Horst Scores A Duplex Penthouse On Washington Square Park

Observer Staff — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 07:00:19 -0400

Room with a view

We were talking last week to Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, about the $4.3m penthouse apartment he just bought at his One Fifth Avenue co-op.

"The view here is Heaven," exclaimed Mr. Rechelbacher, referring to his wrap-around porch. "Heaven on Earth with a view."

"It's 360," he continued. " I see New York from all points of view. I'm not looking at buildings, I'm looking over them."

Now, Mr. Rechelbacher, who already owns the apartment next door, will have the top floor all to himself.

"I'm just going to take the wall out and combine them," he said. What will it look like? "Well, I mean. It will look cool. It's going to look cool. I'm using pretty much all recycled furniture--antiques. And it's going to be Jugendstil, which is Austrian. I'm going to do the apartment very Austrian."

He will also do it very sustainable: everything will be recycled-- including bamboo floors, bathroom glass, and tile. And, of course, the paint will be non-toxic.

As for that Austrian art deco furniture: "I use Josef Hoffman, he's my favorite Jugendstil designer. He has clean, simplistic design: it's very modern, very timeless. Doesn't have any frills."

Mr. Rechelbacher says he will probably have some Egon Schiele ("to match the Jugendstil"), plus photography by Richard Avedon and Horst P. Horst-- whom Mr. Rechelbacher assisted with hair and makeup before founding Aveda in 1978. In 1997, Mr. Recehelbacher sold Aveda to Estee Lauder for $300 million cash. He has since founded Intelligent Nutrients.

Even with a full-floor, Fifth Ave. aerie, Mr. Rechelbacher isn't going to be a homebody. read more »

NY Observer > Blyth Danner

Horst Scores A Duplex Penthouse On Washington Square Park