Filed under: Design, etc, News & Trends
A popular real estate and design blog has an unlikely (and underage) guest editor.Editor Sarah Firshein and her stand-in, Cole Perkins. Photos: Michael Grimm; Courtesy.
This week, visitors to the Curbed Network's flagship blog will notice something a little bit different. Instead of editor Sarah Firshein's voice, they'll find a more youthful, enthusiastic take on their real estate news as 13-year-old Cole Perkins runs the site while Sarah's on vacation.
To be fair, Cole isn't exactly your average teenager. He has his own blog, Lavish Property, that he updates once a day, and attends online school so his days are more flexible (he got ahead in preparation for this week-long gig). And most notably, he has an obsession with real estate and architecture that could rival his peers' fixation on Justin Bieber. Do you know any adolescents who dream of living in a Robert A.M. Stern building? Or interning for real estate legend Dolly Lenz? "I've always been interested in real estate," he told me by phone last week. "I used to watch House Hunters, then went online and starting reading, started blogging and studying markets."
So yes, Cole is up for the challenge. "I'll be writing everything myself," he said. "It'll be a wonderful resume booster." And even Sarah is excited about her guest editor's tenure. "Honestly, the only thing I'm worried about is that he puts the entire site in italics -- it's something I've done myself," she said. "Plus, he's got a great eye for real estate and design, and his knowledge of building styles is spot-on."
How exactly will the site be different this week with Cole at the helm? We'll have to see. For now, we'll look at how the two compare on...
A Typical Saturday Night
Cole: "On the couch, watching a nice movie, or maybe CSI or Law & Order."
Sarah: "Usually I go out for a nice dinner with my fiance and/or friends. It gives us an excuse to plow through the ever-expanding list of restaurants I want to try. There is nothing better, in my opinion, than long, wine-filled dinners that take up the entire night."
Dream House
Cole: "Definitely a penthouse at 15 Central Park West in New York. That's my favorite building in city. Robert A.M. Stern is a world renowned architect and the location and floorplan is just amazing."
Sarah: "Something urban, like a glassy loft -- I'd take Louis chairs and upholster them in some sort of punchy, geometric fabric, and I'd pair a scratched-up farmhouse dining table with every single midcentury dining chair I could get my hands on. That said, if someone gave me a four-floor townhouse, I might do a gut reno and make the entire interior sleek and modern."
Ambitions at 13
Cole: "I definitely want to get into real estate. I'm looking for an internship this summer in New York. My dream is to work with Dolly Lenz."
Sarah: "I remember wanting to do one of two things: Cure AIDS or be a writer. I think it's clear which one worked out."