A two-bedroom condominium at 124 Hudson Street #3B in Tribeca is on the market, and its provenance is unusual: interior designer Sharon Rembaum rebuilt it as her own home, not for resale. The distinction matters in a neighborhood where renovated lofts are common but often finished with the next buyer in mind. “It was not designed and created for resale,” said Sophie Ravet of Brown Harris Stevens, who holds the listing. “It was for herself.”
The difference is visible in how far Rembaum went. The apartment still had original finishes from the building’s completion in 2000, and she took it down to the joists. She installed a new kitchen, new bathrooms, and new ceilings with a soundproofing system. She also designed the lighting from scratch, in layers, a step Ravet said many architects overlook. Just as telling is what Rembaum kept: the scale of the rooms and the 10-foot ceilings drew her to the apartment, so she preserved both and left the plumbing in place. Rather than move walls, she enlarged closets and built storage into nearly every surface. “She really utilized every single inch of the space in an intelligent, thoughtful, deliberate way,” Ravet said.
Buyers have responded most to the finishes and their execution, down to door handles and hinges, Ravet said. In the living room, a gas fireplace with a new firebox and hearthstone anchors the space, surrounded by floating shelves and built-in cabinetry that conceal the television. Limewashed walls and flangeless square recessed lights give the room a warm, clean finish. The open kitchen features Calacatta marble countertops and backsplash, an oak island on a bronze toe-kick, a custom bronze hood, and Sun Valley Bronze hardware, with Gaggenau appliances and a dedicated laundry closet.
The primary bedroom includes a full wall of bespoke millwork with horn hardware and a walk-in closet. A custom pocket door opens to a primary bath with marble, custom cabinetry, Waterworks fixtures, radiant floor heating, and heated towel racks. The second bedroom matches the first in scale, and its bath pairs marble with Ann Sacks tile. A bifold door of iron and brass, also of Rembaum’s design, closes off a separate den that works as an office or guest room, and the layout could accommodate a third bedroom.
The building itself reinforces the emphasis on space over spectacle. 124 Hudson Street holds only 26 residences, nearly all large, and 3B is one of the smallest. Ravet, who has sold three apartments in the building, said buyers at this level prefer neighbors whose homes are comparably sized, since that supports values across the building. In place of amenities, the condominium offers a full-time doorman, a live-in superintendent, and a landscaped interior garden.
The apartment faces west, and because Hudson Street runs unusually wide, direct sun reaches the rooms from about 1:30 in the afternoon, especially in winter. In the morning, a limestone façade across the street reflects light back through the tall windows. The building sits within a historic district, where height limits help protect that light over time.
Rembaum built the apartment to live in, not to sell, and she chose every finish with the long run in mind. “It will age beautifully,” Ravet said, “because it doesn’t follow any trends.” For buyers weighing a turnkey renovation against a home shaped by a designer’s personal vision, the listing offers a clear example of the latter—and a reminder that execution, not staging, is what lasts.
