Interior Design in New York City

What to consider before signing that contract:

1. Is the designer qualified to practice? Make sure the interior designer is properly licensed by New York State. Ask your Designer for their NYS license number or go to the New York State office of Professions to check if the designer is on the list.

2. Are they experienced in the type of project you’re doing? Check the interior designer’s website, testimonials and references. Always ask your friends and colleagues if they’ve worked with a designer and have someone they had a good experience working with.  Meet with at least three designers and check your “gut” feeling. You’re entering into a very intimate relationship and you must be able to trust the person you’re hiring no matter how many magazine covers they’ve been on.

3. Have they sent you a contract? A proper (and legal) relationship with an interior designer begins with a contract that clearly states the responsibilities of both parties and the framework for what the budget and time frame the project will be. The fee structure should be clearly outlined and understood, including the pricing for materials and furnishings, as well as hourly rates and retainers if applicable.

4. Do you feel that the designer understands your style? Make sure you feel that the interior designer is addressing your goals, concerns, hopes and needs.  It helps tremendously if you have some inspirational references like photos, magazine ads, color swatches and drawings will give your designer an idea of what your expectations are for the look and aesthetic you are aiming for. The more you can communicate before the work starts, the better.

5. Are you open-minded? Be prepared for suggestions you wouldn’t have thought of  -  the fresh, professional perspective is one of the main reasons you hired an interior designer in New York to begin with!

6. Do you have a realistic budget? Things almost always cost a bit more than what you had expected. It’s the nature of the business, not a rip-off. Extra time, labor or materials are often necessary to complete a project, so try to be somewhat flexible with you initial budget as long as the escalation seems reasonable and you feel your designer has stayed on task. Having the designer review all of your Contractor budgets and payment requests can save you unnecessary change orders a Contractor might charge.

7. Enjoy the process! Improving your environment is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable process. It helps to hire a professional to handle the details for you and to make sure things go smoothly and comes in on time and on budget. A professional interior designer can make that happen for you!

(from www.workingnaked.net)

“This consultant’s sleek home office, designed by Kati Curtis, ASID, is a perfect example of how storage and style can go hand in hand. Starting with the clean lines of the built-ins and desk, to the creative use of shelves between the bookcases and window, this office is calm, colorful and cool.

Doubling as a guest room, the sofa bed makes it easy to convert this room from work to play in minutes. But a common challenge when a home office and guest room share the same space is securing confidential files. The frosted glass doors with built-in locks keep files secure and organized.

Rather than adding traditional wall-to-wall carpeting, Curtis used Flor carpet tiles. Formerly used only in commercial offices, Flor tiles are ideal for a home office, especially if you’re prone to spills. You simply replace the stained tile. The monitor in the corner makes glare from the window a non-issue.

Awesome office!”

Thanks Lisa! We think so too!

(from Metropolitan Home)

Don’t get me wrong; I think rules deserve to be broken.  Here, is a compendium of design don’ts that even a non-conformist like me avoids at all costs.

Sin #1: Inability to Edit

If less truly is more, then beauty is in the eye of the editor, not the beholder. Nowadays, battalions of furniture and tchotchkes seem fuddy-duddy but, more importantly, they upstage the most important component of any room namely, you (or me, if I’m lucky enough to get invited)! A radical cure for an overcrowded living room is to remove half the furniture and objects. Store what you love, donate what you like and begin thinking positively about negative space.

Less is More

Sin #2: Not Listening to a Room

The best interiors are a harmonious marriage between architecture and interior design so spend time in an empty apartment or house before you decorate it. Get a feel for each room’s proportions; register the quality and direction of light; contemplate some surfaces, textures and colors—then let the room’s function dictate its design. In other words, the furniture configuration in your living room should not be the same every time you move.

Let the Environment Dictate the Interior

Sin #3: Slavishly Following Trends

Ignore shelter magazine suggestions (guilty as charged!!) about adopting a currently popular interiors style like Asian Modern or English Country. The most successful rooms defy categorization. They’re allergic to design templates because they reflect their owner’s individuality and life experiences.

Let Your Personality Shine

Sin #4: Resorting to Cliché

Rooms that stay relentlessly true to one particular style or period (even, dare I say it, mid-20th century modern!) are predictable. They leave little to the imagination. Good design is never stuck in a time warp. It’s confident and surprising. Or, in designer Larry Laslo’s words, “Glamour is rooted in the unexpected.”

Add Something Unexpected

Sin #5: Lack of Humor

The best rooms never take themselves too seriously and yes, there is such a thing as death by good taste! A multi-layered interior should easily accommodate (and, at times, flaunt) some irony, wit or kitsch.

Add Some Fun

Sin #6: Fear of Color

The sage refuses to age with beige! A coat or two of paint is the least expensive and quickest way to transform an interior. Skillfully applied color acts like cosmetic surgery and opens up a claustrophobic kitchen or heightens a low ceiling. And then there are the mood enhancing qualities of color.

Don't be afraid of color!

Sin #7: Formality

Along with antimacassars, straight backed dining is a thing of the past and more of us choose to use our “best china” everyday. The most successful rooms strive to be casual and relaxed. They welcome guests and encourage them to linger.

Make you Living Room livable!

Whether it be a commercial or residential job, I can pretty much guarantee we’re going to use something from Knoll on the project.

For the RCS Experience Store on Madison Avenue, we used Knoll’s classic Saarinen womb chair in a new smaller-scale size.

Two of these chairs flank the entry to the conference room, which is furnished with  Saarinen tables and tulip chairs.

On a recent residential job, we used pieces from Knoll Studio’s Platner Collection.

And in the Dining Room, we used Flat Brno chairs by Ludwieg Mies van der Rohe.

But at Neocon this year, Knoll came away with gold awards for some of their amazing new products including the new Generation Chair, which we featured in our last newsletter. Generation acknowledges that there’s no ONE right way to sit, and responds to a variety of work activities.

Also winning a gold was Knoll Textiles Air Rights drapery fabric collection by Suzanne Tick.

We’ll certainly be using the new and old award winners in many projects to come!