Design Diary – The adventure begins

The clients were able to purchase the additional 22 feet of corridor, and closed on the apartment. Now the fun begins.

The proposed plan we did is perfect for their needs so we can begin the process of design development and figure out what  this space will look like.

We  are going to do some probes to determine where the ceiling is dropped and what is in there. We would ideally like to open up the exterior walls with transoms above sliding glass doors in the living room.

I stopped into Robin Reigi, a materials source for new materials that is available only to designers. I got some great ideas. One of them is gorgeous birch flooring that is as white as a stained floor can get.

Heirloom Birch Floor

 

Each board is air dried for over a year before being placed in “small batch” kilns allowing them to reach the optimum moisture content. It’s FSC, reclaimed and old growth material that is all locally available within 500 miles of New York City. I chose a pale white stain and 7″ side boards at 6 foot lengths. This product performs extremely well over radiant heat, which is a good solution for a space with such high ceilings.

This will give the apartment a light and airy look.

 

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Design Diary – Should they buy the apartment?

To decide if we were going to proceed with the sale, I sketched up some ideas for redesign. The space isn’t that large and there is a long list of requirements to be met.

Workable kitchen- they look to cook

Two offices – one for each of them

They wanted the offices to face the view of the garden

Lots of storage – they have a lot of clothes

Dressing area – makeup area with running water to rinse brushes

Grille – Mr. Client loves to barbeque

Guest Room – they have lots of friends, family including small grandchildren

Room for art – they have wonderful and adventurous taste in modern art

Room for the upright piano

Good space inside and out for entertaining

The client found the original plans before the current owner combined the units. So I knew where the plumbing risers and structure were located

 

Existing Plan of Apartment

 

Proposed Design Plan Continue reading

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Design Diary – West Side Apartment – The Adventure begins. . .

Welcome to my new blog. I hope to bring new insights into the world of design. The mission is to give an insiders view of the design process and to bring awareness to new things in the world of design and art from my own perspective.

Design Diary – West Side Apartment – Entry One

I will chronicle the process of design and construction for a new project on the Upper West Side – an apartment renovation near Lincoln Center. It’s a unique apartment because it’s on the garden level of a high rise and the garden is as big as the apartment itself.

I met this client socially, and was asked to help renovate an apartment in the same neighborhood. We were set to go when the deal fell apart due to misinformation between from the Coop Board about impossible rules for renovation in that building.

Discouraged, they continued to look at places on-line. Several months ago, my client, called me from her winter residence to ask me to scout this apartment. I reluctantly agreed as the plan was not very interesting, but when I got there, I was intrigued. The garden is very large and makes the apartment itself look much bigger. Also, the ceilings are 12 ½ feet high giving the feeling of a wonderful loft. The location is exactly where these clients want to be. The client flew in and put in an offer that was accepted within a few days.

I sketched out a plan that rearranged the main functions and necessitated the purchase of a public hall to make it work. I will post the existing plans and my proposed design in Entry 2.

Here are the before pictures.
View of the Garden

Living Room facing west

Continue reading

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