Posh designs lure Manhattan House buyers

This week, new model residences at the Manhattan House landmark condo conversion drew close to 600 prospective buyers to the Upper East Side, where they viewed the decorating work of James “Ford” Huniford, Celerie Kemble and Rita Konig, according to the Wall Street Journal. Developer O’Connor Capital Partners has sold 12 model units since spending $2 million to create them in 2009, after a year of dismal sales at the 200 East 66th Street building. Another 20 units have sold with similar layouts to those of the model units. With the New York City residential real estate market picking up, and several formerly-stalled projects now hitting the market — including the Aldyn on the Upper West Side and be@schermerhorn in Brooklyn — developers are increasingly trying to give their new condominiums an edge with pricey interior designs intended to help buyers envision themselves in the fashionable model apartments on display. [WSJ]