Two Women, Two Studios, a Hallway in Between

Every so often somebody leaves a copy of the NY Times at the cafe, and today I picked it up and found an article about a unique and appealing living situation. It was headlined “To Each Her Own” and was about two women friends who live in a giant apartment that they sort of share. That’s because it’s been set up so that they both have their own studios, and they’re linked by a common hallway.

Roselyn Leibowitz, 64, and Catherine Redmond, 54, are both single and both love their privacy. As many of us of a similar age can attest, there are limits to how much interference we want in our lives. Still, it gets lonely…and their unique arrangement gives them a bit of comraderie too.

Buying a space big enough for two separate studios doesn’t come cheap in New York’s west 30’s. But proving they were truly friends, Ms. Leibowitz paid the $3.1 million for the two adjoining lofts. Redmond splits the monthly bills with her studio mate.

The two communicate between their studios by text message, sending missives about an upcoming trip to the store, or whether one wants to join the other at a local Thai restaurant. So far, they told the Times’ Suzanne Slesin that the only thing that might come up some day is if one of them met someone they wanted to marry. “Ours was an agreement based on trust and friendship,” they explained.