A New York Power Couple Turned An Upper West Side Bachelor Pad Into Their Family Dream Home
Inside a Riverside Drive penthouse, where a music studio used to be, there is now a family room filled with children's artwork.
The penthouse, which was once music producer Andy Marvel's bachelor pad, has been converted into a family home where his wife cooks dinner and their two sons do homework.
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Marvel and his wife, Jane Saidenberg, are a New York power couple. Marvel is best known for writing Celine Dion's "Treat Her Like A Lady," and Jessica Simpson's "With You." Saidenberg is the founder and CEO of Jane Marvel, a handbag company that sells affordable, fashionable totes.
Marvel purchased the main floor of their current home in 1995. In 2002, after he and Saidenberg had wed and were expecting a second child, the couple purchased the upstairs penthouse and redesigned both apartments into a two-story home.
The total cost of renovations, which included knocking down walls and building a staircase, cost around $800,000. Their "dream home" spans nearly 2,800 square feet, not including out door space. It has three bedrooms, and three bathrooms, and has even temporarily served as office space for both Marvel and Saidenberg.
"My entire family, we all know how lucky we are and how rare this space is," Saidenberg said.
We recently stopped by to meet Saidenberg and take a tour of her Upper West Side home.
The living room is just to the right of the entrance on the bottom floor of the apartment. Saidenberg has no formal interior design training, but loves DIY projects. She decorated the entire home herself.
Architect Peter Pawlak, who originally worked for Gwathmey Siegel Architects, took the home on as his first personal project.
The floors in the main living room and eating area are all birchwood. Saidenberg posed for us in the room.
The view of the river sold her husband when he first purchased the home.
She said she loved how many trees were visible on Riverside Drive, below.
There's room for some patio furniture and a small table outside.
There's a sound system installed throughout the house, with speakers in the ceiling. It was state of the art in 2002, Saidenberg joked.
"I cook all the time, so I wanted it to be perfect," Saidenberg said of the kitchen. The couple and their architect re-designed the kitchen 30 times, she said.
Previously, the kitchen served as Marvel's bedroom. Saidenberg wanted to knock down the wall and open up the space to be like a loft, but it was against building regulations.
Saidenberg showed off one of her favorite kitchen accessories: the knight cookie jar that swings its sword when you open the helmet.
"I have flush hardware through out the house," Saidenberg said. "I didn't want my toddlers running around and getting hurt."
As you tour the home, you can tell a family lives here. There are personal touches, like children's artwork, and family photographs, in almost every room.
Saidenberg said she wanted a big, open kitchen, so she could cook while her kids did their homework on the island.
Through the glass doors, adjacent to the living room, is the office that Saidenberg previously used as the Jane Marvel headquarters.
Around the office, you find books, Jane Marvel bags, and family photos. There's a soft couch for business associates to sit during impromptu meetings.
Marvel's old music studio is now the family room.
Their son Lucas' "owl pellet" science project is displayed on the TV stand. Saidenberg said she loved the way the art project looked, so she framed it in a shadow box. "You should have seen the look on his face when he saw how I displayed it!" She said.
Almost every room has a spectacular view.
The couple are currently "caring for" a friend's piano. Saidenberg said she loves when her home is filled with the sounds of her sons and husband playing music.
There's extra office space in the living room.
Marvel's gold records for Celine Dion and Diana King are displayed above the desk.
Off the family room is the downstairs bathroom. It has beautiful small blue tiles that sparkle.
On the walk upstairs, you see the cubic structure wall that architect Peter Pawlak custom built.
When designing the home, Saidenberg worried the building wouldn't approve a spacious staircase like this one. "If we had to put in a spiral staircase, we were just going to sell both apartments," she said
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The couples' two sons, who are 9 and 13, share a spacious bedroom on the second floor.
They promised one son a turtle for his birthday, and the tank is already in place.
"For now, our kids really don't complain about living in the same space," Saidenberg said. "They really get along well."
As big as this apartment is, maximizing space is essential, so the boys sleep in bunk beds.
The accent wall in the boy's room is a huge, wallpaper map of the world.
Saidenberg commissioned California Closets to help keep her sons organized.
There's no TV in the boys room. But there's a piano and plenty of reading material.
Saidenberg guesses the guest bedroom will one day be one of her son's bedrooms. For now, it's where visitors sleep.
The queen bed in the master bedroom faces the windows.
There's a lounge chair for when either parent needs a break.
The bedroom is very spacious, and has room for several pieces of furniture.
Marvel insisted on an oversized tub, Saidenberg said. But he never uses it.
Because the tub was so big, there wasn't room for his and her sinks. Instead, they opted for a trough sink.
Saidenberg said her sons enjoyed her bathroom the most, because the shower has jets.
The couple wanted a TV in their bedroom, but didn't want it to block the view. So they designed this nifty contraption. Press a button...
...and it rises from within the cabinet.
Saidenberg loves her hidden hamper.
The master closet is essentially a small room.
Their things are divided into sides, his and hers.
Let's check out those views one more time.
The unobstructed river view? That's hard to beat.
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