's gaze up and out. Use lighting devices to direct light both up and down, and pay attention to shadows to create depth.
Nonetheless, switching modes in a small space is awkward. Nothing is attractive about an uncleared dining table after a consuming a meal; likewise, an unmade bed once slept in. Eschew elaboration.
4
@John Lee Kapner
You won't have socially awkward occasions if you make a habit of inviting only close friends or relatives (just the ones you really like) to stay with you.
1
@John Lee Kapner Nothing is more attractive and wonderful than lingering over a meal and picking at the leftovers with close friends and relatives.
There was a sharply honed French invention used widely in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that solved all these real estate problems. If only we could bring it back.
12
When I was a child, my 'wow factor' was walking 2 blocks from my house to a creek where I used a jar to catch tadpoles. It was the best!
18
I am retired and this is also one of my best childhood memories. That and the luge escapade during winter in the fields if a nearby farm
Way back in 1989 we were selling our double coop loft in NoHo. It included a full size stacked washer dryer in the custom bath with Jacuzzi. Our agent told us there was no value to a washer dryer in unit. She was right. No one wanted to pay for that then.
7
The gold bathroom ... I'm sort of looking, wondering, where's the plate of fried chicken?
15
Yeah, I’d skip the gaudy, tacky, golden calf of a bathroom featured as you opening photo.
That $140,000 for a single bathroom could’ve sent an impoverished teen to an excellent college or bought an entire house for a working class family of five who lost everything in a hurricane or wildfire or tornado, or any number of other investments that would have buoyed not only the bathroom owner’s spirit and good reputation, but also the lives and hopes and possibilities of numerous others and, in so doing, make our nation and our society, or even just the neighborhood better for all.
But, then again, with that tacky giant dollar sign and the everywhere-gold, perhaps it’s just the place for a certain golden toilet (and shower?) loving President when he leaves the White House. By the looks of it, the bathroom owner’s values seem right in line with the MAGA-only-for-rich-folks ethic now in vogue in DC and the center states.
35
these are the new 'new yorkers'...
too bad for the city where i was born!
13
Mr. Jaradeh's bathroom may be perfect for his needs and taste, but I wish the photo hadn't been published.
Copy-cat renovations on the White House johns will be starting any day now.
29
Thought this article was very interesting to see how people create unique living spaces. Not all was something I would do myself but it was fascinating to see what is possible. If you have the money to spend $120K on a bathroom, I suspect you are not too concerned with re-sale value. A home is something to make into your own and express your own personality. Frankly, it's refreshing to see people exercising their creativity and not so wrapped up in robotic 'fixer-upper' mentality.
9
I'd go for that salt water pool. Now if only I had a spare $14 million lying around...
10
Some of this should be filed under "America's weirdest". Or perhaps an episode of the rich and famous. It has little to do with mainstream real estate.
10
The founder of LifeEdited, a design company that specializes in "pared-down, eco-friendly living," owns two studio apartments and spent close to 700k renovating them? More than what they cost to purchase. And oh goodness, he lived in the "smaller" apartment with a partner and two dogs. This article was published the same day the Times reports that FEMA has withheld funds for Hurricane Maria victims. With most homes still unlivable. There's something about this piece that feels too tone-deaf for the times (pun intended).
18
@MJ
Whether we think a person spending 700k to renovate his properties is socially or ethically appropriate won't change the fact that FEMA withheld funds for Hurricane Maria victims. The homeowner's and FEMA's actions have nothing to do with each other.
4
I met someone who purchased a houseboat in Sausalito that had a windowless, soundproofed, black leather padded 'play room' for adults. Now that was a hard sell. It was a bizarre feature.
As for the Golden Bathroom, I can well imagine a stack of freshly minted bills by the toilet.
13
Woof, that is one fugly bathroom.
61
I would call this trend a type of Trumpism - "It's all about me". There was a similar article in the Times a couple years ago. They showed a place that was expensively turned into a steampunk palace with all kinds of bizarre things. It was on the market forever and the new owners had to gut it. The realtor called this type of place "A monument to me". The owners of these places obviously have zero concern regarding future marketability of their odd dreams. But why should they - it's all about them!
14
When I went apartment shopping a number of years ago I rejected many places less outlandish than these because of odd renovations in the kitchens and bathrooms: garish color schemes, poorly designed workspaces, and stylized faucets that I couldn't figure out how to turn on. One apartment had been turned into a bright red Chinese art museum. The seller's broker said, in answer to my question, that it would cost five figures just to remove the wallpaper, leaving aside what I wanted to put in its place. Easier to just avoid the hassle and expense.
8
And to clarify a bit further earlier comment ... our 'unique' home is not expensive, or 'over-the-top.'
Just bad remodeling / addition choices, which, somehow, in a home hunting haze of exhaustion, we didn't fully appreciate how challenging they'd be to live with, etc.
And word to the wise -- if it's weird, walk away. Or -- rip it out instantly, before moving in. Because once ensconced, who wants the hassle?
Mostly, I yearn for the lovely home we, inexplicably, moved out of.
Choose carefully.
10
This article should sprout a Jimmy Fallon hashtag #myweirdhouse feature or something.
We bought a somewhat 'unique' home 15 years ago. Am still asking why.
It's a pain in many ways, and the couple fortunate things about it are:
a) it's shelter and
b) when we sell, I don't care what we get for it. We lived in it and it will have served its purpose that way. Never considered any home an investment or a big part of bottom line.
And in light of all those impacted by Hurriances Maria in PR, Houston last year and currently Florence ... realize MUST be grateful to even have housing that is standing and livable.
Still, next go-around, it'll be back to / go for more conventional.
8
Okay, I can't be the only parent who looked at that playroom and thought "wow! I'd love to come over and play there this January!"
Days with little kids are long... I'm going to have twin infants and a toddler this winter. Sure, we'll spend 1-2 hours outside, maybe more on a bright snowy day. But some playgrounds close due to ice and we have a very small back yard on a busy street.
So even if we spend 1-2 hours outside, that still leaves, oh about 8 hours of the day left. And having another option that doesn't involve constantly packing up three kids to leave the house sounds pretty nice.
I'm not going to spend 25K on a playroom but if any of my friends or neighbors did, there'd be no scorn from me.
20
@Amelia -
The owner was smart about the design. Making everything easily removable means that she (or her buyer) can readily return the house to its original condition.
3
When people would visit Joan Rivers in her incredibly-opulent apartment in New York City - with art painted on the ceilings and all - she would quip to first-time visitors --
"This is what Marie Antoinette would have done if she had money."
Everything else is downhill from there...
19
@Howard G: It is a cautionary tale. We note how Joan and Marie ended, hoist with the petard of self-indulgence.
4
People really do have very little taste in this world and these real estate makeovers prove it. And to think that they actually PAID someone to advise them on it!
21
When I see a glitzy bathroom, for example, out of line in a historic house, all I can think is, They want this amount for the house AND I have to pay to undo their ugly updates?
Not that I have bought a house either true to it's time or not ....
11
I'm pretty unfamiliar with Caroline Biggs' work, so I can't tell if this meant to be straight reporting or deadpan satire.
In any event, congratulations to Biggs and her editor: it takes extraordinary courage to run an article--and permit comments on it--that explores the risks of not recovering your investment on your gold-plated bathroom, or your basement gastro-pub.
Does anybody know if homeowners in North Carolina, or Puerto Rico, have similar problems?
36
Well, I love the LifeEdited apartments, although those prices seem excessive. The older I get the more I gravitate to minimalism. We were sold on our 1200 sf bungalow based on the listing alone. Walnut finished hardwood floors, a fresh coat of light neutral paint on all the walls, and duel pasix over one windows throughout. Except for the Sputnik chandelier (which suited our mid century/Danish mod furniture) there was nothing kooky or trendy in the house. We were able to move right in, and other than adding patio space earilier this year haven't felt the need to change a thing. We live in one of Phoenix's more sought after neighborhoods and there have been a lot of new builds and complete renovations. The homes that sell the quickest keep it classic, simple, and aligned with what most people really need. The high concept listings (which seem to also go the highest prices) sit for months. Interesting yes, but they are geared for a very particular taste and decor; even if I had the money I couldn't see myself living in any of them.
10
@Karen Yes, almost everyone I know is downsizing and minimizing. And brightening up - white or pale blue/green walls, less furniture, less "drapey" drapes on the windows, more sun, less cluttered closets, white cabinets...
If it makes you feel good and you don't need to recoup the money, go for it. Years ago, having my heart broken, I decided that rather than waiting for Mr Right, I was going to redo my 1979 tract house. Mauve carpeting, despite it was now out of style, wallpaper EVERYWHERE. It was a sight to behold and looking back, not in a good way. But I was no longer waiting to live my life. As luck would have it, Mr Right did come along within a couple of years. He hated the wallpaper especially the bright blue and white checked paper in the kitchen with the swirly ribbon things. But Mr Right Husband didn't push it and now most of it is removed. I spent more than I should have but not like these people. I am convinced that redo put an extra spring in my step that attracted him to me because I chose to live my best life. Just don't expect to get your money out of a taste specific remodel.
34
@vickie
Of all the ways to mend a broken heart, doing a tacky remodel sounds charming and therapeutic. I'd glad Mr. Right has the patience for the "undo". Cheers!
5
"Stuck" indoors? More likely, she was afraid she'd have to go out in the cold!
13
@MB
if you're referring to the mom of several young kids, actually that was the one remodel that made sense to me, if you have the money to easily afford it.
8
@RLiss Good winter clothes are a lot cheaper.
The old adage applies here, perhaps more than anywhere else.
Keep It Simple Stupid.
7
Truly amusing article. Thanks. It reminds me a bit of the election reporting where the Times reports the most asinine comments from voters (usually wearing MAGA hats), of course without identifying them as such. For most of us, it's a window into another world. Also, it's a form of contest--who is the most ridiculous person in this article?
Although at first glance, my winner by a mile appeared to be man with the world's most hideous bathroom, after some reflection I had to give the nod to the lady who doesn't want her kids outside in the cold. The deciding factor was that, while the bathroom is ugly, the guy who owns it knew that all along. He did it on purpose. It's whimsical. But the lady with the kids who can't go outside in the cold is serious. That's why she won in my book.
I have to tell you about a fellow that my wife worked with years ago. He was so concerned about vibration marring his enjoyment of LP records, he had a concrete pier sunk into the ground, and mounted his very expensive turntable on it. Right after that, CDs took over.
26
@Ken
I am likewise nonplussed by the gold bathroom, precisely to your point: the guy knows it's ridiculous, and he's having fun. And honestly, minus the $-sign and with a different chandelier/main light fixture, I'd keep it. It could be tolerably Eclectic in a heartbeat, per that black lamp in the corner.
1
First World Problems indeed.
13
'Personal touches'? How bout 'tasteless gauche'?
22
The gold-plated bathroom is grotesquely awful.
42
@Elliot
Somebody should tell Sam not to take "Atlas Shrugged" so literally. Or was he inspired by the decorating taste of the current 'president?'
19
@Elliot My first thought: Trump.
5
Let's hope all the people sourced in this article read these comments and are compelled to become advocates for homeless disaster victim housing charities.
13
Why?
4
Talk about the medieval inversion of values, defecating in gold, and drinking from earthenware and glass. Yes that gold bathroom is the height of tackiness, but it's funny that the broker selling it has the last name of Gold.
17
That bathroom may be the ugliest room I've ever seen. Who on earth would do that? Goldfinger?
35
@GreenGene: Someone with more money than taste! And now a future buyer will probably spend another zillion bucks tearing it all out.
12
Just a thought: maybe these people are having trouble selling their homes because they want 10m+ for them and not because they added a pool or a "gastropub" (whatever that means).
13
I'm sorry, Ms. Schur, but I feel incredibly sorry for your kids. What an impoverished childhood, stuck for three months of the year in the basement. My kids were born in CT and I can tell you there's plenty for them to do outside, even during the winter. I grew up in Minnesota, where winters are much colder and longer, and we found plenty to do in the snow and bitter weather. I won't even go into the socialization opportunities that your kids will be missing out on while they rock climb alone or with equally stunted children in the basement. What a shame, what a waste of money, and of childhood!
24
@Dialoguer
i disagree. her renovation, while it'll be good for only a few years, is the most practical of all of them.
13
@Dialoguer I wonder how long they will actually use it. My neighbors bought an expensive basketball hoop (on a stand, not mounted on the garage). The kids used it maybe three times. They put up soccer goals. Kids used them maybe three times. They bought them fancy toboggans on skis. Never used. My first thought about the climbing wall was "cool - they won't be couch potatoes glued to their screens." But then...bet they hardly use it and soon they will be too big for it anyway.
1
@DialoguerI disagree. Her kids will be popular because everyone will want to have playdates at their house. What a great way to make use of the basement.
3
this article makes a good argument for taxing the incomes of the rich (including capital gains) heavily
48
@tony, I had the very same thought! The dollar sign hanging as art in the gold bathroom? That tells me everything I need to know.
22
@Karen
I have decided to assume that it's intended to be ironic.
Even in the hyper-inflated NYC real estate market I don't imagine Mr. Butler will be seeing a $750,000 offer for 350 square feet.
19
Love the Playroom !! That's a terrific use of that space, and great for those two kids.
Now ... that bathroom. Hmmm. If it were possible to build a Wall around Trump, this could be it ! (and, he'd be happily distracted by all of the mirrors, and the glitter).
21
With the exception of that Greenwich Village townhouse and that fabulous pool (I'm a serious aqua-holic), these tacky examples of "more money than taste or class" made me sick. That divorced father with the gastro-pub and 4 -FOUR-separate TVs to watch sporting events plus a "Hollywood-Quality" projector /screen...now that's over-the-top and obscene.
27
When I see this, it reminds me of the gilded age mansions in Rhode Island. And of what brought and end to those about 100 years ago: The introduction of an income tax system that finally made the super rich pay an appropriate share towards the common good.
Maybe we need to revisit that idea?
70
@Armin
"appropriate" The top 10% of taxpayers already pay 70% of all taxes
1
Other than the gold bathroom, I thought they were all pretty nice. I don't have the money and probably wouldn't spend it this way if I did, but I appreciate the ideas.
21
Who cares if it's hard to sell? A house shouldn't be a blank canvas just because one day the owner will sell it! Homes should be an expression of the owners who live in them.
33
Growing up, our family moved house over 20 times, which meant I got to go along on quite a few house inspections. You'd be surprised how many houses have entire bars in their basements. And quickly how you can learn to look through pretty well everything in the way of interior decoration.
These days, with 'staging' a standard element of selling homes, real estate agents insist nobody can imagine living in a home themeselves if it has a single ornament or photo of the vendor still in it. What happened to our brains ?
42
Agreed - anyone who can’t get past paint or decor when viewing a house needs to develop a little more imagination...
19
@Stacy K reminds me of those shows on tv where the perspective buyers are looking at a 25,000 square foot home with all the amenities anyone would want when the wife says I don't like the paint.
4
@Margo Channing OOOOOH granite! That is another required comment. Granite is ubiquitous and not worthy of a comment but they always say that, too.
And some people just want to stay warm and dry.
50
@mark
I don't think that's true. People usually want more than they have. People without a home might just want a home, but people with a modest home will probably want a bigger home. People don't sell drugs because they are happy with what they have. they sell drugs to have more money to have more and bigger things. It's not like some humans are born greedy and some humans are born modest.
5
@richguy
Wrong. My wife and I live in a modest apartment in a duplex we own. It is comfortable, right sized, right priced, and tastefully decorated. We don't need or want something "more" or bigger. Besides suiting us, I also feel good about the smaller "footprint" we're leaving on the planet.
We actually care about future generations of human beings (and animals).
@richguy I think you missed my point.
Come on, people. Yes, the gold bathroom is hideous. The money to indulge oneself so lavishly shown in all these houses is excessive, but the response to every thing doesn't have to turn into self-righteous scolds. Most of us, if we had the money, would indulge ourselves, too. Maybe in different ways, but we'd probably buy that boat, take that trip, build that kids clubhouse, finish the basement as a game room. Think how delighted the makers of that gold-plated bathtub were. How many of those do they get to make. ;)
24
@bounce33 The point is not about the fact that rich people are extravagant and indulge. It's that this article is about how those "additions" do not necessarily add value to their properties. Let's all shed a little tear that those millions will not be recouped.
19
@Thomas: I can't play my tiniest violin for these people, b/c I had to pawn it to pay my rent this month.
1
“...which has been on the market since April 2017...”
Exactly. There’s personalized and then there’s sensory assault. Most of these renovations have two major problems: the aesthetics photograph so badly that your interest and traffic will be down compared to your comps and it is so costly to undo the level of design that it’s cost prohibitive. It’s so much easier to buy one with less...personality...and renovate.
Hill’s is a good example of what works. His design is contemporary but understated and ultimately useful. Not surprised he has a lot of interest.
13
If only I could upload the photo I was sent of a plastic bowl filled with water, a pair of feet soaking, next to it a bag of salt, and a caption that read 'indoor salt-water pool'.
As for the gold tiles: Bisazza. No big deal. But you'd think for that money, there'd be a window.
19
@Deborah Altman Ehrlich -
Bathroom windows in NYC apartments are extremely rare.
Americans are obsessed with having all their own toys at their fingertips. All this nonsense is just a way of isolating yourself from the rest of the world. Why build that gastropub or swimming pool, nobody will come, they’re busy attending to their own collections.
13
@Ingrid
Two of these owners are socialites. They probably throw parties. My hunch is that there's some Eyes Wide Shut stuff happening in these locations. Mr. Hansen, the divorced father, probably just wanted his sons staying at home instead of trying to get into bars with fake ID's.
5
“Connecticut’s cold winters mean the kids will be stuck inside at least three months of every year...”
What a sad idea that is!
48
@Adam
Snowsuits, sleds, lots of mittens and hats--and a kitchen capable of mixing up hot chocolate.
14
@ELM
But don't you see? That takes effort.
1
As soon as I am finished making these gold leafed capes for my miniature schnauzers, making a room like these has to be next.(Or should I finally put the down payment on the 2,500sq. ft tree house for the kids?)
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I can think of someone who would want to buy the condo with the gold-plated bathroom!
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@Mrs. Pogo HAHAHAHA. I had the same thought!
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@Mrs. Pogo my thought exactly!!
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Can we just call some of these “improvements“ what they are: tacky and pointless? A waste of money?
When renovating an apartment, the walls and floors should be neutral. Furniture and art are for customization. They are things you can take with you. And a saltwater pool is pretty much the definition of a “sunk cost“.
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First, something nice. I like padding the columns in the playroom. Then: In my similarly entitled Connecticut town, I was, early on, surprised in a town meeting on the subject of a sandbox at the elementary school, that many people turned out to condemn the idea as promoting communist ideology among the kiddies. However, in multi-acre zoning, getting kids together to play involves lots of driving and lots of planning. Hate to have grown up in a town where kids couldn’t walk to friends or the park or the library. Would have had me climbing the walls.
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If you have the money for such architectural shananigans, you will not die from bleeding a bit when you try to resell these homes. Rich people's problems.
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25K on an indoor playroom. Makes me sick to my stomach. And I grew up in Greenwich.
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@Lisa
Darling, there will always be people who are richer or poorer than you. Besides, it's their money and they can burn it any way they want.
Some of these are people with too much money.
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Of course you need a playroom for indoor winter play: God knows you’d never want your kid to play in the snow. And of course it has to be air conditioned for summer play, because you’d never want your kid to play in the heat. And thankfully it’s under a roof for springtime playing so your kid never has to get wet in the rain. Maybe even add a shallow pool so the kids can put on their rubber boots and simulate splashing in puddles! Tell me, is there an expression for things that go even beyond “First World Problems”? Perhaps One Percent Problems?
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That gold bathroom isn’t eclectic. It’s hideous.
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@Roberta
True. It's not ecletic -- it's apoplectic!
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Maybe I am not visionary enough to appreciate it but I find this spending of money quite boring.
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Ah, who cares? It was worth it, that big dollar sign, that gold. Woohoo scrooge McDuck! Without people like Sam our lives would be boring. Honestly, which would you rather? We live in a home where the previous owner put these ridiculous things in just to up the assessed value (eg. who needs a shower in the basement?). Our choice is to be in on the obvious con and live with them, or take them out and make the space functional. Yeah, take them out.
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The correlation between money and taste is zero.
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@Noodles: Trump has already made that obvious.
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Wow! People who buy homes just to personalize everything should be surprised when people don't want to live in them as is? Unbelievable!
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Good grief. The average high in Connecticut in Dec/Feb is just under 40 degrees. In January, it's 34.
Saints *preserve* us.
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This article makes a charming counterpoint to another piece in today's Times about Puerto Ricans still living in moldy wet shacks a year after the hurricane. And this causes no discomfort for those soaking in their gold tubs?
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@Jeffrey Waingrow: it never has before, in the history of the world. Why should it now?
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There was only one person in this article I thought I might empathize with when I saw the photo of his tiny apartment. Until I read he spent $365,000 to renovate 420 square feet. Am I supposed to care about the woes of one-percenters who can afford to blast a firehose of cash into one 'vision' room? The contractors are laughing all the way to the bank.
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"Connecticut’s cold winters mean the kids will be stuck inside at least three months of every year." As someone who very happily grew up in a town next to Greenwich, I can assure all readers that this is not true.
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Two words:
Conspicuous consumption.
38
Hmmm. Family photos vs a giant gold dollar sign, dwarfed by a gold room, crystal chandelier and a tub that looks like a black and gold coffin, fancier than any king of Egypt ever had. I think I'll take the home with the goofy family photos, thanks.
15
Yup, all of the above. But remember, the average real estate person will caution you to keep all your walls white, never put in a pool, and only put in this year’s kitchen fad. And of course, for suburbia, never indulge your love of gardening. Keep it all lawn. The over-the-top displays in this article, to me, just show that middle-class tradesman salaries are being paid, and that’s good.
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It's refreshing to hear the rich have 150,000 for a gold plated bathroom while there are people who don't have homes at all.
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That dreadful golden bathroom shows just how ugly money can sometimes be.
To sell that place, start by offering it to the Trump family.
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@Stephen The gold bathroom is so extremely raunchy. It even has the extra large $ in gold to be extra vulgar.
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@Stephen, I thought it had Kanye/Kardashian potential as buyers. Or at least a rap artist.
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Live in the greatest city in world, spend millions so you don't have to go outside and see all the peasants dying from lack of basic health care.
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@LibraryHand
It's a shame the bleeding heart liberals don't allow the city to remove the bums and junkies from the city. It's even worse in San Francisco.
I wish Steve luck with that Soho loft - the bathroom is hideous - it needs to be torn out and completely remodeled.
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“I find large townhouses somewhat boring,”
Who are these people?
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Can someone explain - in all seriousness - what the value or point is of a saltwater pool? I've seen them on occasion near the ocean....
3
It’s not salt water like the ocean. It’s another method of filtration, using dissolved salt in the chlorination system.
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Saltwater pools are cheaper to maintain and much easier to keep a good ph balance.
It still has chlorine, a little bit, and it's pure. The chlorine actually comes from the salt water via a very mild electrical charge. Thus, there is no need to purchase and store chlorine (which, as I have spent many years as a lifeguard can tell you is dangerous).
The great majority of new pools are salt water (I think Australia even requires it now). It's rather expensive to convert an in ground, but an above ground van be done for about $150! You will recoup that in about a month of salt versus chlorine expense.
Salt is easier to maintain and keep clean, it won't fade swimsuits AND it's much easier on skin, eyes and hair.
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@Stephen Q No harsh chemicals are needed in salt water pools.
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If you can afford 140K for what amounts to a gold plated hand crocheted bed pan you shouldn't complain when the money is lost at resale. What on earth are people thinking? I mean who does this kind of stuff?
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People should feel free to do what makes their house a home for them to enjoy. If/when they sell and it appeals to others then they'll probably be rewarded with a quicker sale and/or higher price. If it doesn't appeal to others then they may experience the opposite. There's no accounting for taste and what some people choose to do astounds me sometimes, but it's their choice.
As for those commenting about the basement playroom, I'm certain you had wonderful childhoods. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt that these kids have wonderful childhoods also and aren't stuck inside 24/7 for the entire 3 months. I've seen so many basements that remain unfinished and uninviting and often used for the accumulation of unused junk. Why not turn that space into a wonderful place for kids to play in at any time? Having a nice indoor play space will not halt a child's imagination but instead just provide a different location for their adventures to begin.
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@DP
Nothing wrong with playrooms, it's the fancy equipment and price tag people are objecting to.
@m.pipik
Why are they objecting? It's not as though their lives are going to be impacted by it -- we should all stop obsessing over other people's money and how they spend it.
Exhibit number One - why all income should be taxed as ordinary income including capital gains, carried interest and dividends
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@Deirdre You left out graduated rates. I could debate capital gains taxes with you, but not today.
2
@Deirdre: And, a wealth tax. 1% of net worth above, say, $2 million, after excluding the primary residence, would help both society and government considerably.
2
@Deirdre
Nonsense. Investment income should taxed at less than earned income. People should be rewarded for saving and preparing for old age when they no longer can work.
The gold bathroom is horrid! I like the salt water pool, but I can swim at the beach....the playroom is insufferable....like, really??? Get outside....sled, make snow forts feel the cold! It's great! I like the minimalist thing but 750K for 350 feet??
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@Nonprofitperson I grew up in LA and my parents would take us on weekends to the San Bernardino Mountains where we could have fun sledding, making igloos, snowball fights, skiing and making a big fire and roasting marshmallows. This was sort of an inverse of that indoor playroom.
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@Nonprofitperson, unless, of course, you're in one of these towns where someone will report you to the police if your kids play outdoors unsupervised. Maybe it's mom who doesn't want to sit around in the cold.
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Yes it's amazing how many negative comments there are. Including mine. Long may these conspicuously consumptive exercises in vanity linger on the market.
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It's interesting reading the mostly derogatory comments of readers regarding the basement play room. The space appears as if it includes areas for physical and creative activities (rock climbing, swinging and a chalk board) - all healthy options, even if the weather is "good" outdoors.
Parent shaming based on our "freedom" as children (I'm a 1970's era childhood) is just not fair, and although I raised children in the 1990s and encouraged outdoor, yet supervised, play, I support playtime anywhere inside or out, versus sedentary addiction to tech devices.
Also, the $25,000 remodeling price tag is what parents I know easily spent (and parents still spend) annually on an "outdoor," structured, sport club's team fees, with the dream of a college scholarship for their "phenoms." So much for the "virtue" and "freedom" of outdoor playtime.
31
I'd rather my kid grow up with a little chilly reality and invest the 25 grand for college or seed money for their adult dreams. That room looks like it could accommodate an entire kindergarten class.
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@NMV Whatever happened to letting children have "unstructured time"? Getting dirty and wet? I fear the next generation that we are producing. They will have never caught a fish or a frog, gotten into a snowball fight, built a secret "clubhouse" or simply spent an afternoon outdoors doing what they wanted to do as opposed to what is scheduled for them.
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@mark;
seriously, there are NO kids playing outside in our middle class suburban neighborhood...they are all inside with their i phones, computers, game boys, or whatever....and parents today (and the laws they support) lead to investigations by Child Protective Services if a child is seen outside alone, ever.
Yes, sad and those kids will grow up crippled in so many ways.
The saltwater pool is beautiful just to look at! I love the gradations of blue.
It's funny how most of the comments here are people passing judgement on the mom with the fancy kids' basement. Just like every parenting article in the Times - always people saying how other people should raise their kids. Also, I notice nobody is passing judgement on the dad who built an even more expensive game/pub zone for his kids!
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Nobody is parent-shaming that guy because adults can see themselves enjoying the space (secretly if necessary).
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@Treetop: I admired and envied the pool, too. It would be nice to have access to something like that. But as of now, I'm saving up for hearing aids. They're very expensive, and Medicare doesn't cover them. I hear Elizabeth Warren is working on the problem, though.
1
Twenty years ago, when my husband and I were looking for houses in Pasadena or nearby Los Angeles, our agent showed us a house that would have been perfect, if it had not been modified to match the owner’s rather over-the-top personality. As we left the house, I turned to him and said that if we bought the house, we would find that it was haunted by the spirit and taste of the previous owner.
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I was told many years ago by a very successful realtor, that when remodeling/redecorating, to be very careful not to overbuild the neighborhood or overbuild the house. Very good advice.
I agree with others that it's very sad that a parent today believes that for 3 months of the year in CT, a child cannot play outside. I'm all for basement playrooms for children - keeps all the toy mess in one, out-of-sight place. But they need not be quite so luxurious. My children loved having an appliance box to turn into a play house until the cardboard finally gave way, then out to the trash pick-up.
I'm assuming that the nanny wanted a nice place to sit with the children, as no child today is allowed to be out of the sight of an adult for 1 minute. So sad...no wonder they're a wreck when they go off to college.
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Wow, a $25,000 playroom? Those kids are so lucky! When I was a little girl growing up in Minnesota, I was stuck going hiking, being on the ski hill, and building snow forts in the winter.
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@Marni And you survived!
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@Bob Rossi Hahaha, yes, and now I'm doing these things with my own children!
1
Just yesterday, I was debating on whether or not to install an indoor salt-water pool in the basement of my 900 sq.ft. house. I decided that I needed a Lear Jet more (but that requires installing a runway in the back yard)---still debating. Reading about the pitfalls that others have encountered in spending their millions has helped me feel less isolated in my own dilemma.
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@Richard And don't forget the hangar.
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@Richard An Osprey, which you could probably get from an Army-Navy store somewhere, is a good option, with VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing). What are the noise restrictions in your covenant?
4
Sharing your pain. Stay strong.
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I'm very happy to have a beautiful saltwater pool in my back yard of about the same dimensions of the one in the basement featured. If I had to live in Manhattan I'd think that the pool was a fabulous amenity. It is big enough for laps and calisthenics, very soothing and relaxing and one's family and friends would love it. Mine comes with birdsong and greenery and blue skies or the moon and stars above though. But I would think a pool in NYC makes an apartment more appealing, not less.
The gold plated bathroom is pretty awful. But I was surprised that it only cost $ 140,000. I've seen much more modest and more serene bathroom renos that managed to cost $80,000 somehow. It would be absurdly expensive to rip it out though. It would at least be good for a good laugh several times a day though.
The over the top playroom-well, I agree that kids need fresh air and open spaces. Sometimes they will need to be inside-lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, it's 110 in the shade... But I'd worry more about the sense of entitlement and " specialness " that might come with that. But I don't know them and I'm going to assume that they are perfectly lovely children who are also being taught gratitude and kindness. I agree with the owner also-easy to repurpose that space.
37
Yes, outside playtime is wonderful, except when it is 21 below zero...the battery in our car froze one winter.
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@Paul Perkins I live in the frozen tundra and kids play outside at school until -15. We have serious minus zero weather every winter - as in 55+ days of temps that go above -5. If we didn't bundle everyone up, no one would leave the house. some of $25k could go for good winter clothes, ya think?
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@Paul Perkins I grew up in WI. We had to walk to school. Three miles away. If it was 15 below, we got a ride unless the car wouldn’t start, in which case I could stay home. But I could ski, ice skate, build snow forts, sled, etc. I pity those kids in CT.
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@Paul Perkins What nonsense! I grew up in Massachusetts, and lived in Connecticut and NYC for many years and I can tell you from personal experience that it has NEVER been 21 below zero in any of those places. I remember a Christmas maybe 30 years ago when it was -6, but that's about it in my lifetime. Kids should be outdoors, not in some gilded basement no matter how deluxe.
5
I feel sorry for children whose parents feel that playing outside during the winter months is somehow detrimental.
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Couldn't agree more. Romping in the snow, building snowmen, snowball fights, sledding, etc. -- I loved winter when I was a kid, especially when school was canceled on account of snow. And when there wasn't snow, there was football, hiking, and plenty of excuses for running around with my buddies and having fun. And when it was really too cold or rainy to go out, I stayed home and read -- books!
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@Susan
My (decently wealthy) German cousins live in Northern Germany. Kids bike to school (about 2 miles) every day. I once asked the mother whether she had to drive them when it rained or snowed. Her answer: "Oh no, they just leave a bit earlier".
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@Susan I envy that Connecticut family. There is very little snow on the East Coast anymore, mostly wild swings in temperature meaning mud or frozen mud for much of the winter. It is no longer socially acceptable or even, apparently, legal to let children play on their own outside, a problem that this newspaper has covered recently. And those of us trying to raise children and make a living without a nanny often need to let them play unsupervised, meaning prolonged indoor play is a necessity, winter or summer. It's not ideal. Many of us parents nowadays would love for our children to traipse through Mayberry in gangs, building snow forts and climbing trees. It's just not the reality we live in.
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