The Enviable Loft Fran Lebowitz Has Never Liked

Creative director Marc Balet bought his three-story loft in Manhattan’s Noho district 30 years ago, when the space was a dance studio. Although it did have a wood-burning fireplace, the beautiful architecture of the arched windows was hidden.

Once the full windows were revealed, he called on his best friend, writer Fran Lebowitz, whose father owned a furniture store and upholstery workshop, and asked if her father could create and install the very, very long curtains that are still there today.

Fran rose to her now-legend status starting at Interview magazine where she wrote a column called “I Cover the Waterfront,” She is also the author of two books, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, and the world awaits further writings.

Marc recently invited Fran over for visit, where they talked about their storied friendship and her dislike of his enviable apartment.

[keepLaffN]

Screw the house. I absolutely LOVE friendships like this.

[Ackrey]

If this was 3 hours long. I would still watch every minute. What a friendship....

[jordan_too]

Three minutes? WTF? This was so interesting I know I would have watched 50 minutes of it.

[cruisingmimi]

“ I don’t want to be amused by decor” and when she said “ when I see something horrible I think...too bad Mark can’t buy that”!

[BradThePitts]

I haven't seen anyone on camera smoking in a home for YEARS

[plasticfantastic]

“I don’t wanna be amused by decor” RIOT!🤣 that quote is PRICELESS...

[uberglamazon]

These kinds of places are becoming rarer and rarer in the city. What a joy.

[cyndykated]

A true friend is someone you can be brutally honest with...and they laugh!

[caereece]

“We met in 1975 according to Marc I don’t remember it was not as meaningful to me” that pine was enough to let me I knew this was gonna be good

[ruthchelimo]

Their friendship is the perfect juxtaposition. I adore the house and their friendship. The video could have been longer.

[sukaicosmica]

They are so funny. He is such a nice guy, his home is so unpretencious, personal and wellcoming and her sentence "I don't want to be amused by decor" is hilarious.

[damondominique]

OK so I need to marry an architect. Noted 📝

[darlenevm]

The two of them together are hilarious, and the outdoor space is incredible. What an oasis.

[DD-srxm]

There is none better or more honest than Fran. She is a national treasure, and she doesn’t even do anything. Always unpredictable and entertaining.

[joesinthishouse]

We should all be so lucky as to have a decades long friendship like these two.

[sarahelizabethfoster]

I love this kind of video so much because it shows how two people can have such different reactions to the same space and they're best buddies!

[angiebelle]

What an incredible friendship! They both have such unique charm and you can tell they truly enjoy each other's company

[Quantum]

"Who wants to live on Broadway and Houston?"... "I don't want to be amused by decor"... She had me rolling! What a dry wit, hilarious. My friends and I all lived in places like that back in the 70's and 80's, when Soho was dark and dangerous and no one wanted to go there. Too bad we did not own them, and had to move out when the rent got too high. Now you have to be a millionaire just to rent one. How times change.

[marquamfurniture]

The Odd Couple. .... Part 2, please. (Marc critiquing Franz' digs)

[ClaudyArfaras]

They are so cute and how fortunate in a perfect cross-section of minds with a huge dose of humor for the ultimate match made in, wherever those kinds of matches are made and fairly certain it wasn't in heaven but maybe... Thank you...