The Cutting-Edge Amenities of 2020
By: LX Collection
These days, coworking spaces and top-of-the-line gyms are de rigueur in luxury condominium buildings. But as buyers look to the future of city living, the amenity possibilities broaden: whether it’s a full spa that encourages de-stressing when working from home, a restaurant-quality kitchen that makes hosting dinner parties a breeze, or a members-only space that’s accessible without going outside, building amenities have never been more innovative—or more attuned to the kinds of luxuries that make coming home just as exciting as traveling to new places.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most cutting-edge amenities we’ve seen in 2020, from restaurant-level kitchens to butler service to a state-of-the-art recording studio.
Photo Credit: Evan Joseph
Haute Cuisine
Smart appliances that do everything from making grocery lists to boiling water on command are the kinds of extras you’d expect to see in a luxury kitchen, making cooking at home just as easy as ordering takeout. But imagine what culinary creations might come out of a restaurant-quality demonstration kitchen—the kind of space found in buildings like 108 Leonard, a masterpiece by McKim, Mead and White in Lower Manhattan, or 15 Hudson Yards, a gleaming new tower by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Big enough to hold a dinner party or private cooking classes taught by world-class chefs, demonstration kitchens appeal to chefs both gourmet and aspiring and make it easy to expand the horizons of dinner without ever leaving the building. Oenophiles are covered, too, at buildings like The XI in West Chelsea, equipped not just with wine storage but also with private wine tasting rooms.
Living Well
From Peloton-stocked fitness studios in San Francisco to juice bars in Miami, wellness amenities have reached a new level, with buildings adding spaces meant to help residents do everything from spin to Zen. At One Manhattan Square, on New York’s Lower East Side, the acre of residents-only outdoor space includes an herb garden where fresh-grown mint, basil, and rosemary are waiting to be picked and added to dinner, plus a tea pavilion and a tea house, reflecting an increasing desire to make home more spa-like. At Miami’s 57 Ocean, set directly on the shoreline, the concierge team employs a dedicated wellness coach, available to book spa treatments and private yoga classes and help residents get in touch with the city’s wide array of healthy-living professionals.
Photo Credit: Missoni Baia
Culture Club
Part of city living is access to the kinds of sights, sounds, and tastes that can be hard to come by in other places. It makes sense, then, that buildings are increasingly offering amenities that speak not just to comfort but to culture: at Missoni Baia, in Miami, the interiors were designed in collaboration with the storied eponymous fashion house, turning standard lobbies and lounges into works of art. And for making your own art, there’s the Sound Lounge at The Kent on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Designed with the help of Lenny Kravitz and inspired by the musician’s home studio, the space comes with all the equipment you’d need to record an album—or just throw a really great karaoke party.
Photo Credit: TERRA
Hotel Hospitality
Increasingly, luxurious amenities are simply those that make life easier. At The Avery in Downtown San Francisco, each unit comes with services from Life Simplified by Related Management and Hello Alfred, a start-up butler service that does everything from producing weekly to-do lists (and helping check them off, of course) to coordinating grocery delivery and dry-cleaning drop-off.
Hotel residences that come with full access to hotel services were also in demand in 2020. In Miami, there’s Mr. C Residences Coconut Grove, where residents have access to the five-star resort’s splashy pool and Bellini Bar. And at 30 Park Place, in Manhattan’s Financial District, the hotel partner is one of the biggest names in the business: the Four Seasons. Building residents have access to in-room dining, car service, and the hotel’s 24/7 concierge—the ultimate in “just bring your toothbrush” living.
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