Far West Side condo, +aRt, decked out in Elle Decor design concepts

Thirty-four of the 91 condominium units at +aRt, the Ekstein Development building at 540 West 28th Street, are either in contract or have closed, Ekstein President Erik Ekstein said at the Elle Décor Modern Life Concept House this afternoon (see video of the Elle Decor show furnishings above). Of those 34 units, eight are closed, and all but one penthouse has been snapped up. Ekstein said that there had been major interest in the building in the last few weeks with the first closing completed March 31.

The units are being exclusively marketed by Halstead Property Development Marketing.

As The Real Deal previously reported, the impending opening of the 28th Street entrance to the High Line may be spurring sales. The units, ranging from studios to two-bedrooms, have asking prices of $530,000 to $2.15 million, according to Streeteasy.com, and two apartments are for rent after having been closed on. Rents listed on Streeteasy.com for a studio and one-bedroom, are $2,500 per month or $3750 a month, respectively.

The Elle Décor concept house featured 10 designers who transformed the indoor and outdoor spaces of a 10th floor apartment. It showcased kitchens and home appliances by Bosch and furnishings by brands such as Restoration Hardware and Room&Board.

Ekstein has been busy in the area. Another 28-unit Ekstein rental property across the street at 527 West 27th Street will open July 1. There is a waiting list for apartments, according to Eric Moran, executive vice president at Ekstein.

However, a 700-unit Avalon Bay Communities building has just broken ground at 28th Street and 11th Avenue and will reach the same height as +aRt, potentially blocking some views. Thankfull, Moran noted, the buildings on the south side of +aRt are landmarked and cannot build higher.

The interiors of the +aRt building, including the apartments, were designed by New York- and Los Angeles-based firm Curated Design, and feature white oak planked flooring and dark stained walnut cabinetry.– Katherine Clarke