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Karim Rashid tones down colorful and controversial Harlem development

Karim Rashid tones down colorful and controversial Harlem development

When Karim Rashid unveiled his plans for Hap 5—a residential building in East Harlem that had fluorescent pink and turquoise balconies—there were, how should we put this, some detractors. Turns out, the the community wasn’t a huge fan of Rashid’s, let’s just say, vibrant color scheme.

Facing some serious backlash, Rashid promised to take the community’s concerns into account and launch a survey where they could vote on the building’s final design. To his credit, Rashid delivered on that promise and created five alternative designs for the survey. Now, the votes are in and the community has opted for a much more subdued scheme. The new design, which Rashid says will be implemented, has white glass balconies and hues of pink that become less pronounced as they rise up the facade. “White glass always looks so elegant,” explained Rashid in a statement. “The purity and cleanliness contrasting with the graduating pink hues running up the building, from fuchsia to almost white will give the building an ethereal glow.” We’ll see about that.


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