October Design Links for New Yorkers

Here's a trio of great design links for New York homeowners and renters alike to enjoy...

A work-from-home mom teams up with a designer to update her Gramercy Park digs. It doesn't start of pretty, but eventually, they get the job done.
Redecorating isn't always pretty (NYT)

There's nothing quite like a stainless-steel sink to grab the eye and really give your kitchen a bit of sparkle. Remodelista shows us ten drop-dead versions.
10 Easy Pieces - Stainless Sinks (Remodelista)

What is a Winter Palette? Think white furniture with wood floors and accents. Apartment Therapy has a great gallery up to show this concept off.
White Plus Wood - The Cozy Side of a Winter Palette (AT)

For professional help from a New York Interior Designer to get these looks, visit cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory.

Window Treatment Tips for New Yorkers

Window Treatment by Tocar

You're going to be spending more time at home as he weather turns colder and the hours of sunlight begin to diminish, so why not consider a revamp of your window treatment situation?

Apartment Therapy has a great set of before and after shots from design firm Tocar...

From AT:

The treatments in the room pictured above are most effective.
What was once
divided with a center panel is now treated as one large window
opening with
drapes flanking each side. They're hung higher than before,
giving a real sense
of size and openness to the room. These treatments
practically create an
entirely new architectural detail all on their own.

Here's a list of some of the highest rated New York window treatment companies.

Check out the pics and detailed descriptions at AT: Window Treatment Before and After.

Design Hunting with NY Mag's Wendy Goodman

Get on over to New York Magazine for their latest Design Hunting feature and the accompanying slideshow:

From NY Mag:
After taking some time off to work on her book about the
glamorous Gloria Vanderbilt, our design editor Wendy Goodman resumes her
tireless treks in search of great style. This week, she finds the collected
design books of the great Albert Hadley, has a $29 lunch — with wine, of course
— at the elegant La Grenouille, and eats a candelit Fashion Week dinner with
Simon Doonan and Anya Hindmarch.

The piece offers some great inspiration and design ideas for the home or apartment dweller who finds themselves in a decorating rut.

For a list of rated and reviewed NYC Interior Designers, visit cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory.

The Hedge Fund Manager Versus the New York Moving Company

Even the wealthiest sometimes have trouble with their moves, apparently.

Cityfile picked up this story about a hedge fund manager now being pursued by the New York moving company he used for almost $100,000 in money they claim he still owes them from a recent move.

From Cityfile:
Hedge fund mogul Dan Loeb paid $45 million for one of the city's poshest apartments last year, a 10,000-square-foot penthouse at 15 Central Park West. His move-in, however, didn't go so smoothly, it seems. It's unclear what took place precisely, but the moving company that Loeb and his wife Margaret hired to help them settle in, Auer's Moving & Rigging, filed a lawsuit against the couple in Manhattan Supreme Court earlier this year claiming breach of contract. (Panorama on the Park LLC, which is also listed as a defendant, is the company Loeb set up to acquire the property.) The high-end moving company is demanding that Loeb cough up the $98,689.07 which it says it's owed. Last week, though, an attorney for the Loebs responded to the suit by filing a motion to dismiss.

The reason for the dispute is as yet unknown but given the high profile nature of the people involved, it seems as though we'll hear more soon.

For a list of New York Movers with ratings and reviews, visit cityhammer.com, New York's #1 Remodeling Directory!

Full Story: Dan Loeb Makes His Move (Cityfile)

New York Interior Designers Celebrate Elle Decor

It was one of the biggest events of the year for New York interior designers and it all went down on Tuesday night at Bergdorf's.

From the New York Times:
Elle Décor, the unstuffy, vaguely urban interior design magazine, is 20 years old next month; the evening’s party was in honor of that birthday, a particularly important one given that during those two decades, its competitor House & Garden folded, was resurrected and folded again, and the ingénue-competitor Domino was shuttered last January. So the night was a bit of a victory lap: In a year of dismal numbers, Elle Décor had inched ahead of the shelter behemoth Architectural Digest (now the only decorating magazine in the Condé Nast stable) to hold the No. 1 spot in the shelter category. It was a heady feeling, Ms. Russell had said earlier.

Elle Decor has come along way and interior designers descended upon Manhattan to recognize the design mag and to meet Margaret Russell, author of the new Best Of coffee table book that shows off some of its best work.

Full Article:

The Design Universe Lines Up at Bergdorf's (NYT)

For a list of Manhattan Interior Designers:

Manhattan Interior Designers

Interior Designers Inspired by Craigslist?

This story perfectly encapsulates the struggle going on between the design-conscious homeowner's unceasing desire for pleasant surroundings and the sorry state of his or her finances in 2009.

Not content with wallowing in self pity and hopelessness, designers are increasingly turning to internet resources where bargains are to be found for aesthetic elements and furnishings, according to the Baltimore Sun:

Interior designers nationwide are increasingly turning to unique, low-cost and unexpected sources -- including Craigslist, estate sales and Target Corp. -- to create high design on a dime and generate business as recession-weary homeowners scale back their decor ambitions. The result: less expensive and eco-friendly rooms that reflect their owners' personalities rather than cloning catalog or magazine pictures.

Call it creative survival.

Don't give up people. Where there's a will for fresh interior design, there's a way!

Full Article:

Craigslist and eBay Become Interior Design Muses (BaltimoreSun)

September NYC Design Links

If you're like us, you're getting prepared (at least mentally) for the annual switching of the clothing, taking out the heavier fall and winter stuff whilst organizing and storing the summer stuff. Well if so, you're in luck, because the New York Times just went shopping with Ann Sullivan, a leading New York Closet Organizer, and in the article, she highlights exactly what you'll need to get your home organized and ready for the new season.
Shopping with Ann Sullivan (NYT)

When designing a New York City apartment, one of the most interesting aspects you can play with in terms of shape, color and texture, is the headboard behind your bed. HGTV posted a cool gallery of really out-there headboards for your viewing pleasure.
No Run Of The Mill Headboards Here (HGTV)

Now this is cool...solid wood flooring by Waldilla - with curves! If you're looking for an exciting new style of wood flooring in NY, you could do worse than this product, featured on Apartment Therapy today. This one will really elicit a great response upon your guests' noticing it.
Curved Wood Floor (AT)