Penthouse

No, before you even ask, all that eye-poppin’ pop art, the Skittles-colored furniture and that huge, flashy-green Jeff Koons diamond sculpture on the deck are not included in the sale of this spectacular East-side Manhattan penthouse.
Of course, you could always ask. Everything has a price. And the going rate for this 6,600-square-foot, 12-room mansion-in-the sky is $45 million.

Fashion designer and consummate house-flipper Lisa Perry and her billionaire hedge-fund hubby Richard C. Perry have just listed their penthouse atop of the pre-war pile that is 1 Sutton Place South.

The power couple reportedly bought the landmark apartment, which takes up the entire top floor and roof of the 14-story building, back in 2000 for $10.9 million.
Apparently they liked the building so much that in 2014 they snapped up a three-bed unit two floors down for $7.6 million, which they’re reportedly hanging on to.
Nearly every room in the home is part art gallery.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

What sets the Perry penthouse apart—in addition to its art collection—is the 6,000-plus square feet of wrap-around outdoor terraces with incredible views of the cantilevered Queensboro Bridge and East River. That, and its acres of floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the home with light.
Built in 1927, the limestone-clad Sutton Place building was designed by famed NYC architect Rosario Candela and is considered one of Manhattan’s most exclusive addresses, beloved by financial titans, celebs and media barons.
The library.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

At one time, the Perrys’ apartment was owned by the philanthropist Janet Annenberg Hooker, sister of magazine magnate and former ambassador to the UK,  Walter Annenberg.
One other interesting nugget is that the penthouse was originally built as a duplex with, at one time, the lower apartment belonging to fashion designer Bill Blass.
The Perrys carried out an exhaustive renovation of the penthouse, reconfiguring it into two separate wings; one for day-to-day living, the other for entertaining.
One of two private elevators opens on to a gallery-like foyer that leads into the vast, 34-by-22-foot living room. It features curved white walls and doors that opening to a huge, river-view terrace.
One of the home’s six bedrooms.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

The second wing is essentially one sprawling master suite with a main bedroom featuring expansive windows with right-there views of the Queensboro Bridge. Connected to it are vast dual dressing rooms and bathrooms, with a skylight-lit corridor leading to a cozy den and adjoining study.

Linking the two wings is a stark white, industrial-grade kitchen with stainless-steel surfaces for the twin islands, stainless steel-faced cabinets and a Viking gas range nearly as big as an SUV.
The industrial-grade kitchen.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

In total there are four bedrooms—a small staff suite could easily become a fifth bedroom—along with six full bathrooms and one half-bath.
Arguably the exterior highlight of the penthouse is its massive 50-by-32-foot west-facing terrace that the Perrys used regularly for soirees. This white-surfaced space is home to that flashy Jeff Koons green diamond sculpture. In 2005, Richard Perry reportedly paid $2.3 million for the five-foot-tall piece, and had to hire a crane to lift it on to the roof.
The breakfast nook.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

It was the source of some brouhaha when residents in nearby buildings complained that on sunny days, the shiny sculpture hit them with “laser beam” rays. Adjusting the diamond’s position apparently solved the problem.
With or without the Koons diamond, the penthouse is indisputably a one-of-a-kind.
“This is a true urban refuge, a place of tranquility and pure privacy high above the bustling pace of the city,” says broker Allison B. Koffman, who together with colleague Juliette R. Janssens of Sotheby’s International Realty, hold this listing.
The dining room.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

If, or more likely when, the penthouse sells, it will be the latest “flip” for the multi-tasking Lisa Perry and her husband. In July, the couple sold a 6,700-square-foot Palm Beach spread for $9.1 million.
After they paid a reported $6.5 million for the property in May 2018, Perry renovated and re-imagined the six-bedroom home in her trademark ’60s-inspired style, using it to help launch her Lisa Perry Homes brand.
The family room.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

The renovation featured widely on Perry’s website, and in the 2019 Assouline-published coffee table tome Lisa Perry: Fashion—Homes—Design.
Interestingly, the Palm Beach home was offered with all the pop-art artwork, fixtures and funky furniture included, even a selection of carefully-selected ’60s-style clothing in the master closet.

Maybe Perry can be convinced after all to throw in a few of her Sutton Place art pieces.
The home office.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

The vast seating area is part of the home’s entertainment wing.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

The contemporary furniture is a backdrop for the views.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

The master bath.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

One of the two walk-ins within the primary suite.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

Even a guest bath has Pop Art touches.  Photo: Courtesy of Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty More