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Terra Firma
Used, abused, walked all over"Life is tough for flooring. That's why it's so important to plan wisely when the time comes to redo your floors. Given how quickly a poor floor will have to be redone, the right choice is much more than an aesthetic decision - it's also a real investment. On the bright side, a well-chosen, expertly installed floor should yield years of beautiful wear with the proper care. Read More
From the Drawing Board to the Bedroom
In little Italy, architect Adam Kuchner, of Kuchner
Studios, is putting the finishing touches on 23 premier high-end
condominium apartments. Read More
A Facade Makeover
It was bound to happen: Your building, in its heyday an architectural gem, has started to show its age. The facade, with ornate details that were once a striking accent to the neighborhood, is beginning to deteriorate. If it's been years since you last fully appreciated the unique architectural details of your building's facade, and if you're living in fear of the next Local Law 11 inspection rounds, it might be time for a complete restoration. And it shouldn't be just for appearance's sake: Your aging facade could pose a safety risk for residents, passers-by, or anyone who enters your building. Read More
Combining Apartments
Have you and your family outgrown your apartment? If so, it is time to find a space large enough for everyone to be spread out in. A three-bedroom apartment would be ideal; but, unfortunately, few are available and prices are escalating rapidly. The search for the right space can lead to another more creative alternative which may provide the answer: combining two apartments. Read More
Authenticity Fetches Big Bucks
Real estate brokers are familiar with the scenario: An excited buyer enters a spacious apartment in a building located at a desirable address. Despite the fact that she's been warned by the broker that the interior has been modernized, the buyer is convinced that it will be love at first sight. But instead of her dream home she sees a bland space that has no character. Excessive renovation has resulted in an apartment that seems out of place in the charming pre-war building. Read More
Urban Landscaping
Landscaping is often associated with garden apartments that boast acres of land and rolling hills decorated with towering trees, bountiful flower gardens and lush courtyards. However, landscaping is just as important, if not more so, in buildings with limited outdoor space. From vibrant impatiens and azaleas to flourishing mums and pansies to handsome shrubs and fruit trees, even high-rise buildings can create beautiful greenery and colorful gardens. Read More
Kitchen Makeover
How do you take a small kitchen, make it three times as large and make sure that it fits in with the rest of the apartment? Read More
Re-Designing Common Areas
If two people have a hard time agreeing on what movie to see, it would seem impossible that the residents of even the smallest co-op or condo building would be able to agree on a color scheme for the new lobby. But that's no excuse for putting off a badly-needed re-design job in your building's common areas. Read More
A Sign of Good Design
Everyone agrees that a building's exterior and lobby make a lasting first impression. But have you ever noticed how many signs you pass between the curb and the apartment you are visiting? As we breeze through on our way upstairs, we barely notice these important pieces of print, yet they do make a lasting impression on us. Read More
Renovators Beware
Renovation. It is a process that is approached with both excitement and trepidation. The excitement has everything to do with the results that are anticipated, while the trepidation, for many, is based on the stories told by others. I begin by telling my clients that it will cost more than they think and take longer than they think. So, we start off by planning the budget and schedule accordingly. Beyond that, I put my experience to work and hope that luck is with us, because luck is a factor. Read More
Designing for the Environment
As issues such as global warming, shrinking rain forests and overflowing landfills move to the top of our national agenda, environmental considerations have taken a higher priority among interior designers as well. These days, a kitchen renovation can't just tuck a small garbage receptacle beneath the sink; bulky recycling containers have to be accommodated. And concerns about air quality and toxic substances from lead paint to floor finishes are commonplace. Today's designer should be equipped to answer questions and solve problems that take the environment into account, a service their clients have come to expect. Read More
Renovation Woes
Every day in New York City interior renovation work is taking place that is illegal to a greater or lesser degree. Just because the work looks good, does not mean that it meets Building Code requirements or that it's what the board of directors of the co-op or condo approved. In some cases, the board may not even know about the work. This presents serious potential hazards for the other shareholders or unit owners in the building. Read More
First Impressions Are Lasting
Just as the entrance hall of an apartment welcomes and sets the tone for the rooms beyond, a lobby creates an instant impression for anyone who enters, including guests and potential buyers. A lobby is a building's best foot forward and must be designed and maintained to reflect the character and personality of those who live there. Read More
Designing with Light
There's no question that human beings respond to light. Its absence can affect our sense of well-being, and this may be why bright, sunny apartments tend to be the easiest to sell. Whether you have an interior designer map out a detailed lighting plan or you choose the do-it-yourself approach, today there are more lighting options than ever before. And the results are always amazing. With an abundance of light in all the right places, even the darkest apartment can be transformed from a dreary space into a home that is envied by all. Read More
There's No I in team
As the old saying goes, great minds think alike. That’s certainly the hope when designers and design committees join forces to tackle the aesthetic issues faced by co-op and condo buildings throughout New York. Whether it’s a lobby redecoration, a common area renovation, or the creation of an entirely new decorative space, the designers and committees are often called upon to make decisions on a scale that will impact each and every building resident. Trying to reach consensus on those decisions takes skill, tact and a shared desire to reach the common goal of a good design. Read More
Prewar and Postwar
When visitors to New York, or even some residents, are asked about landmark, historic or architecturally striking buildings here, they’ll probably mention the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Woolworth Tower, Grand Central Station, the Guggenheim Museum, the Flatiron Building, and maybe the Museums of Modern Art and Natural History and the United Nations. Read More
Fully Committeed
Using the services of a trained professional and making sure you have the input of your constituents - in this case the residents of your co-op or condo building - are two elements of a project that are sometimes hard to reconcile, particularly in the case of a creative endeavor like a remodel or renovation. It is important that all parties know what their roles are, so they can work together and not step on each other's toes. In the case of interior renovations, a shareholder design committee is typically formed and seeks the input of an architect or a designer. Read More
Wood You Rather
In any home or apartment, urban or suburban, woodwork plays an important role in construction, but in areas such as doors, floors, cabinets and decorative elements. With plenty of synthetic alternatives and wood veneers available to do-it-yourselfers and decorating professionals, having solid, often ornate wood elements in your building or apartment is considered a luxury nowadays, as many boards and supers opt for cheaper solutions to fix deteriorating wood, rather than using the real McCoy. Read More
Artistic Investments
New York City is home to some of the most spectacular living spaces in the world. At the end of the day however, even the most luxurious, most exclusive co-op and condo buildings are simply places to live. Yes, they may have stunning architecture and amazingly beautiful hallways and lobby spaces, but for all the opulence and finery, these spaces are mostly for people to move through on their way somewhere else. They are not necessarily decorated or intended to be lingering places. Read More
Exotic Exploration
New York City is known for having some of the most impressive architecture in the world, and many of its buildings—whether considered landmarks or just those that people call home—incorporate a vast array of building materials into both their facades and interiors. Read More
Designing Reality
Just a decade ago, the average person didn’t have much of an idea about the ins and outs of interior design. Thanks to the recent—and rapid—proliferation of cable television and the phenomenal success of reality TV however, that has changed. Today, a host of programming appeals to all tastes and budgets, from HGTV’s modest “Design on a Dime” to the over-the-top, spare-no-expense grandeur of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Read More
Windows on the Future
Windows—the number, shape, tint, and finish of the glass—are as much a factor in a building’s overall character as its architectural design and construction materials, and can either add or detract from a building’s curb appeal. Even the most beautiful windows lose a lot of their appeal if they’re not properly cleaned and maintained, and sometimes older models need some help to counter the realities of a modern city. Today, windows are available that can help reduce noise and UV rays, along with the usual wind, rain, and snow. Changing or upgrading your building’s windows is no weekend project—it’s expensive and time-consuming, and requires a certain amount of legwork to understand what’s on the market and what’s best for your building. As with any major improvement project, a well-trained professional can be a great help in navigating your project. Read More
Industry Standards for Public Spaces
The lobbies and hallways of residential buildings are not high-end private residential projects—yet they’re not back stairwells or utilities spaces either. They literally fall somewhere in between, and no matter how new or sophisticated the building itself is, or how lavishly constructed, by the very nature of architecture and construction, nothing is exactly straight or perfectly plumb. It’s a given on any project that almost all walls, floors and ceilings will be out of alignment—it is just a matter of how much. As interior designers, we are not hired to re-build the building. We are hired to enhance its appearance, which increases value for residents, as well as attracting prospective buyers. Read More
Preparation and Planning
There are five main rules that must always be considered when designing apartment building lobbies. Each project has its own set of circumstances and goals. And these goals must also coincide with the aesthetics, the inherent building style, furnishings, fixtures, and existing interiors of the building. Read More
Home Sweet Home
Patricia is a 65 year-old woman who is in good physical and mental shape. She exercises daily, sees her physician regularly and is active in the community. She lives alone in an apartment and doesn't even want to consider moving to an assisted living center or nursing home when the time comes that she has difficulty caring for herself. Patricia prefers to age right where she is, in her own home that she loves so much. Read More
Old Glory
Throughout New York City, some of the most sought-after apartments are located in prewar buildings (those built prior to World War II), such as the Central Park West's Dakota or the stately maisonettes located on the Upper East Side. On the outside, these majestic structures reflect a bygone era rich in detail and master craftsmanship matched only by the ornate moldings, solid wood mantels, grand marble staircases and other design elements which impart an old world charm to the apartments within. Read More
Life of Luxury
We've all done it: walking along a quiet street in the evening, our eyes are drawn to the lit windows overlooking the sidewalk-we crane our necks to catch a quick glimpse of the sumptuously-decorated apartment behind the curtains, and immediately begin speculating on how much it's all worth. Read More
Attack of the Messies
Everybody knows at least one person who can't seem to bear parting with anything, be it movie ticket stubs from 1978, scratched-up Tupperware, or their grandpa's back-issues of National Geographic. The tendency to hang onto every random piece of clothing, furniture, paper, or printed material can cause problems aplenty even when the packrat has tons of space, but when the tendency toward clutter meets a waffle-sized Manhattan apartment, disaster is imminent. Read More
Room to Breathe
The classic "New York apartment" with the bathtub in the kitchen and a Murphy bed folding out from one wall may not be as common these days as it was a few decades ago, but the fact is that unless they're among the fabulously wealthy, space is at a premium for nearly all New Yorkers-especially Manhattanites. Whether it's a lack of storage, no room for guests, or a microscopic bathroom, practically everybody has at least one space-related complaint. Frustrating as it can be to try to jam one more Rubbermaid storage tub under the bed or find a place to put the ski equipment, there are ways to make the most of small living quarters-it's a combination of illusion and organization. Read More
Grand Entrances
You only have one chance to make a first impression, and when it comes to co-op and condo buildings, your lobby is that first chance. The way a lobby is designed expresses what kind of building residents and visitors are walking into, both in style and in what kind of service residents can expect. "It sets the tone for the value of the building," says Marilyn Sygrove, owner of Sygrove Associates Design Group, Inc. "The lobby is the building's face. If a woman is going out to an evening function and you see her step out of the car and she has on a beautiful cloak and nice shoes and diamond earrings, that's the street. When she walks into the party and takes off her coat, that's the lobby. The lobby is the whole picture. It's the value, the dress, the smell of the perfume. The lobby is the whole romance of the building-you get a sense of what the apartments are like from the lobby." Read More
Altering Your Apartment
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone completed renovations on time? Reducing the time the construction process takes in a cooperative or condominium building benefits everyone. The renovators are able to occupy their apartments sooner, which can result in substantial savings; neighbors are not unduly inconvenienced; and the anxiety levels of the building's board of directors, managing agent and staff are considerably reduced. If the renovation of a private home is not well thought out, it usually affects only the homeowner and the contractor. But a poorly planned and poorly executed apartment renovation can affect everyone in the building. Read More
Sky Gardens
In many buildings, the roof isn't just a protective covering to fend off the elements, but also a luxurious amenity where residents enjoy patio gardens and perhaps even lounge and socialize with neighbors. Read More
Design of the Times
In an age where regulation, accreditation and membership matters, being affiliated with a recognized professional association is almost a business necessity. More than just a meeting place for like-minded individuals to discuss the topics of the day, professional organizations offer their members and participants benefits beyond networking parties and letters behind their names. Professional organizations maintain up-to-date information on the latest technological advancements in the particular trade they serve, draw up rules and regulations to govern their industry, and set standards by which their members are required to measure themselves, thus insuring the quality of members' work. Read More
Wall to Wall
Floor coverings have come a long way in the past decade. Where once wall-to-wall carpeting was bland and there were few options to choose from, now there are a multitude of colors and designs to select from, and one of the best ways to dress up a bare, cold-looking hallway or lobby is by installing a well-placed rug or carpet. Rugs and carpets muffle noise, reduce wear-and-tear on underlying flooring materials, and add visual interest at relatively little expense. Read More
