GAIR2

Renee Rotkopf, creative director; Camellia Lee, massage therapist
1BR; Dumbo, Brooklyn
Rent: $3,700
Broker's fee: $3,700 (half paid by building)
Broker: Lori Hurwitz, Urban Apartments of New York (917-509-1974, lorih@urbanapartmentsnyc.com; urbanapartmentsnyc.com)
Moved in: June 2011

THE SEARCH: "We looked in Chelsea and Park Slope, but the places weren't really working out," says Rotkopf. "Plus, Park Slope had this extra schlep factor. Our broker was a friend of a friend, and we spent all day looking at probably ten places. We found this building and we just fell in love with it right away."

THE AREA: "Dumbo has such a creative culture," explains Rotkopf. "It feels like a village because everything is so close together. There's a small, strong community of like-minded individuals. It's totally urban but you're right smack up against nature, which is really great."

THE SPACE: "It's on the small side," admits Rotkopf, "but it definitely feels like the right amount of space. The office has no windows, but it has its own air-conditioning unit and enough space to do everything that we want to do in it. The kitchen opens to the living room, with a view of the Manhattan Bridge and Manhattan and the water. At night, it feels like the bridge lights up just for us."

THEIR FAVORITE PART: "We really like to entertain, and we have a nice, long harvest table that fits six comfortably. We use it all the time, and when we have friends over, we have enough room for everyone," says Rotkopf. "We really wanted to bring that with us wherever we went, and we knew that was going to be really hard. This was the first apartment that had a really nice open area, and had enough room for us to fit the table comfortably with our chairs."

ABOUT GAIR2: The nine-story, 106-unit building was constructed in 1901 by paperboard-box manufacturer Robert Gair, who built nine other structures in the neighborhood. Architects WASA/Studio A and Two Trees Management Company LLC redeveloped the property and retained the original brick facade, but added a 2,500-square-foot rooftop deck and an on-site gym.

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