Si sa w ap chèche a se yon kay ki fè w rete bouch bè depi moman ou antre ladan l—yon kay ki fè w di: “Se li menm”—alò kontinye li.

Paske penthouse sa a vrèman eksepsyonèl, e mwen pa sèvi ak mo sa a alalejè.

Depi moman ou antre nan antre a—ki laj e ki plen ak limyè natirèl atravè yon fenèt plafon—ou konprann moun ki te konstwi kote sa a t ap jwe yon jwèt toutafè diferan. Yo te reflechi sou chak pous. Sèlman espas depo entegre yo ta fè yon horloje Swis kriye ak kè kontan.

Ale nan direksyon nò, epi w ap antre nan yon salon ak sal manje ki gwo anpil, kote yon miray fenèt sèvi kòm pwen santral epi fè vejetasyon yon jaden ki byen devlope antre dirèkteman nan chan vizyon ou. Epi anvan ou di: “Ah, donk pyebwa yo bouche l”—non. Vejetasyon an ankadre vi a san li pa vòlè l. Ou jwenn vèt la AK syèl la. Salon an chita tou anba yon fenèt plafon masiv ki mezire 10 pye pa 10 pye, ki plen espas la ak tèlman limyè natirèl ou pral kòmanse mande tèt ou si w vrèman bezwen elektrisite. Epi gen chemine ki boule bwa a. Anvan ou vin twò abitye ak detay sa a, konnen gen de lòt ankò menm jan an. Twa chemine ki boule bwa nan yon sèl apatman Manhattan. Nan 25 ane mwen ap vann byen imobilye, mwen poko janm rankontre anyen konsa, e mwen sispèk ou menm tou.

Teras nò a se egzakteman sa yon espas prive deyò ta dwe ye—entim, byen ankadre pa plantasyon ki byen grandi, epi apiye sou yon bèl miray wòch ki ka sèvi tou, si anvi a pran w, kòm fon pou yon ekran sinema deyò. Dine fanmi yon madi swa. Vil la sanble byen lwen.

Teras sid la se yon bagay toutafè diferan. Se la ou resevwa envite. Li konekte dirèkteman ak kwizin nan ak yon zòn babekyou apa, ki gen kòm pwen santral yon griy Kalamazoo 48 pous ki, franchman, ekzajere nan pi bon sans lan. Sikilasyon ant kwizin nan, sal lesiv la, babekyou a ak teras la fèt san okenn koupe—moun k ap fè manje a pa janm rate fèt la. Epi dapre kantite espas ki genyen, fèt la kapab byen gwo.

Sa ki mare tout bagay ansanm se vejetasyon an. Nan tout direksyon, depi nan chak chanm, nan chak sezon, w ap gade pyebwa ki byen grandi ak bèl peyizaj vèt ki te pran plizyè dizèn ane pou grandi e ki pa ka repwodui. Sa fè kay sa a agreyab menm nan yon maten gri nan mwa fevriye, menm jan li ye nan yon bèl aswè jen.

De chanm yo—chanm prensipal la ki mezire 12 pye 8 pous pa 18 pye 9 pous, ak dezyèm nan ki mezire 12 pye 4 pous pa 17 pye 7 pous—chak gen aksè dirèk sou teras la, menm bèl vi sou jaden an, ansanm ak pwòp chemine ki boule bwa pa yo. Kite sa antre byen nan tèt ou. Toude chanm yo. Pwòp chemine pa yo. Nan yon penthouse ki gen plafon ki rive jiska 11 pye. Mwen ap fè metye sa a depi 25 ane, e mwen poko janm wè yon konbinezon konsa. San okenn egzajerasyon, li inik nèt.

Chanm prensipal la byen òganize, ak yon doub lavabo ki separe ak zòn mouye a, ansanm ak de pandri kote ou ka antre ladan yo. Kwizin nan demi-ouvè, li bay sou jaden an, epi li chita bò kote yon sal lesiv konplè ki gen yon gwo evye sèvis an wòch savon—paske yon bèl kay toujou bezwen fonksyone tankou yon kay. Nan tout apatman an, sistèm wo-pale entegre ki gen 11 zòn pèmèt chak chanm ak chak seksyon teras kontwole pwòp volim ak pwòp sous son li.

Pwopriyetè yo te rebati kay sa a depi nan yon espas vid, avèk opinyon ki fèm, bon gou ekstraòdinè, ak zewo enterè pou fè ekonomi sou detay enpòtan yo. Rezilta a se yon bagay ou santi depi moman ou antre a, epi ou pa ka retire l nan tèt ou nèt apre ou fin ale.

Se konsa sa konn ye, anjeneral, lè ou jwenn bon an.

If what you're after is a home that stops you cold the moment you walk in - one that makes you think this is it - then keep reading.
Because this penthouse is genuinely exceptional, and I don't use that word lightly.

From the moment you step into the foyer - generous, flooded with natural light from an overhead skylight - you understand that whoever built this place was playing a different game entirely. Every inch was thought through. The built-in storage alone would make a Swiss watchmaker weep with joy.

Head north and you're in an oversized living and dining room anchored by a wall of windows that pulls mature garden greenery directly into your sightline. And before you say "oh, so it's blocked by trees" - no. The vegetation frames the view without stealing it. You get the green AND the sky. The living room also sits under a massive 10x10 skylight that floods the space with so much natural light you'll start to question whether you actually need electricity. And then there's the wood-burning fireplace. Before you get too comfortable with that detail, know that there are two more where that came from. Three wood-burning fireplaces in a single Manhattan apartment. In 25 years of selling real estate I have never encountered anything like it, and I suspect you haven't either.

The north terrace is exactly what a private outdoor space should be - intimate, beautifully framed by mature plantings, and anchored by a stunning stone wall that doubles, should the mood strike, as a backdrop for an outdoor movie screen. Family dinners on a Tuesday evening. The city feels very far away.

The south terrace is an entirely different proposition. This is where you entertain. Directly connected to the kitchen and a dedicated barbecue area anchored by a 48-inch Kalamazoo grill that is, frankly, obscene in the best possible way. The flow from kitchen to laundry to barbecue to terrace is seamless - whoever's cooking never misses the party. And the party, judging by the space available, could be considerable.

What ties all of it together is the greenery. In every direction, from every room, in every season, you are looking at mature trees and lush landscaping that took decades to grow and cannot be replicated. It makes this home as pleasant on a grey February morning as on a perfect June evening.
The two bedrooms - a 12'8" x 18'9" primary and a 12'4" x 17'7" second - each have direct terrace access, those same garden views, and their own wood-burning fireplace. Let that sink in. Both bedrooms. Their own fireplaces. In a penthouse with ceilings up to 11 feet. I have been doing this for 25 years and I have never seen this combination. It is, without exaggeration, one of a kind.

The primary is smartly laid out with a double vanity separated from the wet area and two walk-in closets. The kitchen is half-open, overlooks the garden, and sits next to a full laundry room with a soapstone slop sink - because a beautiful home still needs to function like one. Throughout the apartment, 11-zone built-in speakers let every room and terrace section control its own volume and source.

This home was rebuilt from a bare canvas by owners with strong opinions, excellent taste, and zero interest in cutting corners. The result is something you feel the moment you walk in and can't quite shake after you leave.

Which is usually how it goes with the right one.