I will admit that I never miss an opportunity to check out New York City apartments since most are way bigger than my own which is why I was happy to check out the Manhattan House located on the Upper East Side. Thanks to Beth Feldman from rolemommy.com, I was able to roam around and check out Manhattan House’s model residence. Let me say that it was spectacular, three bedrooms with their own bathrooms, huge kitchen, a laundry room, dining for both breakfast and dinner and huge, huge living room. Visiting The Manhattan House without a doubt provided a very long peak into the quintessential New York Upper East side lifestyle.
During the event, we had the opportunity to meet with Heather Zick, the Interior Designer for the Manhattan House whose job it is to help prospective home owners to get to the place of being able to imagine the models as their home. According to Heather, the staging inventory consists of merchandise that has been accumulated over the years from previous designers and include a spectrum of different styles.
” I try to use the three R’s whenever I can – Reuse/Resize/Rework – If it’s absolutely necessary that I purchase something new, I will, but I truly enjoy the challenge and creativity it takes to find a way to make the old make sense and furthermore, find a way to make it actually feel like new.
I was totally impressed with how the model was decorated and certainly provided me with a host of ideas which I am sure could be duplicated albeit probably cheaper.
Heather Zick’s Design Ideas for optimizing Space and Money:
Choose furniture styles and layout wisely:
- Beds without footboards and chairs without arms are great for smaller spaces
- Modular furniture that can easily be separated and moved around (example: C606 Master Bedroom chaise can be used with B406 Media Room sectional)
- Stools and ottomans that can double as tables or additional seating
- If you have limited wall space, try placing furniture at the end of your bed, behind your sofa or float it in the middle of the room (example: C606 Office desk)
- Turn convector covers into additional seating by adding cushions and throw pillows
- See if you can eliminate your dresser from your bedroom by moving it into your closet or by having your closet outfitted with drawers
- Flex-spaces that can serve more than one purpose (Media Room/Play Room or Guest Bedroom/Office)
Finishes:
- If you find something you like, but don’t love the color of it, buy it anyway – strip and stain it a color you do like (example: C606 Office tripod floor lamp and Dining Room mirrors)
- Buy commercial-grade wallpaper that looks like a grass-cloth or some other natural material but is actually vinyl, which is less expensive and more durable (example: C606 Dining Room and B406 Master Bedroom)
- Paint moulding and trim the same color as the walls to make the room feel larger and more uniform
- For furniture and frame touch-ups use Sharpie markers and White-out or find a paint color that matches and buy a sample pot
Art, Accessories and Area Rugs:
- Take your own photographs and have them printed on photo paper or canvas (example: B406 Dining Room)
- If you see an expensive piece of art you like, commission a friend or local art student to create an interpretation of it
- Shop in the flower district for candle holders, trays, vases and silk flowers – create your own floral arrangements (example: C606 Kitchen and Living Room)
- Shag and sisal rugs are generally inexpensive, versatile and durable – if you like wool and silk rugs, opt for wool and viscose instead which has a similar look and feel but is much less expensive
Lighting:
- Buy plain white paper lampshades which are the least expensive kind and sponge-paint them for a cool, textural finish and better ambience (example: C606 Guest Bedroom)
- Buy antique bulbs for light fixtures where the bulbs are visible for a more interesting look – purchasing them online in bulk will be less expensive (example: C606 Foyer light)
Reupholstering/Recovering/
- Shop for fabric in large fabric houses like Mood and B&J – they have some really unique materials, especially in the faux fur and men’s suiting departments
- Buy throw pillows with removable covers so they can easily be changed – or use an old bedspread or faux fur coat to fabricate your own covers
- Use a furniture surgeon to adjust a piece to fit in your space rather than buy a new one
- Have area rugs made from wall-to-wall carpet remnants
Manhattan House Playroom
Disclosure: NYC Single Mom was not compensated for this post.
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