Luxury High Above Washington Square

A penthouse unit at AKA Washington Square. | Photos: HughE Dillon unless otherwise indicated

Now that extended-stay residence pioneer Larry Korman has finished assembling all the pieces of his Washington Square property, he took some time to show off the work to a group of real estate professionals and the media on March 29th.

AKA Washington Square at The Franklin offers furnished residences with hotel services aimed at the extended-stay market — people who need a place they can call home for more than a month but less than a year— and unfurnished apartments with annual leases for working professionals. Most of the units are one-bedroom apartments or suites with full kitchens and dining areas, but the Washington Square property also features several all-new and truly stunning bi-level penthouses.

The furnished suites bear the touch of AKA’s in-house designer, Nicholas Cardone, a master of the sleek, contemporary minimalist aesthetic. So does the model unfurnished unit, but what those ultimately become is up to their residents.

Guests and residents alike enjoy access to a 24-hour business center, fitness center and resident services desk as well as valet parking. The building’s famed ballroom, which had a cameo in “The Silver Linings Playbook,” is available to book for catered events, and there’s an elegantly furnished lobby with a lounge bar as well. The building is surrounded by outstanding restaurants from the likes of José Garces, Stephen Starr and more, but AKA’s own in-building restaurant, Rarest, is no slouch either, and for faster gourmet fare, there’s always the DiBruno Bros. specialty-foods and bottle shop on the 9th Street side.

The photos above and below should give you an idea of what guests and residents can expect.

AKA Washington Square: A Look Inside

The kitchen in the model apartment offers plenty of room to move around.

The bathroom in the model apartment.

The model apartment's living and dining area.

The living and dining area in one of the bi-level penthouses.

The penthouse master suite has a big-screen HDTV that rises from a cabinet via remote control...

...and pivots to face either the bed or the sitting area. Photo: Sandy Smith

The master suite is fitted with a huge walk-in closet with built-in organizers. Photo: Sandy Smith

There's also a seating area and desk on the upper level outside the master suite. Photo: Sandy Smith

The master suite bedroom boasts marble tile walls, a marble-topped vanity and a shower with rain and body sprays. Photo: Sandy Smith

A closeup of the vanity. Photo: Sandy Smith

Guests in the penthouses pay a premium price for their accommodations, so of course they get premium fixtures, like Toto toilets...

...and Bosch appliances in the laundry and kitchen, which also features a Liebherr refrigerator that blends in seamlessly with the cabinetry. Photos: Sandy Smith

The view from the penthouse unit.

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